l that her vision for the store is for it to act as a ‘sustainability hub’ for Sydneysiders. “It’s in an old pharmacy, but it’s filled with a whole range of products that have no plastic, are made in small batches, and are all Australian owned,” Dalziel said. “We’re creating what we think should be the norm, and what should be the future of [physical retail].” The store will also introduce sustainable products to a wider audience. Dalziel explained that as many eco-friendly products are made by small businesses, they rarely have much of a marketing budget to get their product out there. “I’m really excited for [customers] to have the opportunity to use this space to be able to connect with brands,” Dalziel said. “We’re talking about doing meet-and-greets in the store at the moment.” Retail workshop A big part of the Banish brand is dedicated to education. On Banish’s website, the business offers tips and advice for Australians looking to better understand how they can act in a more environmentally conscious way. It also sells a book written by Dalziel on the subject. In store, the business will utilise the space to host interactive workshops which will teach people hands-on skills: such as making a beeswax wrap or candle, or properly composting their organic waste. When workshops aren’t running, the store will feature displays meant to serve as ‘always-on education’. This includes showcasing – in real time – how various products decompose in soil. “It’s all about bringing some of these concepts to life and having somewhere where people can feel safe to ask questions and to be a learner,” Dalziel said. “I feel like so many people come to the talks and workshops [that we host] because their kids are better at recycling than they are. That’s not their fault, kids are being educated around proper recycling now, whereas we weren’t. “It’s just another barrier to people living more sustainably, and we want it to be easy.” While a store launch wasn’t high on Dalziel’s priority list initially, the business is now entertaining the prospect of more stores across Australia’s capital cities: as well as stores in more rural areas. “They’re the ones that arguably need access to things like [Banish recycling and disposal program], compared to people that live in more metro areas,” Dalziel said. “[First] we’ll see how this pilot goes.” Banish’s Sydney store will be open for at least six months in Sydney, with the potential for renewal depending on how it performs. How can I do better? Over the course of the pandemic Australians experimented more with online and sustainable shopping – two things Banish delivers – after noticing how much waste they actually create in their daily lives. “They saw all of the waste they created as an individual in one spot, rather than split across the office, school, and home,” Dalziel said. “I think that, for a lot of people, it was quite alarming, and it became a driver for change. People started asking, ‘how can I do better?’” Banish was fortunate, Dalziel said, in that it had been delivering online education about sustainability, as well as products, for years ahead of time, and was able to capitalise on this growth potential during the pandemic. Though people are struggling with cost-of-living pressures at the moment, Dalziel believes sustainable products are still a better deal than their cheaper, less-eco-friendly counterparts. “One of the things with sustainable products is there might be a slightly more of an investment upfront, but the long-term usage is almost always going to outweigh the cost of a single use item,” Dalziel said. “It’s not just about saving the planet but it’s also about saving money as well.”