Written by Sophie Kovic, Founder Seed & Sprout
One afternoon, not long after my son had started school, I arrived at pick-up and his teacher pulled me aside. “Look,” she said gently, “I know you’re trying, but we can’t really have glass jars at school.”
The jars were my makeshift solution. The school had been clear: no plastic in the lunchbox – not even the lunchbox itself. I was determined to make that happen. But the reality? There was nothing on the market that ticked all the boxes. So I’d been packing his food in whatever I could scrounge from around the house: old tins, fabric wraps, and, for his hummus, small glass jars because there was no way I could just blob it into the main lunchbox with everything else. It was a daily puzzle of mismatched containers, my kitchen bench covered in odd shapes and sizes that didn’t quite fit together.
That afternoon, walking back to the car with my son, I felt frustrated. I wanted to uphold the school’s request, but I also needed something that actually worked. So I kept looking. I even splurged on a so-called “eco” lunchbox – over $100 – convinced I’d finally found the one. I got it home, opened it with anticipation… and discovered not a single compartment could fit a sandwich. That was my tipping point. I remember thinking, if no one’s made the lunchbox I need, I’m just going to have to make it myself.
I didn’t have a plan or a background in product design. What I did have was a laptop balanced on a pile of cookbooks, a dining table littered with sketches, and a small, very honest product tester waiting for me at the school classroom each afternoon. I began with questions: How can I divide food without using plastic? What’s the most planet-friendly material that can survive a kid’s backpack? How can it be beautiful enough that people will love using it every day?
Those questions became prototypes, the prototypes became our first product, and before I knew it, I was handwriting thank-you notes, building a community of mums online, packing orders in my living room, and making daily trips to the post office.
Seed & Sprout got its name because I loved the humility of it. Seeds are small, almost laughably so, and yet they hold everything. That felt like the truth about change – little actions, repeated, that turn into something living. Our mission was simple: make non-toxic, low-waste essentials so thoughtfully designed that choosing them becomes the easy, automatic thing. Not performative perfection. Not greenwashing. Just tools that make a better default.
For me, “clean living” has never been about picture-perfect pantries or an impossible standard. It’s about reducing the mental load. It’s knowing you can pack lunch, clean the kitchen, or wash your hair without wondering what toxins you’re bringing into your home. It’s about designing products that support our health, our children, and the planet – all at once.
Parenthood sharpened all of this. Once you have a child, every decision stretches into the future like a long shadow. My son sees me turn down cheaper materials that don’t meet our standards. He hears me asking suppliers for proof, traceability, and certifications. These days, our conversations about the environment happen while we’re cooking dinner or driving somewhere -he’ll throw out a question about why certain products are still made with plastic, or challenge me on whether the changes we make as individuals can really shift the bigger picture. I’m not raising him to be a perfect environmentalist; I’m showing him that grown-ups can change their minds, ask better questions, and design better systems.
We haven’t always got it right. Early on, we had a batch of bags come back with the wrong dye, suppliers sending compostable products wrapped in plastic, and paperwork that didn’t check out. But each time, we fixed it in the open. Transparency isn’t a marketing tactic at Seed & Sprout; it’s the only way I know how to run a business.
Over time, we’ve grown beyond lunchboxes into the home: cleaning solutions that actually work, shampoo and conditioner bars that smell incredible, and are made here in Australia – non-toxic, waterless, and planet-kind. We stamp an ampersand into each conditioner bar as a quiet reminder of connection: the “and” between you and me, between your choice and its ripple effect. To me, sustainability and satisfaction have always belonged together.
I’m not perfect. I forget my keep-cup sometimes. My house gets messy. But I’ve learned that progress beats purity, every time. If we can make it easier for families to take small steps, one swap at a time, that’s meaningful. And if our kids grow up seeing care as the default – not the exception – that’s how culture changes.
Seed by seed, sprout by sprout, we’re growing something bigger than a brand. We’re building habits, homes, and futures that are healthier for our bodies, our children, and our planet. And it all started with a jar of hummus in the schoolyard.
About Seed & Sprout:
Seed & Sprout was born in Byron Bay Australia in 2016 after founder Sophie Kovic was faced with a problem that she couldn’t find a solution for. Today, Seed & Sprout are an online store that’s on a crusade to end our obsession with single-use plastic. They’re renowned for their ethical and sustainable products ranging from back-to-school supplies, personal care, through to composting solutions.
Learn more and browse the incredible product range at seedsprout.com.au or follow them on Instagram.
