THUNDER BAY – A pair of Thunder Bay entrepreneurs have been singled out as agents of change by one of the world’s largest vodka manufacturers.
Bree and Hailey Hollinsworth, who co-founded Ungalli Clothing Co. and are known for using recycled plastics in their clothing, were chosen to take part in Absolut Vodka’s Changemaker campaign.
The duo provided 10,000 T-shirts, which have been styled with images of iconic Absolut advertisements, and will be paired with the purchase of specially packaged 26-ounce bottles of vodka, made from recycled materials.
“It’s a huge, huge company, Absolut,” said Bree Hollinsworth. “There were three separate changemakers in the campaign, and all of us are smaller start-ups. It was a huge opportunity for us to get this – not just the money we made from it, but also the amount of people that we’ll reach.”
The promotion is taking place at LCBO outlets across Ontario.
“They’ll see it in the LCBO, they’ll see it online. We’re also on billboards in Toronto. We went down there and did a photo shoot with all the Absolut crew. We don’t really know what to expect from it. We’ve never really been in this position before.”
The sisters formed the company six years ago, believing the negative impact the mainstream clothing industry was having on the environment and the planet as a whole was not sustainable.
Convinced they could create a new standard, they make their clothes ethically in Canada from recycled and organic materials, while raising awareness and at the same time providing consumers with an alternative.
“Companies are all responsible to do the right thing and make changes to their supply chain to prioritize the planet. We believe in what we do and think this campaign highlights the values of Ungalli while demonstrating that clothing can be sustainable,” Hailey Hollinsworth said.
Each Ungalli T-shirt saves 10 plastic bottles from the landfill, 41 days of drinking water, seven hours of lightbulb energy and one kilometer of driving emissions are avoided. They are also manufactured in Canada at sites where workers are paid a fair wage.
Absolut Vodka will also provide $10,000 to Ungalli to donate to a charity of the sisters’ choice. The company, as a result, is challenging anyone who purchases the T-shirt to share the #changemaker message.
By sharing a picture or video of the shirt on social media and tagging Ungalli Clothing Co., one lucky winner will take home $1,000 cash.
The contest ends on Dec. 1.
