2023 Startups 100 | Sustainability shortlist and award winner

WINNER: Concrete4Change

Runner Up: For Peat’s Sake!

It began with a peat-peeve. As an environmental geography graduate, For Peat’s Sake! founder, George Davies knew that peatlands are the world’s largest terrestrial carbon stores, making up between 2-4% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. But what if there was a new, sustainable, peat-free compost..

An idea has become a brand. For Peat’s Sake! is a coconut-based alternative, supplied by an ethically-certified provider in Sri Lanka. The brand has inspired a major shift towards eco-friendly products by 130 major retailers across the UK including The National Trust, Kew Gardens, and the Eden Project.

The company’s peat-free campaign work has been so far-reaching, it recently gave rise to a government decision to ban sales of peat composts by 2024.

By cleaning up our peatland, and our shopping baskets, the startup is fixing a problem that McClelland feels particularly strongly about. “Thank goodness For Peat’s Sake! Launched,” she exclaims. “I cringe every time I go to the garden centre and see people still buying compost with peat in it.”

Runner Up: Kind Bag

Remember that mountain of plastic supermarket bags you have stuffed under your kitchen cupboard? Kind Bag is here to rid you of the single-use plastic curse.

Founded by Maria Rodriguez, the company transforms plastic bottles into a durable RPET fabric for stylish accessories. Unlike competitors, each Kind Bag product is made from 100% recycled materials, helping to combat the global issue of plastic waste. So far, the company has rescued over four million bottles from landfill, and returned 1% of profits to charity.

Having started with just her savings, Rodriguez’s company is forecast to become a multi-million pound startup by 2023. It now sells in over 25 countries around the globe and is currently establishing distribution to cover North America.

McClelland loves that the business is female founded and also demonstrates solid growth. “The products are beautiful, as is the branding,” she judges. “The business is already performing well and has huge potential to scale. An array of strategic partnerships could help with growth whilst also continuing to make a difference to the planet.”

Runner Up: Wild

Wild cofounder Charlie Bowes-Lyon was running a reusable water bottle company when he first learnt that more than 95% of bathroom products are single-use. He immediately switched teams to launch Wild alongside business partner, Freddy Ward.

Many product development trials later, the duo has made the first refillable deodorant product that is also 100% biodegradable.

Among Wild’s many eco-credentials, the company has planted over 200,000 trees and diverted 80 tonnes of throw-away deodorants. And it’s now championing the sustainable mission to an online following of almost 238,000 – inspiring change one roll at a time.

McClelland describes Wild’s refillable revolution as a “great gap in the market. Considering how people are now committed to reusable water bottles, amongst other reusables, this is a great business. Love the branding and the fact that the refills are compostable. I’ve been looking for this product for years, can’t believe I didn’t know about it!”

Runner Up: LOANHOOD

One of the biggest emission sinners is the fashion industry, which currently accounts for 10% of global emissions – making it slightly worse for the environment than air travel.

Founders Lucy Hall, Jade McSorely, and Jen Charon built LOANHOOD after becoming disenchanted with their careers in the unsustainable fashion sector. Run like a social marketplace, LOANHOOD users can upload their items to be lent out to renters for a fraction of the retail price.

Second-hand clothes are projected to make up 27% of consumer wardrobes by 2023. But while the tide is turning, LOANHOOD is still pushing forward by partnering with universities and local councils to educate people about the circular economy.

“Love that Loanhood targets Gen Z, the demographic which engages considerably with fast fashion owing to disposable income,” McClelland appraises. “I think a big comms / education piece is required to engage and onboard the target audience [but] it’s a really important business that can leverage designer rentals to build the movement amongst Gen Z.”

Runner Up: Homethings

Whilst living in a flatshare in London, Homethings cofounder, Tim Keaveney, grew frustrated by his flatmates’ range of single-use plastic products clogging up space in the bathroom and kitchen. He then discovered that the home care industry ships 800,000 million gallons of water around the world every year – and his mind was made up.

Together with Matthew Aubrey, Keaveney launched Homethings, a patented, and affordable, dissolvable cleaning tablet that can be added to tap water to make a refillable surface spray.

Eliminating the need for plastic packaging means Homethings has 94% lower carbon emissions than rivals, and has so far saved over 23 tonnes of single use plastic from landfill.

The brand received five offers of investment on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, and has launched nationwide in Waitrose stores. But McClelland pointed to Homethings’ B Corp score as a key highlight; a massive 95.4 compared to the required 80 points for certification. She describes Homethings as “something which resonates with me. Love the simplicity of the product.”