Knaresborough mum Jade Lapsley has set up her own eco-business selling an environmentally-friendly and homemade alternative to clingfilm.
Mamas Eco Journal Wax Wraps are made using plant wax, coconut oil and pine resin, which Ms Lapsley melts and then paints onto pieces onto colourful pieces of cotton.
She said her product has two key environmental benefits: it helps food to last longer, which cuts down on food waste, and it stops single-use plastic from ending up in landfill.
She said:
“They’re designed to be used instead of clingfilm, which isn’t reusable, doesn’t biodegrade and will be sat in landfills for thousands of years.”
Parents can go through cling film extremely quickly when trying to preserve their children’s food, and Ms Lapsley decided to launch her business after she had her first child just before lockdown.
She was inspired after taking classes in how to make wraps out of beeswax, and learnt more about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
“I thought, I can do that as a business.
“I started living an environmental lifestyle, using less plastic and shopping consciously.”
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For her own product she decided to not use beeswax and make it vegan friendly. She was surprised at how easy the process was.
She said:
“I found that amazing, it’s so simple. People think it can be really hard to be eco, but it’s easy.
“The ingredients are all completely natural. They are compostable, too. Nothing goes to waste.”
This dinosaur wax wrap costs £3 for 15cm.
Ms Lapsley sells her products through the crafts website Etsy as well as at an artisan market in Alwoodley in Leeds.
She hopes one day to get a stall on Knaresborough Market or open her own eco-shop, similar to the Refilling Station on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate.
Major Harrogate district companies such as Taylors of Harrogate or Harrogate Bus Company often shout loud about their green credentials, but Ms Lapsley says smaller businesses trying to improve the environment deserve support too.
“You need to support small business, even a ‘like’ and sharing a comment is the way it can survive.”
