In a bid to tackle plastic pollution and support small UK businesses, one Berkshire based entrepreneur has launched e-commerce site that is plastic free.
With its mission to ‘make living without plastic easy for everyone’, Plasticfreethings.com is an online marketplace that connects sellers of everyday plastic-free things with consumers. Products include kitchen items, toiletries, stationery, toys and gifts.
The goods are plastic free and they are packaged in plastic-free materials, including the tape.
Founder, Sarah Cruse, says: “Although there are many eco-retail sites out there that offer environmentally-friendly alternatives to mainstream products, we take further measures to be sustainable in all aspects of the business. At Plasticfreethings.com we only source sustainable products that are made in the UK and ensure items are dispatched according to our strict plastic-free guidelines.”
Indeed, the idea for Plasticfreethings.com came about when Cruse became frustrated by the amount of unnecessary plastic that would turn up with her own orders. “I would take ages sourcing products that were deemed to be plastic-free only to have my items delivered in plastic wrapping or bubble wrap,” she says. “This completely undermined why I bought the product in the first place. I therefore decided to take action by launching my own plastic-free business.”
The move taps into a growing demand from consumers for ‘green’ products. A recent study by E.On found that more than a third (36%) of UK consumers say that they are buying products from companies with strong environmental credentials. A further four in five (80%) say they are planning to purchase goods and services from businesses they know have made a concerted effort to be environmentally friendly.
It also comes as leading UK retailers from Dixons Carphone, New Look, Marks & Spencer’s, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons to N Brown Group, Wickes and Wilko are backing a new British Retail Consortium-led plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The BRC’s Climate Action Roadmap, supported by 63 retailers, aims to see stores and warehouses powered by net zero electricity by 2030.
