The NEW Esembly Home Collection Q + A
For the past few years, we have been diapers, diapers, and more cloth diapers. But now, Esembly is venturing beyond the changing table to help families Live Less Disposably™ in the kitchen too! Want to know a secret? We actually began conceptualizing and designing these products THREE YEARS ago. So, why did it take us so long? Read on to find out.
We sat down with our co-founder and lead designer, Liz Turrigiano, for a little Q & A.
So Liz, why expand to Home Goods?
Great question. As a mom of two, I learned quickly that diapers aren't the only excessive waste that kids and families create. As my daughter and son grew, diapers were replaced with ziplock bags, and independence ("I can do it MYSELF!") came with increased messes to clean up (hello, paper towels). Their diets were expanding to happily include more fresh fruits and veggies, but they rarely ate everything I gave them, so we constantly had little bowls of half-eaten snacks to save. I spent many sleepless nights spinning with excitement over all the different ways Esembly could help families reduce waste.
How did you decide which home products to make?
I started with my own family by keeping track of which single-use products we were using most and how much they were costing us. It was rather alarming, to be honest. I am someone who considers myself very eco-minded, and I was not proud of what I was seeing in my own home. Once I had my family's data, I started talking to our Esembly team to have them do the same exercise. And of course, I was chatting with all my parent friends too. In the end, we basically all had the same list! Paper towels, ziplock bags, saran wrap, straws, shopping bags, etc. These items that we were relying so heavily on were not only wasteful but also expensive!
What was the hardest part about designing home products?
Product design is always tricky (especially when you're a perfectionist like me 😖), but what I actually found most difficult with this project was the research. It was deeply upsetting to discover just how much waste is created by families using these seemingly benign products! I found myself feeling very hopeless about the future of the planet we were leaving behind for our kids. Not to mention the harm that our waste is causing to the oceans, marine life, and even our own bodies! Fortunately for me, I was in a position to be able to channel that fear and disgust into the new product designs. Which is exactly what we did.
Are you stepping away from diapers?
Goodness no! That’s like asking if you’ll stop loving your firstborn when your second comes along. Our hearts have simply grown to accommodate these new home products. Cloth diapers and caring for them has been a passion of ours for 15 years, and we don't foresee ANYTHING changing that.
Which is your personal favorite home product?
Oh gosh, I don't think I could pick just one! We use the Paperless Towels so often in my house that I honestly cannot remember life without them. I still have the very first prototypes from 2021 in rotation in my kitchen! Not only do we use them for the obvious stuff like wiping up kid messes and drying dishes, but the organic cotton is just so beautiful that we also use them for napkins at the dining table.
Sippers also have a very special place in my heart. My son is (and always has been) in the negative percentile for weight. It's something that has brought me great stress since the day he was born. In my never-ending effort to beef him up, I make him high-calorie smoothies every morning. I'm talking peanut butter, avocado, blueberries, etc. My husband and I were both a little grossed out by the reusable straws we were using before I designed the Sippers. I never felt like we were getting them fully clean on the inside, and the idea of him drinking that mystery gunk was just 🤢. For that reason, the Sippers have been a game-changer for us. They are so easy to zip open and clean that my little guy can do it himself!
Bowl Caps I love for their style (they are just SO CUTE!) and the fact that I can toss them in the washing machine when they need cleaning. Same with Snack + Sammy Pouches! We must have 25 of them in the "lunch stuff" drawer.
And the Carryall Bag is just so fun. I took my daughter to swim last week and had her towel, bathing cap, and goggles in a Carryall, and I received 2 compliments before even making it out of the locker room! After class, when I busted out a matching Ditty Bag for her wet swimsuit, one of the moms actually gasped with delight.
Are home products made of the same stuff as diapers?
You bet they are! We take great pride in the custom-woven organic cotton and upcycled polyester we use to make our diapers, and it has been SO FUN watching those materials come to life as totally new products. I mean, how cool to make eco-friendly ziplock bags, saran wrap, and shopping bag alternatives out of recycled plastic bottles! And to have that soft and sturdy organic cotton keeping my salad greens fresh in the fridge.
What’s coming next?
Sleep! Haha. Not sure how obvious this is from the outside, but we are a small team of 8 women — many of us with young kids. And for reasons mostly beyond our control, we ended up launching a new website, new packaging/branding, AND the new Home Collection all in less than 2 weeks. It's been a heck of an exciting start to 2024, but we could use a really good nap!
Explore the New Esembly Home Collection!
We've mentioned it countless times, but the excitement we feel right now is truly off the charts! Sharing this collection with all of you is a dream come true. This journey has been a labor of love, fueled by our unwavering commitment to reducing waste and bringing eco-friendly living within reach of every family. As we move forward, we're committed to nurturing our passion for sustainability while continuing to provide innovative solutions for your everyday needs. To everyone who has already joined us on this incredible journey, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Together, we can make a difference — one reusable product at a time!
