Breakfast & Beyond - Episode 16:
Sustainable packaging with Bella Collins of Flexi-Hex
Today I welcome Bella Collins to the breakfast table. Bella heads up a company called Flexi-Hex, which is an industry leader in sustainable packaging based in Porthleven in West Cornwall.
Flexi-Hex evolved when founders Will and Sam Boex – who are both surfers - were looking for a way to transport their boards without using plastic, or running the risk of damage. They created the first Flexi-Hex product – a surfboard sleeve that fits like a wetsuit, uses zero plastic, and protects both their boards and the planet.
Fast forward four years and Flexi-Hex is a small but fast-growing business that has developed a range of beautifully designed packaging options made from paper, using their unique concertina-like glove that fits snuggly around fragile products from bottles to electronics, cosmetics, surf boards and more. By creating a paper product that’s recyclable, biodegradable and natural, they’re removing unnecessary plastic from the ocean, and as a company they state “Our love of the sea runs deep through our team. It’s why we take care in everything we do, from the way we run our business to the way our product is made.”
Although ‘packaging’ may not seem like a topic that’s likely to hold your attention, definitely tune in for this conversation – Bella not only shares how Flexi-Hex are making a positive impact for people and planet (worth noting that they’ve recently become a B Corp), but there are also lots of useful take-aways for anyone involved with setting up a business that values human and environmental resources alongside the bottom line.
“For us it’s not just tackling plastic, it’s understanding there’s a time and place for it and where there are other or better materials can be used that are better for the environment, we should be using them, so rather than looking at how can we recycle plastic which is high intensity, it’s looking at how to minimise it, actually can you design something from the bottom that makes it better for the world?”
Bella also discusses her world-record-breaking rowing endeavours - yes, more than one! - and I found it fascinating hearing how she links the skills and mindset that she cultivated when rowing for weeks on end across oceans in often extremely challenging conditions, back to the workplace. Bella is engaging – she was listed by Forbes this year as one of their European 30 under 30; her story and that of Flexi-Hex is truly uplifting, and I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation just as much as I did.
Welcome to Episode 16 of Breakfast & Beyond .. listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher & Tune-In
Breakfast: recipes, producers & growers …
Blueberry & Lemon Overnight Oats (see recipe)
Tostada con Tomate (see recipe)
Heritage tomatoes and garlic from the Real Food Garden
Vicky’s Bread sourdough sourced fromthe Real Food Garden
Blueberries, blackberries and herbs from the gardens here at Botelet
Salt by Cornish Sea Salt
Olive Oil from Fowey Valley
Yoghurt from Trewithen Dairy
Milk from Green Cow Dairy
Coffee by Lars & Margo
Sustainable living issue: Packaging
We currently make 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago (Flexi-Hex).
The UK packaging manufacturing industry has an annual sales of £11 billion. It represents 3% of the manufacturing workforce and is a significant contributor to UK GDP. Plastic packaging constitutes a significant part of the UK packaging industry. According to the UK Parliament Plastic Waste Report (2018) over 2 million metric tonnes of plastic packaging are used in the country every year (Mordor Intelligence)
In the UK, over 53% of goods are packed using plastic materials (Mordor Intelligence).
Plastic packaging is derived from oil and is non-biodegradable - it is estimated that plastic takes approximately 400 years to biodegrade. Plastic waste creates significant damage on land and to marine life, working its way through eco systems (National Geographic).
It is estimated that 63.2% of UK packaging waste is recycled (Defra). Flexible plastic represents a quarter of all UK consumer plastic packaging, but only 6% is currently recycled (Wrap).
The UK Government brought in a Plastic Packaging Tax in 2022, but arguably it is not yet widely known about.
‘By eliminating all the plastic items we don’t need, innovating to ensure the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable or compostable, and circulating all the plastic we use to keep it in the economy and out of the environment, the impacts on biodiversity can be reduced’ (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
Words to action: what can we do?
If you are purchasing a product that needs to be shipped, look into the packaging that a company uses before you buy from them (they may promote this, or you might find details under a ‘sustainability’ section of their website) and if possible, opt for products that are sustainably packaged.
Contact companies and organisations about the issue of sustainable packaging, letting them know the changes that you, as a consumer, you would like to see them make in relation to packaging their products. You may wish to introduce them to Flexi-Hex!
If you receive products wrapped in plastic packaging, plan to re-use it if possible. If you aren’t able to re-use or store it, check with your local Council as to whether it can be recycled.
When packaging goods to send yourself, aim to re-use plastic packaging or source biodegradable, paper-based packaging instead of buying new plastic packaging.
