A women-led company based in Boston, which aims to address women’s needs in a sustainable way, is expanding its reach by launching its products in retail giants Walmart and Target.com.
Attn:Grace creates plant-based bladder leakage products that are largely targeted towards older women experiencing incontinence problems. The startup launched in 2020, selling directly to consumers. It launched its products in more than 1,500 Walmart stores and Walmart.com in May, and on Target.com in June.
Alex Fennell, the co-founder of Attn:Grace along with her partner Mia Abbruzzese, said that when they first pitched their idea for a company, they were met with some skepticism from investors and angel funds about their focus on sustainability.
“We kept hearing, ‘Why are women in their 60s and 70s and 80s going to care about the planet or about what they're putting on their bodies?’” Fennell said. “We knew from our own friends and colleagues — and early research that we had done — that absolutely, older women care deeply about the environment.”
Attn:Grace’s products are made from up-cycled sugarcane waste, which sets them apart from competitors who use synthetic dyes, chlorine bleach, and fragrances in their products, said Fennell. In their expansion to Walmart and Target, she said that they eliminated plastic wrapping, and instead are using 100 percent kraft paper for their packaging, which is biodegradable.
The company achieved B Corp status in March 2022, meaning it's been been certified as meeting high standards for social and environmental performance. Fennell said that achieving that status was a rigorous process, but taking steps such as using carbon-neutral factories for manufacturing helped them achieve that goal.
“You have to really meticulously document everything about your supply chain and everything about your suppliers,” Fennell.
But there was never a question about making their products in a sustainable way. That was part of her and Abbruzzese’s personal values, Fennell said.
“We knew at the outset that we really wanted to design a solution that was not only better performing, but also better for our bodies and better for our planet,” she said.
Fennell said that remaining sustainable will be increasingly difficult as the company grows bigger. But she said that it is something that they will be continually mindful of.
“It's just part of our core, our DNA, at this point,” she said.
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