Name: Carolyn Newton Location: Bristol Company: Whalebags Type of business: Eco-friendly shopping bags Established: 2007 Website: What are Whalebags Whalebags are strong, re-usable, washable
shopping bags made from cotton/calico fabric. Unlike other bags for life, they are made with no plastic at all even the toggles are made from wood. Plastic bags are having a devastating effect on marine wildlife and this is a cause we are passionate about, so we’re supporting the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and will be donating 5% of our profits to marine conservation projects. Why is the issue so close to your heart The issue first came to my attention five years ago, while I was training to be a teacher and working with special needs children. The children swam with dolphins as part of a therapy programme and working so closely with the dolphins, I just fell in love with marine mammals. I’m now a primary school teacher, and about 10 months ago I did an assembly with the children as part of Environment Week on the subject of plastic bags in the ocean and how they’re affecting whale populations. We learnt about something called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is an island twice the size of France and twice the size of Texas, made up of around 80% plastic. It’s causing enormous damage to wildlife and, while we can never get rid of it, we must stop using plastic now to avoid making it even worse. How did you come up with the idea for Whalebags
I live in a top floor flat and found that doing my shopping with lots of carrier bags was a nightmare. I wanted a bag that was convenient to use, which you could turn inside out and was small enough to carry with you all the time.