Amplify Goods launches ‘game-changing’ social enterprise hand wash
It’s being marketed as a “game-changing” handwash that could not only slash the carbon footprint for educational institutions, businesses and public venues – but will also boost work opportunities for homeless and disabled people.
SUDZERØ is the new product launched this week by Amplify Goods, one of the UK’s innovative and fast-growing social businesses.
What makes it so innovative? For starters, says the social enterprise, instead of being distributed as a traditional liquid soap, it comes as a sachet of powder – compostable and micro-plastic free, of course – at a fraction of the volume of its liquid competitors. The powder is then mixed with water and in a few shakes is ready to use – cutting down carbon by a claimed 84% in comparison to standard hand wash products in the process.
Each pack of large sachets avoids the equivalent of over 66 single-use plastic bottles. It also uses over 65g of repurposed materials, including boxes cut from repurposed cardboard.
Amplify Goods also claims the product weighs 98% less and takes up 97% less storage space than ready-to-use soap, meaning reduced costs in warehousing, transportation and storage.
It adds that foaming hand wash “is known to save water, estimating around 300ml less water in every wash”. Plus, the compostable sachets and refill-first approach reduce costs in end-of-life and waste management, when compared to bulky empty soap bottles.
Meanwhile, finishing, labelling and packing every pack creates about five minutes of work for someone facing barriers to employment – time that adds up to a significant social impact, according to Amplify Goods. To date, the social enterprise has already supported 18 individuals with over 740 hours of paid work experience, delivering over £820,000 in social value and offering stepping-stone opportunities that help people into long-term work.
I’ve been working for a decade in the soap industry, and this is by far my proudest moment. This innovative launch takes us closer than we’ve ever been to a truly net zero handwash and paves the way for real social impact at scale through the creation of even more living wage work.
– Camilla Marcus-Dew, co-founder
Those supported with paid work include homeless and disabled people, refugees and prison leavers.
Mariusz (see box below) was the first to join Amplify Goods in September 2024, and the product launch falls on the anniversary of him getting back into work. During this time, he’s got off the streets and is now looking for full-time warehouse work.
The new product has been trialling with key supply chain partners since May this year in readiness for the launch – but it has been a vision since Amplify Goods was founded in 2021, driven by a mission to create “the most circular soap on the market” and help organisations reach net zero while generating real social value.
Camilla Marcus-Dew, co-founder of Amplify Goods, said: “I’ve been working for a decade in the soap industry, and this is by far my proudest moment. This innovative launch takes us closer than we’ve ever been to a truly net zero handwash and paves the way for real social impact at scale through the creation of even more living wage work, and the dignity and pride that comes with it.”
"Before, I was praying not to wake up. Now, I have hope."
When Mariusz (pictured above, right) arrived in the UK in 2001 to care for his ailing mother, he couldn’t have imagined how his life would unfold. After dedicating two decades to her care – cooking, cleaning, and supporting her every day – her death left him not only grieving but homeless.
“I was never on the tenancy,” he explains. “After she died, I had nowhere to go. I was homeless for over a year – sleeping on benches, in libraries, just trying to stay warm and dry.”
Despite the hardship, Mariusz never lost his will to work. It was through a support agency that he was introduced to Amplify Goods in September 2023. “I started working straight from the street,” he says. “I had nothing but I came to work every day.” “Camilla and Pasha [Coupet Michaelson, co-founder] helped me more than anyone. They gave me an advance when I had no money, let me shower, wrote letters for housing. They were my only support.” Since joining the team, Mariusz has grown into a mentor role, training new recruits and managing quality control. “I didn’t know anything before. Now I can pack, ship, teach others. It helped me too much. “Before, I was praying not to wake up. But now, I have hope. Something opened in me. I feel stronger.” Mariusz is now actively seeking full-time employment and a stable future. “I want a simple life. Work, home, peace. And thanks to Amplify, I believe that’s possible.”
Photo: Mariusz, right, with other members of the Amplify Goods pack team Maxwell and Princess, and (top) co-founder Camilla Marcus-Dew. Each 12 pack of 350ml equivalent SUDZERØ sachets avoids over 16 small single-use plastic soap bottles. |
Amplify Goods said schools and universities alone use an estimated 20 million litres of soap annually. “If just this sector switched from liquid soap to SUDZERØ, it could save over 44,000 tonnes CO2 e – which is the equivalent of 22,000 long haul flights from London to New York, or the carbon that 2 million mature trees can absorb each year.
“It could also save up to 582,000kg of plastic and generate over 81,000 hours of paid work for people facing barriers to employment in the UK.”
Marcus-Dew – who is a previous winner of Pioneers Post’s Women in Social Enterprise (WISE100) Environmental Champion Award – added: “Now imagine small businesses, offices and football stadiums joining the movement too. Could something as simple as hand wash help build a better society?
“This is more than hand wash. By choosing SUDZERØ, customers support a growing social enterprise, reduce their environmental impact, and contribute to a model of business that puts people and planet first.”
- Pioneers Post readers will secure a 20% donation to homelessness charity Crisis for every purchase across the Amplify Goods website that comes through this link.
Main photo above: It’s a weight off your conscience. SUDZERØ weighs 98% less and takes up 97% less storage space compared to ready-to-use liquid alternatives. Pictured left to right: Mariusz (pack team), Princess (pack team), Camilla Marcus-Dew (Co-Founder, Amplify Goods), Fran (Finance & Ops, Amplify Goods), Maxwell (pack team).
Second photo from top: With just a little SUDZERØ you can do a lot, says Amplify Goods – one small refill pack of 4L sachets is equal to 20L of soap, which would traditionally come in 4 heavy 5L containers of liquid. Pictures are, back row left to right, Maxwell and Mariusz (pack team), and front row left to right, Princess (pack team) and Camilla Marcus-Dew (co-founder).
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