This March has marked B Corp Month 🥳. To celebrate, we collaborated with the UK’s largest specialist paper company, creating limited-edition packaging for our zero-waste Plum & Mulberry Soap Bars.
Produced in partnership with G . F Smith, the Soap Bar packaging has been created using its pioneering Extract paper. Inspired by our environment, the Extract range takes disposable coffee cups otherwise destined for landfill, transforming them into beautiful paper!
Did you know that a staggering 4,861 disposable paper coffee cups are used each minute across the UK? That’s seven million a day or 2.5 billion a year. Of these, less than one in 400 are recycled.
Using CupCycling™ technology, G . F Smith transforms 90% of waste from each cup into FSC certified paper fibre. This creates a unique collaboration between consumer, recycler and papermaker.
Each piece of Extract paper contains at least five upcycled coffee cups. The remaining 5% of waste – which is plastic – is used for energy recovery in recycled paper production. A zero-waste process, the more Extract used, the less polyethylene that goes to landfill.
The design for the exclusive packaging was the brainchild of B Corp G . F Smith’s creative producer Hannah Jones. Inspired by B Corp’s ‘This Way Forward’ campaign branding, it is printed on a selection of colours drawn from nature.
And it’s safe to say we love the finished result!
Hannah Boynton, marketing executive here at Bio-D said: “The sustainable, creative design reflects Bio-D and our Soap Bars perfectly.
“Both G . F Smith and Bio-D are proudly Hull-based, planet-focused and people-centric B Corps. So, it was a natural next step to collaborate. Few businesses in our region are B Corp – in fact Bio-D was the first to secure the certification in Hull in 2022. We’re flying the flag and encouraging others to start their B Corp journey.
“It’s so important to collaborate with other like-minded B Corps like G . F Smith. We’re from different industries, but with the same purpose to protect our people and planet over profit.”
Charlotte Diaz, director of HR at G . F Smith added: “As fellow Hull-based B Corps, we were delighted to collaborate with Bio-D to celebrate B Corp Month. We have lots in common – in particular our commitment to quality products and doing the right thing for our people and the planet.”
Created using 100% naturally derived ingredients, our Plum & Mulberry Soap Bars are made with over 65% certified organic content. Naturally scented with essential oils, they are both vegan and cruelty-free.
The Soap Bars were gifted to like-minded businesses attending a series of B Corp networking events. The events are a brilliant opportunity for B Corps to work together to have a lasting impact!
We have also organised site tours every Wednesday throughout B Corp Month with the team at G . F Smith. This gives team members from both companies the chance to see what goes on behind the scenes. It also helps demonstrate our histories, future plans and how we are ‘moving forward’ (this year’s B Corp theme!)
About G . F Smith
Securing B Corp Certification in 2023, G . F Smith is committed to decreasing its environmental impact across the business. Alongside its Extract range, it has also created an exact sheet policy. This means paper can be bought down to single digits*, so only the amount needed is ordered, minimising paper waste.
It has also reduced its carbon emissions by over 90 tonnes per year as a result of using solar panels. Its Hull site is covered by over 750 solar panels covering 1,300 square metres.
Interested in trying our Plum & Mulberry Soap Bar? Add to your basket here.
Find out more about G . F Smith here.
*Minimum order 25 sheets
