Fire-Hose, BioSupplies, Babaloo

Product: BioSupplies, Fire-Hose Babaloo

People behind it:
Name: Kresse Wesling

Kresse Wesling is a Canadian who worked for a Venture Capital fund in Hong Kong and mainland China before launching her first company, BioSupplies, in 2002. She now lives and works in the UK, where she runs three companies and is about to launch a fourth, all based around recycling, low environmental impact and socially responsible marketing. BioSupplies produces eco-friendly packaging. Babaloo sells a range of green baby-products and clothing. Fire-Hose makes bags and other fashion accessories out of Fire Brigade hose otherwise destined for landfill.

How innovative?
The Fire-Hose fashion range exemplifies Wesling’s approach. Hearing that the London Fire Brigade was disposing of its old fire hose, she struck a deal to take the old hose, clean it, turn it into high fashion items such as shoes and belts, and then donate 50% of any profits to the Firemen’s Benevolent Fund. A similar deal has just been struck with Union Coffee Roasters, to turn old Hessian coffee sacks into eco-clothing.

Market success
Wesling herself has become a high-profile “brand”, having won a slew of awards and being selected as one of 25 social enterprise ambassadors, part of the Government’s Social Enterprise Action Plan. The Fire-Hose accessories range has started to get major press coverage, while BioSupplies is talking with three major UK supermarket chains about providing packaging, and is used by companies including Nude Cosmetics.

How it fits
All of the companies share a basic ethos that is very much in sync with the mood of the times. Wesling says what she does is “upcycling, not recycling. We are taking something with no value and creating something with enough value to generate a profit, half of that profit being fed back into relevant charities.” She adds that being an entrepreneur “really suits impatient people like me”.