Thinking green

The company, based in London, has been in the market since 2009 and specialises in products for toddlers and pets which not only look peppy and funny but are also environmentally friendly. For this reason, Beco Things is constantly on the look out for materials that are easily recyclable and biodegradable. A material that the company often uses, is a plastics substitute made from natural fibres.
The dog beds, for example, are filled with shredded soft drink bottles. But biodegradable is not enough for Beco Things. The company wants products that are dishwasher friendly, durable and hardwearing, efficiently packaged in recycled materials, ethically manufactured, shipped via sea and most importantly, cost the same as their non-green competitors.

Recyclable materials
Beco Things’ original product was the Beco Bowl. The primary material used in its manufacture is bamboo, one of the earth’s most renewable resources, according to Sales Director George Bramble, who founded the company along with Toby Massey. Bamboo is a fast-growing, naturally regenerative grass which flourishes organically without pesticides, fertilisers or herbicides. But Beco Things actually doesn’t even harvest fresh bamboo, they recycle chopsticks instead. According to George Bramble, in China alone, 45 bn pairs are used and thrown away every year. The environmental impact of wooden disposable chopsticks is so severe that the Chinese government has imposed a ‘chopstick tax’ to curb production and use.
Chopsticks are not the only materials used as recyclable raw materials. The BPA & phylaphate-free baby articles are created from rice husks. Asia produces approximately 770 mio tons of husk annually as a waste product of the grain agriculture process, making it an ideal, sustainable material to combine with chopsticks. The outcome is a very durable material. This is made possible by mixing the natural fibres with a resin created from amino acids.
Increasing export ­activities
Beco Things makes 40 per cent of its sales in the UK. The company distributes its products to independent retailers and bigger retail groups. Export is getting more and more important with an increasing number of distributors, who spread the Beco Things products across their…