Caroline Hartline wants to make a difference to the planet. Photos: Supplied.
Kiama Downs entrepreneur Caroline Hartline didn’t set out to win awards — but her ethical handmade eyewear brand Ozeano Eyewear, launched as a side project, has already earned her recognition for sustainability.
Now, she’s preparing to shake up the teen fashion industry with a new line of non-toxic, sustainable intimates under the brand Billie Green.
Caroline said she was humbled to be recognised for Excellence in Sustainable Business at the Kiama Business Awards, considering Ozeano only launched last year, with the brand this week (30 July) also named a finalist in the Illawarra Business Awards for sustainability.
Ozeano, a social enterprise specialising in polarised sunglasses, uses Italian non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based bio-acetate frames and high-quality BPA-free Columbian resin lenses to create environmentally conscious handmade eyewear.
She said she had already expanded into prescription glasses and blue light glasses, but sunglasses were the core of the business, where she ensured all suppliers had sustainability certification.
“Even our cleaning cloths and pouches are certified organic cotton and they’re made in a fair trade, solar powered facility,” she said.
“We look at how they’re made and the materials they’re made from.”
However, it’s only a side project to Billie Green, which has required more time to design and source materials for.
“What I’ve been really grappling with, getting my head around and researching in the last few years is the toxicity in apparel products and how much plastic businesses are producing and, as consumers, how much we’re consuming,” she said.
“I’m passionate about getting back to natural materials as much as possible.
“As a business owner, it’s about encouraging customers to buy less, to buy better, to buy timeless, not trends based.”
To be launched in August, Billie Green will offer teen intimates made from innovative natural fabrics, addressing the market’s lack of non-toxic, sustainable intimate apparel.
“It’s quite innovative in the sense that the fabrics I’m making the products from haven’t been done before for teens or young people in Australia,” she said.
“They have been used in some adult brands, but always mixed with polyamide, nylon or polyester, never on their own.
“I’m not doing a complete organic cotton range, because young people want that silky smooth feel that polyester and nylon give.”
To achieve that, she is using innovative fabrics from a company in Austria, which uses Tencel lyocell and modal fibres that are high quality, sweat-wicking, antibacterial and long lasting.
“I’ve got some cotton blends of those – blending cotton and lyocell and trying to mimic the polyester for young people,” she said.
Caroline said the brand aimed to also educate consumers about the environmental impact of synthetic materials.
She said an example was some brands selling cotton bras, but with 100 per cent polyester padding.
“That padding harbours so much bacteria, and sheds so many microplastics into the skin, into the ocean via washing, and the nylons are the same thing,” she said.
She said the range would include first bras, racerback bras, sports bras, activewear shorts, and singlets with a built-in bra.
“I’m trying to start out with a small, curated range that has everything you need and nothing you don’t,” she said.
“And I wanted to put boys’ products in there, because I’ve got three sons and they need it too.
“I’m also doing interchangeable straps, because that can be the first thing that wears out on a bra.
“That’s the sustainability design aspect of it, but I’ve done some market research with some girls, and they think it’s quite fun to swap out the straps.”
Caroline’s vision extends beyond her businesses.
She’s also exploring a potential not-for-profit initiative to help schools transition uniforms from polyester to organic cotton with non toxic dyes, highlighting her commitment to reducing plastic consumption and promoting sustainable practices.
She said in Australia uniform suppliers often dealt with a volunteer committee of parents with a high turnover who accepted paying huge markups on clothing containing plastic.
“I notice, even with my own kids, especially in summer, they come home very dysregulated when it’s high temperature and they’re on the bus and they’ve got this sweat ridden toxic uniform on,” she said.
“When you throw that away, it lasts forever.
“Polyester never breaks down and it releases toxins and all the microplastics come out in the washing and that’s all going out into the ocean.”
She said she didn’t want to become a sustainable supplier of uniforms, but rather use her backgrounds in sustainability and humanitarian work to educate and connect schools to suppliers.
“I’m starting locally with Minnamurra Primary. They’re very open to it,” she said.
“What I want to do, via Billie Green, is use that platform to talk about what we’re doing to encourage other schools to come on board.”
Ozeano is available online and at collectives in Thirroul and Kiama. Billie Green is available online from August, with plans for activations in shopping centres.
