CAN YOU EXPLAIN FOR OUR READERS ABOUT THE LIFE CYCLE IMPACT YOU PROMOTE?
We believe that it’s important to consider how a product is made, what it is made from AND what happens at the end of its life, especially whether or not the materials can be used again. Our ØPACK Range could be recycled indefinitely back into products made from the same material, if the technology existed in this part of the world, as it does in Taiwan. In the mean time, it can be recycled with either paper or plastic … so it’s pretty cool. Our comPOST Range can, you guessed it, be composted – at home! And if it gets blown under a tree somewhere, it will eventually just break down into completely non-toxic elements.
AND THE SWOP CYCLE, WE'D LOVE TO KNOW MORE ON HOW THAT WORKS?
The concept is to introduce reusable courier packaging, so packaging that can be used over and over again to send parcels. Of course it has to get collected back to be reused, but we have a plan for that! We’re just finalising the packaging design itself and then will hopefully start testing and trialling in early 2019.
IT FEELS LIKE RETAILERS ARE REALLY GETTING ON BOARD WITH YOUR CONCEPT. WE'D LOVE TO KNOW HOW YOU CAME UP WITH YOUR GREAT BRANDING IDEAS? I'M A REAL DIRT BAG... SO FUN.
We had an absolute ball coming up with ways to communicate such a new concept as ‘plastic bags that you can put in your home compost’ and humour is a great communicator! I can remember brainstorming ideas around Becs’ kitchen table all afternoon and then Skyping each other that night with even more. Each product in our range has a different ‘saying’ like the ØPACK envelopes are “I’m flat out better” and the gusset bags are “I’m Upstanding”, but “I’m a real dirt bag” is definitely our fave. We were a little nervous that it might be ‘too much’ for some retailers, but the response has been awesome and we’re so pleased that we bit the bullet and went with it. We figured that if it brought smiles to our faces, it would do the same to others … and that can never be a bad thing!