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Welcome to a new section of Mum and Working - Green Parenting!
We've been inspired by all the stories we have heard of parents becoming more and more environmentally minded that we've decided to dedicate a section of the site to bringing you all that is new in the world of eco parenting and green living.
New Natural Bamboo Cloth Wipes - 100% biodegradable
Does your child suffer from nappy rash or eczema? Then these new baby wipes could be a huge help...what's more they are also kind to the environment.
Dee Evans, the mother of a toddler suffering from nappy rash and eczema spent many months trying steroid creams, ointments for the bath and even wet wrapping to help her child's skin conditions, none of which were a huge help. What Dee and husband Jon found instead which really helped their son's conditions was using de-ionised and purified water to stop the skin from drying out along with the addition of very small amounts of tea tree oil and aloe vera.
They decided to share this invaluable discovery with other parents in the same predicament and building on the information they had discovered they included the addition of aromatherapy ingredients; Lavender and chamomile, (the wipes do not contain perfume to irritate the skin), and they added green tea which is also a natural anti-oxidant that helps promote the body's healing and Clearly Herbal Natural Baby Wipes was born!.
The company has recently launched a new product - Clearly Herbal Natural Bamboo Cloth Wipes too. These new wipes still contain the award winning formulation and do not contain Alcohol, Perfume or Lanolin and are also Chlorine, Paraben and SLS fee but they are also 100% biodegradable. Cloth made from bamboo fibre is 100% natural and made through a high-tech process without the addition of any chemical additives. Consequently, it can be 100% biodegraded - perfect for the compost bin!
You can find out more about Clearly Herbal here - www.clearlyherbal.com.
Mums making a difference
In the first of our 'Green Business Features' we are focusing on the fantastic company Naturebotts - www.naturebotts.co.uk, dedicated to providing eco-friendly mother and baby products. Run by 3 mums (who are all friends) we hear how the company started, how it has grown and the vision for the future...
How it all began... In June 2000, Penny Bowen's first baby was born, followed quickly by a second son in November 2001. Penny's friend Caitlin had a baby with eczema and had discovered Moltex Oko nappies which were perfume free, used minimal chemicals and didn't irritate her child's eczema, but were not widely available in the UK. Penny's second child had sensitive skin and she decided to give these nappies a try too. To cut a long story short about two really good friends, Penny was persuaded by the results and decided to take a calculated risk and ordered a pallet of nappies from Moltex on her credit card!
She then encouraged Caitlin, who was passionate about the advantages of the nappies to go to all the local mother & baby groups to establish the business need. Once the uptake was there, Penny decided there was a real business opportunity and set up Naturebotts with Caitlin as the eco-passionate partner.
Everyone thought Penny was mad and slightly deranged from having babies and couldn't see the potential. But she could and it was great having Caitlin on board who was passionate about the nappies. Naturebotts wanted to spread the word that there was a different kind of disposable that was both best for baby and kinder to the environment - the guilt-free disposable!
The business grew slowly as a cottage industry and in late 2002 Jess, another friend, joined the company. The business continued to grow organically run from both Jess and Caitlin's homes until it was decided to change the business and firmly establish it by setting up an office and warehouse in Ringwood.
The company then grew as it expanded the product range from just nappies to include all the basics you need when changing a nappy. This was quite a challenge to ensure that all the products were 'best for baby' and the environment. Lots of testing on Penny, Caitlin and Jess' own children resulted in the Naturebotts range expanding to include baby creams, bubble bath and shampoo, through to the biggest breakthrough - sourcing and manufacturing Naturebotts own-brand biodegradable nappy sacks and wipes.
How the business has changed: In 2002 Naturebotts were one of a handful of importers of Moltex Öko nappies and suppliers of eco baby products for mothers - so were new and different. However, over the years consumers have become more passionate about the environment and natural and organic choice therefore high street retailers and online stores all now offer various degradable, environmentally friendly products/goods. The original core USP of Naturebotts had been 'for mums, by mums, run by mums' and as they ran a traditional mail order business by phone, the company gained the trust of customers through giving advice on all things baby - from teething to weaning to sleepless nights. This was a widely appreciated service. However, since the e-commerce website was launched in 2005, the company has seen business grow and now 80% of orders come over the internet, and only 20% via phone. So the success of the website has changed things, and there is less 'voice to voice' contact with customers. The company goes from strength to strength, it currently employs 6 members of staff at head office in Ringwood, turns over sales £800k+ pa and serves over 1500 customers each month.
Future Plans: the eco mother and baby market is continously moving forward and Naturebotts has plans to keep it at the forefront of developments. The company want to ensure that their customers view Naturebotts as a trusted brand and somewhere you can go for fantastic advice. Through their 'Naturebotts, Knows.' programme they are ensuring all their staff at Naturebotts and the Naturebotts website 'know' what advice or help Mums need and if they don't know they'll tell customers about somewhere that does. In the coming years, the three founders plan to increase their product range into environmentally friendly toys, home products and gift service through partners. Financially, Naturebotts is on track to deliver a minimum £2m turnover by 2010 - proving that Penny was absolutely right to take that gamble on the pallet of Moltex Oko six years ago!
