Youngstown Startup Aims To Change The Way Consumers Shop
Four The Greater Good is taking on the responsibility for how their products are being made
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Jessica Boccio had tried everything on the market for her two young children (then ages 2 and 4) who were both suffering from eczema at the time. After numerous doctor visits and several steroid creams later, she took matters into her own hands.
“They all said the same thing: they have it really bad, some kids grow out of it. Hopefully yours will too, here is another cream,” says Jessica.
Four years ago, she began researching the ingredients in the products she purchased for her family, hired a Holistic Naturopath and hasn’t looked back since.
Jessica dove into the research, from chemicals within the products in her home to the foods they were eating, cleaning products, toothpastes, bar soaps, body lotions, and shampoos. It all had to go. This is when the first part of Four The Greater Good was born; a marketplace where all products are non-toxic.
After visiting a store in NYC that was zero waste, she began making similar changes at home. The more research she did, the more she noticed the brands that didn’t use chemicals were also concerned with removing plastic from their products.
This is when the second piece of Four The Greater Good was born. A marketplace with non-toxic products that are plastic free.
The third piece of Four The Greater Good came later. After learning about the environmental damage caused by harvesting of palm oil, (one of the key ingredients in popular laundry detergents) part 3 of 4 The Greater Good came in; the ingredients in the products need to be sustainably harvested.
The fourth and final piece of Four The Greater Good: products must be ethically made and makers must be paid fairly.
“It takes so much time and effort to find products you can trust, made by people who are doing the right thing. It matters,” she says. “That’s why we created Four The Greater Good, an online marketplace where all of this research is done for you.”
It is Four The Greater Good’s mission to sell you nothing that harms the planet, the people who buy them, or the people who make them.
One of their most popular products is Meliora laundry powder; an all natural, chemical fragrance free, palm oil free powder that comes in a recyclable cardboard canister. No chemicals, no plastic, and not shipping water.
“Good people, good products, good companies, good ideas,” says Jessica. “We research the products we carry, the ingredients within them, the brands behind them, and sustainability of the ingredients they contain, the way the makers are paid. Then, and only then will we offer those products made by brands who are doing things Four The Greater Good.”
Want to be a part of the change you want to see in the world? You can help support Four The Greater Good’s mission by: