Plastic wrap, cling wrap, cling film – whatever you call it – has a pretty grim contribution to the plastic pollution crisis, with plastic packaging accounting for around 36% of all plastic produced. Plastic wrap in particular is difficult to dispose of sustainably. When it gets incinerated, it releases highly toxic gases; when it gets recycled, it’s costlier than virgin plastic; and when it ends up in the sea, it gets confused for jellyfish and eaten.
So we’ve gone and interviewed Great Wrap, who are on a mission to solve this big bad problem. This Aussie brand makes a compostable plastic wrap, for businesses and home kitchens.
What makes Great Wrap different? Their plastic wrap is home-compostable, so we’ll hear no excuses that you’re waiting for your municipality ;-). But if it must be thrown in the regular bin, it still surpasses traditional plastic wrap in landfills by decomposing much faster and not leaving any microplastics in its wake.
We were fascinated to hear that your company was founded by an architect and a natural wine-maker. What’s the story behind Great Wrap?
Jordy and I didn’t have the most traditional entrance into the packaging industry, coming from winemaking and architecture! However, it was our exposure to plastics at work that motivated us to start Great Wrap. The amount of plastic used in warehouses and moving materials from site to site is mind-blowing, and there really wasn’t any way to avoid it when we started the business.
We were both trying hard to minimise the footprint of our work — by making organic wine and working with sustainable materials — but certain materials in both supply chains were impossible to avoid, one being traditional pallet wrap. We knew that it wasn’t just our industries but all businesses and supply chains globally, and we couldn’t believe there wasn’t already a compostable alternative on the market. So, we decided to develop the material we knew the world needed. We found that a lot of the skills from our previous industries translated well into what we do now, particularly Jordy’s background in chemistry and my background in design and project management.
What is your material made with?
Our material is made with compostable biopolymers and plant-based oils! There are more than 10 polymers that make up our material, including a plant-based additive that makes our compostable pallet wrap transparent yellow, which helps the end receiver of Great Wrap differentiate it once it’s been used. Our Great Lab team is always working on material innovation to find the best materials and feedstocks to make our wrap. It’s an ongoing process and evolution for our brand.
An ugly stat we often cite is that there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050! Tell us a bit more about how you’re working on making your plastic wraps marine-biodegradable too.
That is a very scary statistic, but we’re not surprised to hear it! Behind the scenes, our innovation team is working to build a biorefinery to develop a material called PHA. PHA is the future state of Great Wrap; it’s a marine-degradable and compostable material.
Although we hope for a future where no plastic enters our waterways, we know that right now waste systems globally are far from perfect. If we can manufacture a plastic alternative in the future that will break down in marine environments, we’ll know that we’ve done everything to ensure healthier marine environments for future generations.
Where did the idea of creating such an aesthetic cling wrap dispenser – your Great Mate – come from? Did you originally start with the classic cardboard box?
We initially launched our home wrap in a cardboard box, and created several iterations of it, but we wanted to shift into the reusable space and create a dispenser that people would be proud to have in their kitchens — something they’d be more inclined to leave out on the kitchen bench where it would prompt a conversation on sustainability at home.
My background in architecture and design definitely informed this process. I think we often underestimate the influence that the objects around us have on our behaviour. The whole process took more than two years as we worked with an industrial designer to perfect the dispenser.
Great Wrap is on a mission to knock traditional plastics off the market. How far along do you think Australia is?
We’re making progress. Many states in Australia are implementing plastic bans, and it’s promising to see consumers and business owners committing to having more sustainable homes and supply chains. It will take time to reach our goal — knocking traditional plastics off the shelf is a stretch goal, but it motivates us every day to keep working so we can have a truly positive impact.
So far, we’ve transitioned more than 60,000 homes to Great Wrap. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re working on it. We’ve recently partnered with Opal Packaging Plus, our exclusive distributor of hand and machine pallet wrap, who is helping us expand our business reach across the country.
Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets are also approaching. These targets include transitioning to 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging and ensuring that 70% of plastic packaging should be recycled or composted. This is inspiring companies to start conversations and take action, as supply chain waste is a significant problem for businesses of all sizes.
Are there new products down the line for Great Wrap?
There is always something brewing in Great Lab. Behind the scenes, we’ve been working on materials for the food service industry. It’s been on our to-do list for a while, but we’re getting very close to perfecting the product and we can’t wait to launch it. For anyone interested in trying our current and future products, fill your details into our Business Enquiry form here so our sales team can assist you.
If Great Wrap could choose its most important message to spread, what would it be?
This is tricky — it’s hard to pick just one but we’re big supporters of composting because it slows climate change! By adding just 0.4% of organic carbon to our soils and gardens annually through composting, we could offset all global greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by China and the United States. So it feels like a no-brainer.
Do you have a favorite collaboration with either a brand or an individual?
We’ve loved them all! But a recent announcement of our partnership with Opal Packaging Plus was exciting. They’re our exclusive distributor of pallet wrap in Australia, making it easier for businesses of all sizes to use Great Wrap. We have a small (but mighty) team at our factory in Tullamarine, and it’s been great partnering with their team; they’re essentially an extension of ours now!
What’s one of your most memorable or funniest moments since Great Wrap was founded in 2019?
Love this question! It would have to be the day we were handed the keys to our 12,000 sqm facility in Tullamarine. It’s hard to express just how large that manufacturing site is, especially compared to our pilot facility. For scale, it’s roughly around the size of 10 Olympic swimming pools side by side. The sheer excitement (and slight horror) on our faces said it all – it was a massive ‘pinch me’ moment we won’t forget anytime soon. We managed to fill it up quite quickly as we’ve grown the business over the years.
Some of our team used to work in Australia but this was before sustainability became so popular. What’s the scene looking like at the moment and do you have any exciting Aussie sustainable brands to recommend?
It’s super exciting! We were just named in Forbes Asia’s 100 Businesses to Watch list, along with 5 other Australian brands including GoTerra, which is in the sustainability space.
It’s promising to see increasing investment in startups in the sustainability sector. Since starting Great Wrap, we’ve raised close to $30 million, enabling us to grow rapidly to keep up with the evolving sustainability landscape.
We have so many Australian brands to recommend! Some of our favourites are GoTerra, Samsara Eco, Sea Forest, Planet Protector Packaging, Dirt Laundry, and Pleasant State.
Keen on learning more about Great Wrap’s pioneering replacement for plastic wrap? Head over to their website for more information.
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