Eco-preneurs: making money and going green

Eco-preneurs are enterprising individuals who don’t just pontificate about climate change – they take action. Their innovative businesses help create solutions, rather than causing more problems.

Inspirational entrepreneur Kresse Wesling has launched several green businesses including EaKo, which produces luxury lifestyle goods and reusable shopping bags for Sainsbury’s.

The beginnings

Kresse always knew she wanted to make a difference – the trick was figuring out how. "I thought a political science degree was the answer, but at university I realized politics takes a very long time – and I’m not a very patient person."

She twigged that business can be instrumental in driving through change and went to work for a venture capital company.

She soaked up everything she could learn about business models, planning and strategy, then drew on that knowledge to launch several green businesses, including Bio-Supplies (environmental packaging), Babaloo (eco and ethical baby products) and EaKo.

Kresse and her partner James Henrit co-founded EaKo two years ago, making eco-friendly lifestyle accessories from reclaimed waste. The Fire Hose range is crafted from London Fire Brigade hoses, which end up in landfill if they can’t be mended.

"The hoses are too beautiful to be thrown away, but it took us over a year to figure out what to do with them," she says.

They scrubbed away the soot, grease and dirt and fashioned belts (with buckles made from recycled pewter), stylish bags and wallets. Because of the fabric’s limited supply, Fire Hose accessories are aimed at the luxury market.

Greenwashing

After reading the WWF Deeper Luxury Report, Kresse and James were determined to prove a luxury company could do better – without greenwashing. They have an incredibly transparent business model, which shows how many tons of waste they save and how much money they donate to charity.

"We give 50% of Fire Hose profits to the Fire Brigade, which builds community spirit, secures our supply chain, and creates a story that appeals to customers. We’re also exposing the insane margins in the luxury industry – giving away half the profits isn’t remotely a stretch (and our prices aren’t as high as many brands)."

She’s exhilarated by the potential that could be tapped if the world’s biggest corporations copied the EaKo model. "The money donated could actually save the rain forests – talk about shareholder legacy!"

Eco-enthusiasm

 Kresse’s enthusiasm is infectious, and despite her youth she’s no ‘green’ greenie. "My environmental passion comes from growing up in Canada. Environmental education was part of the curriculum – and of course we had the big wild outdoors all around us."

In high school she moved to Hong Kong and was shocked at the rampant environmental degradation.

Kresse has committed herself to helping improve the environment, and her childhood lessons on littering have stuck with her – she’s practically allergic to landfill. She hunts down waste and discovers ways to convert it into useful products.

Sustainability is at the core of EaKo’s business, and its latest project is no exception: making eco-friendly shopping bags for Sainsbury’s from waste coffee sacks. EaKo collects thousands of jute sacks from Bettys & Taylors, Union Hand-Roasted and Drury Tea & Coffee, saving them from landfill and ‘up-cycling’ them into sturdy shopping bags. To close the loop, EaKo donates 10p from each bag sale to coffee grower programmes.

Economic downturn 

Does the recession worry Kresse? "I don’t think the downturn will affect green businesses more than other firms," she says.

"If your business model is strong, you should make it through. Some business will fail due to bad luck or cash flow – and that’s sad – but others will fail because they’re bad businesses (green or not)."

She believes green business can be ahead of the curve on cutting unnecessary costs, such as power and waste bills. In fact the recession could help EaKo expand, as businesses that spend money on waste collection wise up to the potential value of their ‘rubbish’.

Will the recession give the government an excuse to backtrack on environmental commitments?

"There’s always a risk they’ll ‘chicken out’ – with democracy you have elections, so it’s hard for governments to adopt a brave, 20-year plan." Kresse fervently hopes the Obama victory will spur the world into action, as the crisis is urgent and time is running out.

"At school a friend and I made an incredibly depressing film with an ‘Earth’ balloon slowly deflating to symbolize what humans were doing to the planet. I actually feel the same way now – we’re still extracting too much and not giving enough back."

Kresse gives plenty back, sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge through mentoring and social enterprise schemes. She’s a Social Enterprise Ambassador  and volunteers at the British Library, advising young entrepreneurs.

She’s also a Make A Difference (MAD) Women mentor and will soon launch a new charity supporting climate change initiatives. Watch this space: this (eco-friendly) dynamo will be generating green energy for years to come.

Some of Kresse’s awards:HSBC Start-up Stars Green Award, 2008 (with James Henrit)Entrepreneur of the Year, Shell Women of the Future Awards, 2007Entrepreneurial Woman of the Future award, Real Business awards, 2007

EaKo WWF Deeper Luxury Report

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