Caring for our clothes is more than a chore; it’s a quiet, conscious ritual. We see garment care as an act of love: for the textiles, the makers, and the environment. With this spirit of thoughtful stewardship in mind, we sat down with Jessica Bragdon, co-founder of Koala Eco, a brand dedicated to creating powerful, plant-based cleaning products that are kind to people and planet. Together, we explore how intentional, eco-conscious care routines can honour the story of each piece, extend its life, and reduce our footprint, without compromising on effectiveness or beauty.
Read on to uncover simple, sustainable rituals that honour your garments and tread lightly on the planet.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?
"I’m originally from the United States. I grew up in Boston and New Hampshire. After university, I had a floral business years ago with my twin sister, which we sold before moving to NYC. My husband Paul grew up in rural Western Australia and worked in London and NYC. We met while he was working in New York, and I was working and at graduate school at Columbia University…fast forward, and we have two sons and are the co-founders of Koala Eco."
AT KOALA ECO, YOU BLEND POWERFUL CLEANING WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS. WHAT INSPIRED THIS PHILOSOPHY?
"Nature’s ability to uplift mood and wellbeing lies at the heart of what we do at Koala Eco, where all of our efforts are geared towards encouraging people to connect with nature as much as possible in their daily lives.
Paul and I have always both been passionate nature lovers and committed to protecting the environment. But after we experienced a serious health scare with our younger son when he was a baby, we started to reassess a lot of things, including the cleaning and personal care products we were using in the family home. We realised we couldn’t find any brands that were truly natural, safe, and powerful, and that would actually be pleasurable to use. We were convinced that many people, like us, were looking to make more natural product choices, so we decided to start a company that creates these products using plant-based ingredients.
We focused on performance and also the sensorial experience (particularly the aroma) that people would experience when using them. We didn’t need to look far for inspiration: as First Nations people have always known, Australia has a wealth of potent botanicals brimming with the most incredible healing and cleansing properties. So the cleaning and therapeutic super power in our products comes from 100% pure organic essential oils from Australian native plants.
There’s something wonderful about using natural, plant-based formulas for washing clothes and bedding etc. First of all, they manage to be gentle on fibres and materials (we don’t include any artificial optical brighteners) while being ultra-effective at eliminating dirt, dust mite allergens and microbes. And then there’s the fresh, botanical scent from Australian essential oils, which infuses not only the laundry but also gently the whole house."
WE BELIEVE THAT CLOTHING SHOULD BE TREASURED, NOT TOSSED. WHAT ROLE CAN EVERYDAY LAUNDRY HABITS PLAY IN EXTENDING THE LIFE OF GARMENTS?
"A number of fairly common-sense things. Look after your clothing, pay attention to how you hang or fold it. For wool, folding is often better than hanging. Say no to wire coat hangers, opt for wooden or padded instead. Do regular audits to check if anything needs mending. That way you can address a small tear or dropped seam before it starts to cause bigger problems. It’s important always to take notice of the care labels. Separate hand wash items from the rest of the laundry so that they don’t mistakenly get added to the machine. How often does something really need to be washed? Jeans, for example, don't benefit from being washed too often. If you share your home with family, encourage your kids to get into these good habits too, so that it’s a shared responsibility."
MANY OF OUR PIECES ARE MADE FROM NATURAL FIBRES. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR CARING FOR MATERIALS LIKE SILK, LINEN AND WOOL?
"We have three beautiful options in our laundry care range, each crafted with care to be safe for delicate fabrics as well as everyday washing. Our original Natural Laundry Washes - one with Lemon Scented Eucalyptus and Rosemary, and the other with Mandarin and Peppermint - offer cleaning and protection. The Lemon Scented Eucalyptus and Rosemary version brings a woody, herbaceous scent with a refreshing citrus lift, while the Mandarin and Peppermint blend delivers a crisp, uplifting aroma - cool peppermint balanced by the sweetness of mandarin. Both are gentle enough for items like silk, wool, and lace, yet effective for general laundry. We’re also releasing a third option: our new Natural Wash with Rosalina (Melaleuca ericifolia) essential oil. It is also a great option for temperature-sensitive fabrics such as silk, satin, chiffon, lace, and pure wool; all formulas are extra gentle while still offering nature’s potent antibacterial benefits. Rosalina - sometimes called “bush lavender” - combines the astringency of lemon with calming lavender undertones, leaving a subtle, heavenly scent that soothes both fabric and mood. Whichever you choose, all three formulas offer a safe and sensory-rich way to care for your laundry."
