At The Green Turtle, we carefully select suppliers who share the same values as us, and who produce fantastic eco-friendly items we know our customers will love. These are often small, UK based businesses with real people working hard behind the scenes to develop and lovingly handmake sustainable products.
This blog series spotlights our suppliers. Find out more about who they are, their sustainable products and what goes on behind the scenes!
Next up is Re-Wrap-It.
Re-Wrap-It
Re-wrap-It is a supplier close to our hearts at The Green Turtle. Lorna and Ailsa first met Shona from Re-Wrap-It over 10 years ago at a local toddlers' group. Ailsa was curly haired and small, and Lorna was not really thinking about eco choices!
Shona had recently set up Re-Wrap-It and was making fantastic, bright reusable sandwich wrappers. They were perfect alternatives to wrapping sandwiches in cling film. Lorna promptly bought several, and they are all still in regular use today. They are one of The Green Turtle's consistently top selling products making a great gift for someone else or for yourself.
We asked Shona at Re-Wrap-It some questions:
Tell us a bit about yourself
I trained and worked as a Landscape Architect but when I had my three children I needed to find something to do that would fit around them. I’d always loved design….and hated making packed lunches! So it was back to the drawing board to work out if there was a more simple, green solution to wrapping up sandwiches in cling film, tin foil or plastic bags….and the Wrapper was born!
With my children the Wrappers were an immediate success, so I got to work making them on the kitchen table and selling them at school fairs and local events. A journalist happened to purchase a Wrapper, wrote an article in a national paper mentioning the product and things took off!
How have things evolved over the years?
The kitchen table was abandoned, I employ a couple of friends to help out but manufacture is now predominantly done by the inmates at Kilmarnock Prison. I felt very strongly that as a ‘green’ product they should be made locally, not imported from overseas. The inmates learn a skill and gain a qualification in Industrial Sewing, which hopefully helps with their rehabilitation and could lead to job opportunities in the future. They also get paid for their work. The arrangement also allows me to be more flexible with my design ranges and I am always searching for new colours and materials.
At the very start of the covid outbreak, I was delighted to be able to quickly pivot production from sandwich wrappers to reusable face masks and get these necessary items out to the market really quickly. This included a Christmas range, which had plain fabric on the rear side so it could be used all year round.
In 2019, I was excited to have the Wrapper featured in BBC programme "The Customer is Always Right". We had great fun filming at the Re-Wrap-It house and in a mock design studio. We may not have won the show but we won a lot of loyal customers who’ve since been recommending the Wrapper to friends and family!
Tell us more about your products
The wrappers are very simple. Packed lunches are traditionally wrapped up in cling film, tin foil or plastic bags, which normally end up binned and in landfill.
The wrapper not only keeps your sandwich or food fresh inside, but it also unfolds into a plate, ideal for keeping your desk clean or if you are eating outside. No more worrying about toddlers eating food from the floor or dirty picnic tables. It fits one or two sandwiches or rolls, wraps etc.
The wrapper can be used day after day with just a wipe down of the plastic food side and an occasional rinse in the sink to get rid of any spill marks on the outside – all sealed up with a Velcro strip to keep it fresh. It can also be popped in the washing machine at 30 degrees.
The wrappers come with no packaging, just a simple leaflet to give you info on how they can be used, plus some sandwich inspiration. Here's a demo video too!
We were delighted this year to win the Scottish Prestige Eco Friendly Wrapping Service of the Year 21/22 award!
Our reusable face masks are available in adult or child sizes, and with either elastic or tie options for easy fitting. Available in lots of bright patterns, and sewn with three layers of fabric by the inmates at Kilmarnock Prison.
Find out more:
You can find Re-Wrap-It's products here. Find out more at their website.