Consider writing to your MP about the issue of sustainable packaging - contact your MP setting out your concerns, and actions you would like to see happen.
Remember: small individual steps do, collectively, make a difference. Talk about the issue of sustainable packaging with those around you. We are all influencers within our own social networks, from our personal relationships to within the institutions we connect with such as work place, healthcare and education settings.
Resources & links from our conversation…
Bailey’s Country Store - farm and refill shop, Penryn · B Corporation -certification as an inclusive, equitable and regenerative company ·
Charlie H-R - HR software based around building a company culture · Dame - sustainable sanitary products ·
Ellen MacArthur Foundation - working to accelerate the transition to a circular economy · Finnesterre - sustainable clothing brand, based in Cornwall
Planet Mark - Sustainability Certification · Tregew Farm - Farmer’s market, Flushing
Sustainable Development Goals
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 targets representing a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. ‘Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context’ (UNDP). Translating these global objectives to tease out their relevance at the individual and small-organisational scale can inspire us to connect with these important global themes and consider what we are doing - and what more we can do - to make a contribution that supports our own work and wellbeing along with benefiting other people and the planet.
In Episode 16 our discussion referenced the following Sustainable Development Goals:
8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth - Flexi-Hex is committed to providing decent work for employees as well as looking at further down the supply chain. As a B Corp they are required to report on the social as well as environmental dimensions of how they operate as a company. As a growing company, they are generating economic growth.
9 - Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure - Flexi-Hex have created an innovative packaging solution for products across a range of sectors which enables cardboard - a recyclable, biodegradable product at low volume - to replace traditional plastic packaging.
12 - Responsible Consumption & Production - Flexi-Hex helps to provide a more responsible option for production and consumption of goods by replacing plastic packaging with paper-based products.
13 - Climate Action - By replacing plastic packaging with cardboard Flexi-Hex are reducing the amount of plastic used in packaging products, which contributes to reducing the amount of oil required to make virgin plastic, as well as the manufacturing of recycled plastics, both of which involve releasing greenhouse gases which cause climate change.
14 - Life Below Water & 15 - Life on Land - Flexi-Hex began when founders Sam and Will Boex wanted to address the problem of plastic packaging pollution in relation to the ocean. As surfers they were concerned about the impact of unsustainable packaging on both marine life and worked to find a more sustainable solution; the solution they have developed reduces land as well as marine pollution.
Episode 16 Support: Laura Jessica Walker - Burnout Coach
This episode is brought to you in partnership with Laura Jessica Walker, who is a Cornwall-based Burnout Coach.
Laura helps socially & environmentally responsible leaders to create and maintain healthy parameters in life and work, so they can have meaningful impact on society and planet without burning out.
Laura is a former co-founder and CEO of a thriving social enterprise, and she now runs transformational coaching programmes blending her experience and knowledge as a mental health professional, with her own lessons learnt through recovery from breakdown caused by burnout. Laura’s offers easy, practical steps for you to create more time, energy & happiness in your home and work life.
I can personally vouch for Laura’s coaching programmes, having been lucky enough to benefit myself. There is beautiful authenticity to Laura’s approach, she’s incredibly skilled as a coach, as well as being great fun – and I wholeheartedly recommend getting in touch if burnout is an issue that you’d like to address for yourself, or for your team.
Laura offers group, as well as 1:1, coaching programmes and is offering a 10% discount applicable to any of her coaching programmes for listeners of Breakfast & Beyond – simply write ‘BREAKFAST’ in the notes when you book a free consultation call – which is the starting point for any of Laura’s programmes, as she believes that experiencing coaching is far more powerful than explaining it – and the discount will be applied for you. Head to www.laurajessica.com to find out more.
Thank you to Laura Jessica Walker for supporting this episode!
Podcast recording: behind the scenes …
Thank you for listening!
Thank you for listening to Breakfast & Beyond: Conversations from Cornwall on Sustainable Living. If you enjoyed listening I’d love it if you could subscribe to the podcast, rate it, and share episodes with friends and family who would enjoy them. You can listen and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tune-In or wherever you find your podcasts.
I’d love to know your thoughts - please join the conversation and get in touch by email tia@botelet.com or instagram. Thank you and I look forward to sharing next month’s episode with you.
The Breakfast & Beyond podcast is hosted at our home Botelet Farm in South East Cornwall, where my husband’s family have lived and farmed for over 150 years, and three generations still share the farmhouse today. Set in a peaceful valley upstream of Fowey, we welcome visitors to stay in historic cottages, and there’s a yurt for those who love to immerse themselves in nature.