THERE’S A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT ECO-LAUNDRY PRACTICES. CAN YOU DEBUNK A COMMON MYTH WHEN IT COMES TO WASHING CLOTHES SUSTAINABLY?
"People often think natural, eco-friendly solutions must be less powerful for dirty laundry. That’s just not true. Essential oil, whether sourced from bark or peel or leaf, is the absolute distillation of the plant it’s extracted from, so its intensity and aroma is pure and concentrated. Along with the amazing chemists who work with us on Koala Eco’s formulations, we have become practised at figuring out the best combinations and safest levels of intensity. Essential oils are powerful, that’s why they contribute to our products efficacy while also bringing aromatherapy benefits. Our Laundry Washes have been extensively and independently lab-tested to ensure they are the perfect combination of plant based surfactacts, eco enymes and essential oils. They are also biodegradable and septic safe, formulated to be gentle on clothes and on skin, but also to deliver a thorough wash at any water temperature.
To help with heavily soiled items, Koala Eco has a Laundry Stain Spray and an Oxygenated Bleach. Our Stain Spray is free of toxic substances like chlorine: it contains only purified water and hydrogen peroxide, which is the milder, more eco-friendly choice in caring for your clothing. The Oxygenated Bleach also contains hydrogen peroxide. What we love about this formulation is that while it’s successful at killing bacteria (and incidentally is also fabulous at cleaning grout, tiles and shower walls), it’s free from chlorine and ammonia and is biodegradable and septic safe as well."
FROM A SUSTAINABILITY STANDPOINT, HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE BE WASHING OUR CLOTHES? AND HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT PROCESS LESS WASTEFUL?
"Yes, good question. I already mentioned that jeans can last longer between washes and, depending on frequency of use, many other items can too. Sometimes clothing can benefit from a good airing: hang on the line, in the sunshine (an excellent disinfectant) and just allow the fresh air to do the rest. Ask yourself: does this shirt or dress really need to be washed now, or can it wait until after another wear?
Switch down the temperature in a machine wash. Our laundry washes are formulated to perform at any temperature, including cold. It’s simply not necessary for a lot of clothing to be machine washed at a high temperature, and it does the fabric no favours either."
FRAGRANCE IS A KEY PART OF KOALA ECO’S EXPERIENCE. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE EMOTIONAL OR SENSORY ASPECT OF CLOTHING CARE, AND HOW CAN SCENT ELEVATE THAT RITUAL?
"Smells are one of the quickest ways to change mood and emotion,’ says Dr Alan R Hirsch, who’s the founder of the Chicago-based Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Smell is one of the earliest senses to develop, while babies are still growing in utero. Helping newborns locate their mother’s breast, smell is literally the key to survival. So it stands to reason that this primordial yet sophisticated sense is one of the most important we possess. Scents and odours evoke memories, warn us of danger, increase or decrease heart rate, and they have the power to affect our moods and emotions in profound ways.
When you look at the history and uses of essential oils across different countries and many centuries, it’s evident that since the earliest times, humans have understood the healing power of plants. What makes us truly excited is the ‘value add’ and the therapeutic effect our products can offer you through their aromas.
As you do the laundry or put away your clothes, wouldn’t you rather be breathing in something delicious like the vivid, lemony aroma of Lemon Scented Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus maculata citriodora). We call it the purifying oil because it's such an excellent deodoriser. Or there’s the woody, herbaceous scent of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), which works as both a circulatory and mental stimulant, enhancing memory, relieving stress, and encouraging mental clarity. And wouldn’t it be reassuring to know that, not only are these essential oils creating a hostile environment for bacteria and fungi, but they are also helping to elevate your mood and reduce fatigue?"
BIANCA SPENDER CHAMPIONS SLOW FASHION AND CIRCULAR DESIGN. HOW DOES KOALA ECO’S ETHOS ALIGN WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF CIRCULARITY AND CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION?
"I feel we are in tune with the Bianca Spender ethos. Particularly since the pandemic, people have shifted perspectives and priorities: how to look after each other, how to stay well mentally and physically, how to keep their immediate environment safe and healthy. And in these uncertain times, we’re all questioning what the future will look like for family life, work life, self-fulfilment. So living mindfully and considerately is becoming increasingly important. What that looks like for each individual of course depends on their circumstance, but for Paul and I and Koala Eco it means helping people make better choices not only for their own health, but also for the health of our planet.
