Talking Greene is a series of discussions centered on the idea of sustainability in Kuwait, the group leading this movement, and locating tools to assist the general public in making wiser decisions. As a business owner in the same industry, I believe it is my responsibility to promote local organizations and individuals working to change the way we shop for goods and to increase environmental consciousness both domestically and abroad.
In this issue of Talking Greene, we get to know more about Hind AlKhatrash, the founder of Leap Loves Green. Put simply, Hind is on a mission to bring Arab women better periods, for themselves and the planet. The Kuwait-based entrepreneur, who has a background in anthropology and aerial circus, established Leap Loves Green as a side project whilst working at a tech start up. What started as an Instagram “green guide” account grew to become a thriving online store for sustainable period care products.
What was your background before starting Leap Loves Green?
People are always surprised to find out how I stumbled into the green industry. My background in anthropology helped secure my first job at an Islamic art museum. I soon found myself drawn to a very different form of art, namely aerial circus arts, and so I took it on as a side hobby. With enough training, I became qualified to teach aerial arts and began hosting classes part-time in a small studio I rented after my working hours. It birthed the very first concept of “Leap”. I went for a name that was both figurative and literal. I soon switched jobs and left the cultural industry for the tech industry. I worked at a start-up for three years all while juggling Leap Circus on the side. Leap Circus came to a halt with COVID, and so that encouraged me to take my interests online and focus on a new passion, innovative sustainable products – hence, Leap Loves Green
Was the acrobatic studio a pivotal moment to establishing Leap Loves Green?
It wasn’t a pivotal moment but it encouraged me to explore the world of entrepreneurship and learn essential skills like marketing and website. Selling sustainable goods wasn’t something I saw myself doing until much later. It was only around 2019, when I came to be a little more aware of climate change, and what was going on in the world of environmentalism. Initially, my relationship with environmentalism was very fear-driven and anxiety-inducing. It was very easy to feel overwhelmed by all that was wrong in the world. Luckily, I found so much promise in the host of sustainable products being produced today that kept me interested and invested. In an effort to get involved, I started an Instagram “green guide” account to post informative content and resources that pertained to sustainability in Kuwait. The objective was to offer locals actionable and accessible ways they could be more sustainable. This naturally exposed me to the emerging community of sustainable small businesses in Kuwait and gave valuable insight to the market.
I shortly came across the brand Tsuno while on a trip to Australia. They offer an incredible collection of biodegradable bamboo pads that are absolutely life-changing! I absolutely fell in love with the social enterprise and so I emailed them and met with its founder, Roslyn Campbell for brunch. There was a lot of alignment in our values and I returned to Kuwait as a distributor. This basically snowballed into an incredible and thriving relationship that I have with Tsuno today. Fast-forward to three years later, we are Tsuno’s official distributors in the Gulf region. Working with Tsuno has truly become one of the most meaningful and rewarding business relationships to date
With regards to your business, did you find it hard to grow? Were there any struggles you faced?
Definitely. With regards to Tsuno, I’d say it was a struggle to openly market period care products on top of convincing people that it was equally effective as what you would find on any other grocery store shelf. There was a lot of hesitancy around the idea of it being biodegradable, ultra-thin, and plant-based but also leakproof. So there was a lot of education there, and there was a lot of work trying to people to sample the product. Fortunately, because it’s such a great product, it quickly began to speak for itself.
Over the years, the testimonials and word of mouth really helped develop and create that community. I think one thing that also really helped us get over the taboo or shame when it comes to talking about our period care products is our beautiful branding. I was keen on making Leap feel playful and extend that onto the product lines we carry. For instance, Tsuno’s box packing is quite the conversation starter. It’s something you want to put on display in your bathroom, far from commercial pads. We were very excited to collaborate with Arab women artists and feature their artwork in our latest Tsuno collection to include more representation of Arab women and the period experience.
Who were the artists you collaborated with to design Tsuno’s packaging?
We worked with a total of four Arab women artists, featuring each and their respective interpretations of the period experience on our Tsuno boxes. For the panty liners, we have Kuwait-based artist, Jena AlAwadhi (@jenajpeg). For our regular pads, we have Saudi-based artist Ethar Balkhair (@ethartariq_art). Our super pads feature the work of the Kuwaiti multimedia artist, Munirah AlShami (@mas.makes). Finally, our overnight pads feature the work of French-Lebanese artist, Aude Nasr (@ahlan.my.darlings).
As an owner of a business, you also tend to do some amazing work with charities. Could you talk to us more about your charitable work with Leap Loves Green?
Well, as a social enterprise, Tsuno already donates 50% of its proceeds towards funding female girls education through a charity called One Girl organization that’s based in Sierra Leone and Uganda. They focus on girls’ education in schools, as well as health and reproductive care to make sure they’re not missing out on school days because of their lack of sanitary products. I wanted to honor that initiative and see if I could offer something to the local community. I developed a “donate at checkout” feature on our website to help offer customers a seamless donation experience. The donations would be used to cover the cost of pads that would go to local women’s shelters. Customers would only need to add a small fee of KD 0.500 to their basket and we would match whatever was needed to help deliver the donation. I was thrilled to see this initiative be so well received by our community! Since launching it last May, we have been able to donate over +3,800 boxes of pads. Some of the women’s shelters we support include Abolish 153, Sandigan, and SWS (Social Work Society). These organizations primarily work to secure the safety and rights of domestic workers and offering them essential items like sanitary pads can go a long way in preserving their financial resources month after month. Our donations have also extended to supply emergency relief aid during tragic events as done for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
As an entrepreneur yourself in the sustainable field, what other sustainable brands are you a fan of?
I’ve been quite the fan of the sustainable fashion scene in Kuwait. I love the work I see with Sama AlWasmi’s Quinn Hop, Maha AlAsaker’s Dunes and Ripples, Tasneem and Khaled’s Hind Clothing, Talah AlSayer’s natural dye kitchen Khemaie Dyeworks – I could go on and on! I admire the founders so much and their commitment to ethical, sustainable fashion.
Do you have certain goals and ideas that you are planning to achieve in the upcoming couple of years with regards to your work?
I would say my main goal is continuing to expand on the period care collection that we have available. Not only period care products, but accessory items as well that can enhance the period experience, much like our collection of warm bottles. Perhaps bringing back our menstrual tea collection would be a great idea. I would also love to get involved in the production process of future products.
I have also been enjoying crafting our latest monthly newsletter “The Better Period” and hoping to focus on it more. The Better Period, is a community based newsletter, not intended to promote our brand but rather dedicated to promoting local brands and businesses that help enhance and celebrate the period experience. This can look like partnering with local skin care brands for a special discount on pimple patches for those annoying period pimples or sharing our favorite brownie recipe to help satisfy your period cravings. It’s been a lot of fun paving the way for a more period-positive future and playing a role in healing women’s relationships with their periods.
For more information about Leap Loves Green, check out @leap.loves.green on Instagram or visit www.leaplovesgreen.com.
