SimplyGood’s mission to create green cleaning solutions
Its dehydrated cleaning products can be dissolved in reusable containers, reducing the need for single-use plastic packaging
[SINGAPORE] SimplyGood founder and chief executive officer Jeremy Lee learnt that sustainable ventures can be profitable when he started his first social enterprise in university.
In 2017, Lee co-founded UglyGood, a food waste startup that converted fruit waste into high-value products such as animal feed, natural cleaning agents and essential oils.
While the company was eventually sold to a global small and medium-sized enterprise manufacturing house, the belief that a business’ profitability should be intrinsically tied to its impact carried over into his next social enterprise, SimplyGood – a cleantech startup founded in 2021 that aims to reduce single-use plastics.
“For SimplyGood, the more cleaning products we sell, the more single-use plastics and carbon emissions we save automatically,” said Lee, who won the Impact Leader Excellence Award in the individual category at the 2025 Sustainability Impact Awards, jointly presented by The Business Times and UOB.
With a mission to address the global fast-moving consumer goods plastic waste and carbon emissions crisis, SimplyGood manufactures cleaning products from laundry detergent to window cleaners.
But unlike most household cleaners that come in liquid form, the dry-based cleaning products it produces come in the form of dehydrated tablets or sheets. These can be dissolved in reusable containers, which reduces the need for single-use plastic packaging.
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SimplyGood estimates that its products have prevented more than one million single-use plastics from entering landfills and around 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Its products are used by over 40,000 households in Singapore and more than 100 companies.
Through an inclusive hiring model, the company also works alongside the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore and has employed more than 40 individuals with disabilities, incorporating social impact into its sustainability mission.
SimplyGood now has its sights set on the goal of eliminating 10 million single-use plastics and preventing 250,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions – which it hopes to achieve by 2030.
To reach this vision, it plans to scale through three areas of growth: by expanding into new markets, harnessing new outreach channels and creating new products.
Businesses for good
Lee sees SimplyGood as a use case in support of the triple bottom line, a sustainability framework that measures a company’s success based on its impact in terms of profit, planet and people.
For him, the success of SimplyGood validates his idea that business can be a force for good, and that sustainability and profitability are not incompatible.
“I believe that it is about engineering (businesses) correctly and not just spinning (sustainability) as a marketing term,” he said.
Sustainability, in Lee’s view, is about aligning business goals with impact and long-term good for multiple stakeholders.
Rather than adopting corporate, social or responsibility initiatives as additional elements, Lee believes that the future of sustainability will involve businesses being designed in ways such that their operations have a positive impact on the environment.
New horizons
Over the past two years, SimplyGood has ventured beyond Singapore shores to markets such as Malaysia, Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
While the bulk of sales still come from Singapore, plans to take SimplyGood to more destinations are in the works, Lee said. However, the company is being selective about where to set up shop, as choosing the right market can determine whether a venture succeeds or fails, he added.
“We are being deliberate about where to go, in line with our vision of becoming a sustainable brand in Asia-Pacific, and we’re looking at markets that can help us scale quickly, and then scale further.”
Consumers’ level of awareness about sustainability and the demand for sustainable products are some critical factors that Lee considers when it comes to the choice of what market to enter. When consumers are already informed about sustainability, this reduces the need for a company to expend on education – which can be costly and challenging.
Lee points to Australia as an example. There, consumers view sustainability as a crucial part of a product’s value proposition that influences their buying decisions, he said.
Another important factor is market size. SimplyGood aims to reach places that can enable it to scale meaningfully, as growth potential can be limited in countries such as Singapore, which has a population size of around six million.
Having observed that each market is unique, SimplyGood adapts its strategy based on the nuances of individual markets. For instance, while most of its sales overseas are conducted through online channels, the company also has a physical presence in Malaysia, where it sells products in small shops.
“Malaysia’s retail segment works very differently from that of the UAE and Australia, so we work with small businesses and retail pop-ups there, where it is very important for consumers to be able to see and touch the products,” said Lee, adding that SimplyGood adopts an omnichannel marketing strategy.
There are plans to take SimplyGood’s products to markets across South-east Asia. Specifically, distributors from Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have written to the company, expressing interest in bringing its products to their markets, Lee said.
He observed that there was particularly strong interest from Bali, Indonesia. The island has banned forms of single-use plastics, as pollution threatens its ecosystem, which its tourism industry – a major economic pillar – leans on.
Japan is another possible new market. Though nothing is confirmed, SimplyGood is in talks with Muji, about potentially bringing its products to the retailer’s Japan stores. SimplyGood’s products are currently displayed in two of Muji’s Singapore outlets: at Plaza Singapura and Jewel Changi Airport.
In addition to entering new markets, SimplyGood is looking at using new channels and methods to broaden its reach.
The company collaborates with online content creators as part of its outreach efforts; it is also seeking ways to broaden its inclusive hiring practices and further support its mission of creating social impact.
Through product innovation, the company aims to develop new offerings, with a dry-based alternative for every cleaning item, said Lee. “We want to disrupt the entire cleaning aisle.”
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