A North East environmental entrepreneur who launched a recycling business with a difference has expanded into a distribution hub on the back of growing demand.
Scuba diver Helen Wilson travelled the world for around 10 years before returning home to Sunderland as the 海角视频 went into lockdown last March to set up her new business, The Bottle Swap.
Based on the traditional milk round, the company operates a refill delivery service providing plastic-free, eco-friendly cleaning and personal care products to customers across the North East.
Ms Wilson designed all the branding, built the bottleswap.com website and makes the deliveries herself.
She split the region to cover all NE, SR and DH postcode areas, having a 鈥渞ound鈥 in each area once a week - meaning there are regular delivery dates for everyone in Northumberland, Tyneside, Wearside and County Durham.
Since launching last September, The Bottle Swap has built up a customer base of more than 200 households, triggering the opening of a dedicated storage and distribution hub in the city. She also has plans to further its reach outside of the region.
The company now also boasts over 160 plastic-free branded products across its core range 鈥 all of which are manufactured in the 海角视频 - ranging from hand wash to laundry, cleaning, body care, hair care and dental care products.
She said: 鈥淚鈥檝e been amazed by the welcome we鈥檝e received so far. We鈥檝e only been going five months and have already managed to attract over 200 customers, with around 80% of them returning and becoming repeat clients.
鈥淚 think one of the main reasons for this is how surprised people are by the quality and the price of the products we supply. Some of the stuff, such as toothpaste tablets or deodorant in a jar, I would never have even thought of using myself, but they鈥檙e just the same as household brands - if not better - and far more sustainable.鈥
Ms Wilson launched the business after witnessing first-hand the impact plastic waste was having on oceans and seaside communities across the Far East, particularly in Malaysia and the Philippines.
鈥淟ast year, I returned to a spot in Thailand where I鈥檇 been diving a decade earlier and I was stunned by how much it had changed,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here was so much plastic waste that we were literally picking up rubbish on our dives.
鈥淎fter speaking with locals, we also learned of the horrific impact it was having on their livelihoods and we knew there must be some way we could help tackle the problem, however it wasn鈥檛 until I returned home during the pandemic that I had time to really sit down and think about it, and that was the spark of inspiration I needed to launch The Bottle Swap.
鈥淚鈥檓 also keen to stress the fact that I鈥檓 not totally anti-plastic. In fact, I鈥檓 far from what most people would dub an 鈥榚co-warrior鈥.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no hiding from the fact that we need plastic for certain products and goods and I genuinely believe - if lots of people were to make small changes to help the environment - it would have a much larger impact than a handful of people doing things 鈥榩erfectly鈥.鈥
Ms Wilson had no experience of running a business prior to launching The Bottle Swap and has been supported on her journey by business adviser Victoria Moodie from the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC).
She said: 鈥淲hen making any decision in life, it鈥檚 always good to lean on those closest to you, however you don鈥檛 always get the impartial advice you need to make the best decision. Victoria has been fantastic as a mentor in that respect. I鈥檝e called her at all hours and she鈥檚 always just a phone call away, I can鈥檛 thank her enough for her support.鈥
Ms Moodie said: 鈥淲hen Helen first came to us we were blown away by not only her business plan but also her knowledge of plastic pollution and her passion to really make the world a better place.To start a company during the pandemic is one thing, but to grow it at such a scale where it already has hundreds of customers and its own unit, is absolutely fantastic, and we鈥檙e delighted to have been able to support her journey so far.鈥
Ms Wilson was supported through the Enterprise Support in the North East 2 project which is part funded through the European Regional Development Fund.
