When you think of organic baby products, you may wrinkle your nose at the thought of drab, recyclable accessories.
Small business and sociology senior Stephanie Lee wants to change that and show that organic baby products aren’t only beneficial, but can be just as appealing and fun.
Bébé EcoPosh, at bebeecoposh.com, is Lee’s green luxury e-boutique for babies.
The website was launched in November, not long after another important part of her life came into the world — her daughter Sophia.
Sophia was born on August 19, the first day of fall semester at ASU.
Before getting pregnant, Lee said she didn’t care too much about buying eco-friendly products and being environmentally conscious.
“I realized we need to make a difference,” she said. “A little bit of good can go a long way.”
But while shopping online for organic products, she was disappointed with the selection.
“I kept coming across oatmeal-colored onesies and oatmeal-colored blankets, towels and bibs,” Lee said.
She discovered there were a lot of online shops with stylish, organic products, but they were scattered over the Internet. Lee decided to create her own business and feature the best items all in one place and eventually sell her own products.
One of the products that influenced Lee to start Bébé EcoPosh was a hybrid, biodegradable diaper called the gDiaper, which can be flushed or composted in a garden, instead of being thrown in the trash and filling up landfills. Lee sells them on the website and also uses them for her daughter.
“I have since converted three of my friends to using gDiapers and saving the Earth while doing it,” she said.
Lee created the inventory on her website through calling up vendors to discuss their principles, buying their merchandise, reviewing products and then giving them a Bébé EcoPosh seal of approval.
Only products Lee and Sophia have personally used and love are given the seal of approval.
The e-boutique carries everything from organic and fair-trade baby apparel, toys, nursery items and natural skin care. Her daughter is the face of the company and models as “Little Miss Bébé EcoPosh.”
But starting a business in a down economy is a risky venture, which Lee acknowledged in her planning process.
She designed the website after teaching herself HTML and Adobe Suite, hired a public relations representative, and did the research, vendor contracts and inventory building alone. She said she believes strongly in funding everything on her own without any credit cards or bank funding.
“It’s slower getting going, but it’s more liberating that I’m not in the red,” she said.
Another challenge with her e-boutique was that some manufacturers and vendors wouldn’t sell their products because Lee didn’t have a physical store, so she had to work to talk to the right people.
Organic baby products have become a lucrative online market with the popularity of the green movement and the realization of how much waste babies create.
Although the prices of organic products may be higher, the quality and health benefits outweigh the cost, Lee said.
A baby carrier sling sold by a company called Moby Wrap costs $40 at Babies’R’Us, while a Bessie Heirloom Baby sling, which is specifically formaldehyde-free, sells for $99 through Bébé EcoPosh.
Formaldehyde is a chemical compound that has been classified as a carcinogen, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“It’s a lot safer for the babies to have these products that aren’t giving off these chemicals,” she said.
She also said despite how political the issue of the environment has become since Al Gore’s popular documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” everyone can embrace the eco-friendly lifestyle.
Lee said she’s found the experience juggling her various roles as a mom, student and businesswoman enriching.
She credits her husband, Jason, also an ASU senior, studying technical communications, as a huge support by allowing her to study, stay home with Sophia and build her business.
“I support Stephanie and her efforts to provide our new family a better life,” Jason Lee said in an email. “I believe in her endeavors as a business owner and I know she will be victorious due to her experience, hard work and determination.”
Lee will start her MBA program in the fall at ASU. She hopes to expand her business and open a physical store in downtown Chandler and create her own line of Bébé EcoPosh branded organic toys knitted by a Fair Trade commission in Ecuador.
She applied for the Edson Student Entrepreneur grant at ASU, which awards up to $20,000 for new ventures. The application deadline was April 3, and proposals will now go through a review process by the Edson office and be selected for the finalist stage.
“I’ve never been so motivated in my life,” Lee said. “I never thought I could do all of this.”
Reach the reporter at naberra@asu.edu
