People Who Give a Damn: Antoinette Jackson of SuperBee on Plastic-Free Living, Better Laundry, and Why Perfect Is Overrated

You know that moment when you're standing in the grocery store, staring at two versions of the same product, trying to figure out which one is actually better for the planet? One has a green label. The other says natural. Both have plastic packaging. And somehow, your perfectly reasonable attempt to buy laundry detergent has turned into an environmental ethics exam.

There has to be a better way.

That's pretty much the philosophy behind SuperBee, a company creating practical, reusable alternatives to everyday disposable products. Think beeswax food wraps, low-waste laundry solutions, and a rather intriguing little invention that promises to rethink the way we wash our clothes.

Founder Antoinette Jackson, who also goes by Anny, built SuperBee after spending years working in sustainable product development in Southeast Asia. Along the way, she discovered that some of the best environmental solutions aren't necessarily new inventions. Sometimes they're old habits, thoughtful design, and the simple realization that people are much more likely to make a sustainable choice when it doesn't make their lives harder.

We spoke with Anny about plastic, people, and the surprising possibilities of magnesium.

When Convenience Became Complicated

Field Trip: What inspired you to found SuperBee and focus on practical, low-waste solutions?

Anny: “Living and working in Southeast Asia gave me a front-row seat to both incredible craftsmanship and the growing plastic crisis. I saw how deeply convenience culture had become tied to single-use products, but I also saw communities already living in naturally low-waste ways. That contrast stayed with me.

After years in sustainable product development, I realized that most people don’t need perfection — they need practical alternatives that genuinely fit into everyday life. That became the foundation of SuperBee: creating products that are beautiful, functional, ethically made, and simple enough for busy people to adopt long term. Sustainability only works if it’s accessible and realistic.”

The Business of Being Better

Field Trip: SuperBee is committed to making eco-living easier. How do you balance running a successful company with ensuring your products remain genuinely accessible and low-waste?

Anny: “We constantly ask ourselves one question: “Would this realistically work in a normal household?”

That means our products have to be convenient, durable, and cost-effective over time. We avoid creating “eco products” that feel exclusive or perform poorly. If something doesn’t genuinely replace waste in a practical way, we won’t release it.

We also focus heavily on longevity. A reusable product only becomes sustainable if people actually keep using it. So we invest in durability, thoughtful design, and education that helps customers feel confident making the switch.”

Laundry Day Gets a Plot Twist

Now, we've seen our share of products promising to make household chores greener. But SuperBee's Hexawash caught our attention because it doesn't look much like laundry detergent at all.

No colorful liquid. No oversized plastic jug. Just magnesium inside a reusable organic canvas pouch.

Naturally, we had questions.

Field Trip: We're particularly curious about the Hexawash. Can you explain the innovation behind it and why you call it a game changer?

Anny: “The Hexawash is exciting because it completely rethinks what laundry detergent can be. Instead of relying on harsh chemicals and plastic bottles, it uses magnesium inside a reusable organic canvas pouch to create an alkaline cleaning reaction in the wash.

What makes it a game changer is the combination of simplicity and impact. One pouch lasts for roughly 300 washes, eliminates the need for plastic detergent packaging, reduces chemical runoff, and is gentle on sensitive skin.

It’s also a great example of circular thinking. We use off-cuts from our organic cotton production to make the pouches, and at the end of its life the product can even be composted or reused in the garden.

Many people ask me how does it work – what is it made of – I wish they were more curious about their regular detergents. Hexawash has been properly tested in laboratories with international standards.”

What Southeast Asia Can Teach Us About Waste

Field Trip: With your background in Southeast Asia, what unique insights has that experience given you about plastic consumption and the challenges of developing sustainable products?

Anny: “One major insight is that waste is rarely just an environmental issue — it’s also an infrastructure issue, an affordability issue, and sometimes a cultural issue.

In many parts of Southeast Asia, single-use plastic became dominant because it was cheap, accessible, and filled gaps where larger waste systems didn’t exist. So sustainable products need to compete on convenience and practicality, not just ideals.

I’ve also learned that innovation often comes from resourcefulness. Many traditional practices here — repairing, reusing, shopping locally, composting — were low-waste long before sustainability became a global trend. There’s a lot the modern sustainability movement can learn from those systems.”

Small Switches, Big Satisfaction

Field Trip: What's been your proudest moment since launching SuperBee?

Anny: “One of the proudest moments has been seeing how many people tell us that SuperBee helped them start their low-waste journey without feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it begins with something small, like switching to beeswax wraps or reusable laundry products, and then grows into broader lifestyle changes.

I’m also incredibly proud of the ethical side of the business — building products in partnership with local craftspeople in Northern Thailand and proving that sustainability, fair employment, and commercial success can coexist.”

Less Guilt, More Good

Here's something we can get behind: environmental responsibility doesn't have to be an endless exercise in feeling guilty about everything we buy, use, or throw away.

Field Trip: What do you hope customers feel when they make the switch to a SuperBee product?

Anny: “I hope they feel empowered rather than pressured.

A lot of sustainability messaging can feel heavy or guilt-driven, but we want customers to feel optimistic — like small changes genuinely matter and don’t have to complicate their lives.

Ideally, they also feel surprised by how easy the switch actually is. When a sustainable product works well, looks good, and saves waste without creating extra effort, it becomes something people want to stick with.”

Beyond the Bee

Field Trip: What's a non-SuperBee product, project, or movement in sustainability that you're particularly excited about right now?

Anny: “I’m really excited by the broader refill and reuse movement. We’re seeing more businesses rethink packaging entirely instead of just swapping materials. That systems-level thinking is where real change happens.

I’m also inspired by companies working on repairability, circular manufacturing, and regenerative agriculture. Sustainability is evolving from ‘less bad’ into something much more holistic and hopeful.”

Giving a Damn, Defined

Field Trip: Complete the sentence: "Giving a damn means…"

Anny: “Giving a damn means understanding that small daily choices matter — and choosing to act anyway, even when convenience tells you not to.”

And that's the thing about sustainable living. It doesn't have to begin with a dramatic overhaul of everything you own. It can start with noticing what you throw away, questioning what you've always bought, and finding one better alternative that actually works for your life.

No environmental purity test required.

SuperBee is betting that if doing better becomes easier, more people will do it. And that might be one of the most practical sustainability strategies of all.

Learn more about Antoinette and SuperBee at superbee.me.

People Who Give a Damn is a recurring Field Trip series highlighting folks who make a difference for the outdoors and the earth. Know someone we should meet? Drop us a line.

This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.