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A WEYMOUTH-based eco-startup has been named one of the region’s most exciting new businesses after being shortlisted for an award.
Moonie, a mother-daughter duo that makes eco-friendly products more accessible and affordable, has been shortlisted for the nationwide StartUp Awards series.
The business was launched after the couple found themselves unemployed during the pandemic. They wanted consumers to be more aware of how much they are consuming and throwing away.
Co-founder Kia Brooker with Moonie products at Bobby’s Bournemouth. Photo: Kia Brooker
The awards were launched to recognize the growing start-up scene across the UK, which has accelerated since the start of the pandemic – with winners to be announced on a date in June yet to be confirmed.
There was fierce competition for Moonie, as more than 2,500 entries were received in response to the first-ever call for entries for the StartUp Awards National series.
Kia Brooker, co-founder of Moonie, said, “We are extremely proud to announce that Moonie has been selected as a finalist for the 2022 National StartUp Awards, in the Green StartUp category.
“In just 18 months we have grown into an established sustainable business producing environmentally friendly products here in Dorset. We now have over 95 stockists, an ever-growing range of sustainable offerings and have saved over 2 million single-use makeup wipes from landfill.
“After having our busiest month yet, we couldn’t be happier to have been selected. Moonie was created when my mother and I became unemployed during the pandemic. As a family, we’ve always had a focus on sustainability and it’s wonderful to see such demand for low-waste items from consumers. »
Moonie’s reusable garbage bag
Kia’s mother and business partner, Karen Weston, manufactures most of the company’s products from her home in Weymouth using sustainable and ethical ingredients.
It was earlier this year that the company launched a reusable trash bag – which can be emptied, washed in a washing machine and then reused – in response to increased household waste during the pandemic.
It was created to replace the need for single-use plastic bin bags and is handcrafted using Eco PUL. Moonie also manufactures and sells kitchen towels, reusable cotton pads and bamboo toothbrushes, to name a few.
Ms Brooker added: “We are on a mission to make environmentally friendly products more affordable, accessible and achievable. We believe sustainable options shouldn’t cost the earth.
In 2020, the year the lockdown began, over 400,000 start-ups were created in Britain alone.