On a practical level, Koala Eco tries to help reduce waste. We offer refill sizes and glass bottles and we ship using recyclable packaging. We make concentrated versions of many products, so less is more. Thanks to our use of rPET plasti - something we worked hard to achieve - we don’t cause any new plastic to be made. We also try to give back. For every product sold, we give a percentage to 1% for the Planet, an environmental group committed to protecting land, forests, rivers and oceans, and which encourages sustainable methods of energy. We’re also proud sponsors of WWF Australia, and of the Oceanic Society’s Critter Scholars Program, which helps disadvantaged teenagers get up close to and learn about marine wildlife on whale watching trips, inspiring a next generation of conservation leaders."
MANY PEOPLE ARE SWITCHING TO NATURAL DETERGENTS. WHAT SHOULD THEY LOOK FOR ON A LABEL TO ENSURE A PRODUCT IS BOTH EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE?
"Whether you have a front or top loader, you want something high-performance and concentrated. You also want to know that it will not cause any skin problems and, combined with the appropriate water temperature and machine cycles, will not destroy clothes or household linen: it needs to be gentle enough for hand-washing. It’s also a bonus if the product has a lovely fresh (but completely natural) scent….which is only with essential oils.
Beware any ‘green wash’! If the label lists ‘fragrance’ avoid it, as this will almost certainly be synthetic. Is the product independently certified? We are accredited by Safe Cosmetics Australia, Toxic-Free, and Made Safe. Does it also carry the ‘not tested on animals’ rabbit, and is it Vegan Australia Certified?
Eco-friendly cleaning products like the ones we make at Koala Eco are never tested on animals, and they’re also free from dyes, petrochemical solvents, ammonia, caustics, phosphates, bleach, ethoxylates or Sodium Laurel Sulphate or SLES. They are also marine and septic tank safe: minimal impact on the environment after drain disposal. Our products rapidly biodegrade into harmless by-products providing a ‘down drain benefit’."
WHAT SIMPLE SHIFTS CAN SOMEONE MAKE TODAY TO TREAD MORE LIGHTLY ON THE PLANET WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THEY CARE FOR THEIR WARDROBE?
"Buy less, buy better. Invest in good quality, long lasting pieces that are ethically made (i.e. not part of the so-called ‘fast fashion’ market: invariably cheap to buy because items are manufactured in places vulnerable to worker exploitation). Buy natural, organic or recycled fibres. Look after your clothes and your accessories and they will reward you with a long lifespan. Do your research: does this clothing company have an ethical stance right through their supply chain?
When you are considering letting go of a garment, could you donate, upcycle or swap it?"
FINALLY, WHAT DOES MINDFUL LIVING MEAN TO YOU AND HOW DO YOU PERSONALLY APPROACH THE ACT OF PRESERVATION IN YOUR OWN LIFE AND HOME?
"For me everything comes back to our relationship with nature. Nature gives to us all the time. At an immersive, sensory level, closeness to nature brings real cognitive, emotional and psychological benefits, and studies in eco-psychology around the world prove there is a link between nature and wellness. The 19th century American Transcendentalists (for example, Emerson, Thoreau) believed immersion in nature to be a deeply spiritual and enriching experience, and this is key to what we want Koala Eco to be all about. Our mantra is More Nature, Feel Better, and our purpose is to help people bring more nature into their everyday lives.
What’s really exciting is that the more people feel this nature-related wellness, the more they will seek out further connection, leading to positive social and emotional impacts. So ultimately it’s not just about making choices that won’t harm the planet, it’s also about choosing experiences that make us really aware of and intentional in how we are all individually able to contribute to our collective wellbeing.
So we’re really conscious of living as lightly as possible in the world, and this informs our home routines. It’s hard to slow down in this crazy world, but as long as we’re close to an ocean or bushland or even just a park, we immediately feel calmer and more grounded.
Humanity’s connection to nature is one of the most precious things we have, and we need to nurture that connection for our own physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. This something that First Nations Peoples all over the world have always understood, and shared through their stories and cultures. Connecting with nature is one of the easiest, cheapest and most meaningful ways to invest in our personal wellbeing. It’s medicine. And it’s a reciprocal thing: if we care for nature, nature cares for us."
Be one of the first 60 purchases in our Double Bay, Mosman and High Street Boutiques to receive a full-sized Koala Eco Natural Laundry Wash. Offer from 20/08/2025, available while stocks last.