Big Change Comes from Small Steps: Why I Built B.Wild Outside

By Alex Merlino

I care deeply about the environment. I buy local. I recycle. I compost. I pick up trash from sidewalks, beaches, trails, and even the ocean floor. 

But the issue I obsess over most? Plastic waste. Is it necessary? Can it be reused? Is it actually recycled, or is it destined for a landfill?

This obsession began decades ago, when I worked as a bartender in New York City. We dropped a plastic stir stick into every drink. One quick swirl, then tossed onto the bar, the floor, or into the trash.

Millions of those single-use sticks, still out there somewhere, breaking down into microplastics and outlasting all of us.

That was 25 years ago. Since then, our addiction to plastic has only grown. Today, the U.S. is the largest consumer of plastic in the world.

And yet—things are starting to change. Bars now use wooden stir sticks. Shoppers are rethinking packaging. People are waking up to sustainable options.

As an entrepreneur, I want to be part of that shift. I want to make a BIG change, and it starts with a small package.

That’s why I started B.Wild Outside: a sun care company on a mission to replace single-use plastic in the beauty and personal care industries through thoughtful, refillable design.

Our first product is a refillable sunscreen with a reusable dispenser. Every year in the U.S., over 9 million plastic sunscreen sticks are sold. Most of them, even if made from recycled plastic, end up in landfills, or worse, in the very wild places we love.

B.Wild Outside offers a different option. One that’s sustainable, refillable, and made for people who care about the planet as much as they care about their skin.

If that’s you, we’d love your help. Join us on this journey and let’s make big change, one small step at a time.