6 Plastic Ambassadors Making Impact Part 1

Kids Against Plastic Founders Amy & Ella Meek

When the youth of the world start rising up and raising their voices to an issue, you know the adults have taken too long to act. Sister duo Kids Against Plastic are a well-organised, clearly impassioned and are making us all take notice that the status quo Is. Not. Ok.

Brianne West - Founder of Ethique solid bars

Brianne West switched her study direction when she was horrified by the waste created in personal care. By learning how to develop a solid shampoo that truly worked she launched Ethique  from her kitchen in 2012. With a business built from the ground up and now worth an estimated 100 million, they have successfully removed 8 million plastic bottles from landfill and have ambitions to improve this to 50 million by 2025.

Catherine Conway - Founder of Unpackaged

Catherine launched Unpackaged back in 2006 as the world’s first modern zero waste shop, calling for us to act with our wallets and offer a beautiful, design-led experience in store - just without the waste. This has since developed into a leading consultancy with clients such as Waitrose, Planet Organic, Lush, Farmdrop, River Cottage and a host of smaller independent brands and retailers.

Abigail Forsyth - Founder of KeepCup

When Abigail and her brother saw the volume of packaging that came from running a catering business they directed their attention to the bigger issue of coffee cup waste. By zeroing in to the middle of the market - not the full converted greenies, but those of us who wanted to make a difference but were influenced by aesthetics and convenience, they made reusable cups fun and accessible and brought the joy of reuse to the rest of the world. 

Ruby Raut - Founder of Wukawear

The best inventions are the ones that you can’t believe didn't exist before they came along - and period underpants is one of those things. An impassioned environmentalist and scientist, Ruby and her brand Wukawear were the first in the UK and were able to  divert 1.6 million pads and tampons from landfill in the first 6 months of operating,  They are now available in Sainsbury’s, Ocado, and Wholefoods, making period pants more accessible.

Sian Sutherland - Founder of A Plastic Planet

Sian is co-founder of A Plastic Planet, a non-profit organization raising awareness and igniting the passion of the people to turn off the plastic tap. It’s working and some of the best impact has been the introduction of the ‘plastic-free’ mark and convincing brands, and supermarkets and hoteliers alike to pledge to “working towards plastic-free” commitment mark. No one is a plastic saint, but committing to change gradually can set a business apart. Small brands are the best, because they are nimble and can pivot more easily. With our help, who knows, one of them could just become the next Patagonia." 

Special Mention to Lizzy A 

Lizzy, a young girl of 9 was studying plastic pollution in her year 4 class. After her mum showed her an article on the UK waste exports to developing countries that were planned to continue post Brexit she was compelled to act. She made a petition to make Boris Johnson accountable for the exports and since going live, Lizzy's petition has since raised 94,000 signatures and caught the attention of BJ. Add your name to it here >>