by Jenna Aurelius

Valerie Gackiere, owner of Ekologicall, a shop that aims to reduce packaging waste by selling refillable products, has always had a strong passion for helping the environment. Originally from France, Gackiere launched Ekologicall in 2019 with a goal to help the community transition to a less wasteful lifestyle.

Ekologicall is a zero-waste and refill shop based in Charlotte, NC. The company offers non-toxic and eco-friendly alternatives to common home and body care products, minimizing the amount of harmful chemicals and plastic consumers bring into their homes. 

“Our mission is to empower our community to lead the way to a healthier, simpler, and more sustainable lifestyle by changing our consumption habits,” Gackiere says.

Since launching, Eklogicall has seen immense success with its refillable cleaning products, soaps, shampoos, lotions, and more. The dish brushes are a bestseller — they are made with natural fibers and wood, and they are fully compostable at the end of their useful lives.

The refill process is designed to be convenient and easy. Customers select which refill(s) they need on the website, leave their containers outside their front door, and Eklogicall (Gackiere) stops by to refill them with as little or as much as they want. Customers can also bring their own (clean) containers to South End Farmer Market on Saturdays.

The business also provides classes to help transition people into a low-waste lifestyle, with the motto “small changes make big impacts.” Gackiere was raised with the mentality that nothing should go to waste. After growing up in France, moving to the United States was a bit of a culture shock.

“Plastic bags have been banned from grocery stores [in France] for so long that it was disturbing to see cashiers double-bagging a gallon of milk,” Gackiere says. The more Gackiere educated herself, the more she needed to be part of the solution. 

However, Gackiere hasn’t always been working in the environmental field. Before launching Ekologicall, she made a career in human resources in France, then in the United States, for almost 20 years. 

“I guess the passion for the environment has always been in me, but it was only a few years ago that it grew to the point I needed to leave my corporate career and take action,” Gackiere says.

Returning to the no-waste value instilled in her as a child, this year, the Gackiere family decided to sell their second car, grow food in their backyard, compost food waste, and purchase local and minimally processed food. 

“Before buying something, we always ask ourselves if that’s something we really need,” Gackiere says. This doesn’t mean that her family of four is zero waste, however. “As I often say, it’s impossible to reach zero waste in the world we currently live in — but we try to live consciously.”

Although Gackiere has many ideas for the future of her company, her main focus is on education.

“I truly believe that we won’t change our consumption habits if we are not informed,” she says. She also hopes that her message and her products click. “I love when people realize that there are alternatives to wasteful and harmful products and that change can be easy, affordable, and fun,” Gackiere says.