Turning 30 on the first day of lockdown and running out of excuses – The Story Of How The Business Came To Be

Maybe you have seen the TechRound Interview, or maybe you’d like a little more background on what Enjoy Eco Box is about – here’s the origin story . . .

You know how it is, you spend years saying you are going to do something, but actually making it happen is trickier. In my case this means talking about starting a business while complaining about a lack of money/time/any excuse possible why I couldn’t.

I have a background in textiles (the technical side), with a textiles science degree (yes they do exist, needless to say my parents and teachers thought this was . . . an ‘odd’ choice to say the least).  I also love being in the outdoors. Mainly walking, a little bit of running (the less said about that the better). This developed from being dragged up mountains as a youngster and then somewhere along the way I realised I was actually doing it . . . for fun! Now I am basically just passing time until I get to go on my next scenic walk (ideally in the sun, which in Ramsbottom means its not as much as I’d like).  For some time, I have wanted to start a more sustainable and ethical outdoor wear brand. Ideally bringing ethical outdoor products under one 'roof' (online and physical, when that’s a thing again ☹) and developing my own line of products.

During my research I found outdoor retail was more dominated by 2-3 big companies in the UK that I thought. Even places I assumed were ‘independent’ were actually owned by these big companies. While this isn’t necessarily a problem in itself, the big chains tend to be dominated by plastic products (e.g. cheap polyester), manufacturing in ‘low cost’ countries which ethics which can be dubious (and not necessarily well understood by most customers, who just want a good product on a good deal). While there are certainly benefits to this ‘value’ approach, to improve accessibility to the outdoors and healthier lifestyles, I believe there can be a better way.

Crunching the numbers (several times), however, they have always seemed out of reach (or at least, very risky). Roll on turning 30 on the first day of the COVID lockdown and my ‘on the nose’ reminder that life happens whether you’re ready or not, I had my cue.

So, I decided to start something smaller, something I could ‘bootstrap’ i.e. fund myself without 5 or 6 figure business loans. Welcome to the world, Enjoy Eco Box.

Focussing on the outdoors and activities which promote wellbeing (both physical and mental), I started to create gift boxes. These could be bought by a person for themselves or to be able to gift from a distance. They are a ‘starter pack’ or essential and useful (and fun!) items for an activity. The Enjoy the Outdoors boxes are perfect for getting out walking. Many people have found (or refound) the joy of the outdoors during the recent months, and now want to keep going and maybe even get a bit more adventurous. Holidays in the UK are certainly booming and one of the best activities we have is walking – particularly on the Coast Paths and National Trails around the country.

I particularly want to focus on reducing plastic, using natural and responsibly sourced materials (‘natural’ is not necessarily better or less damaging of not created responsibly) and ethical manufacturing. For now this means trying to use small batch, Made in Britain makers where we can – but its not just about local made, we can see there are lots of social responsible and community supportive producers globally waiting to be stocked by us!

Enjoy Eco Box provides two options for Enjoy the Outdoors boxes. The Deluxe contains a complete set of outdoors essentials – just add boots and a map! Including a water resistant cotton back pack (with UK sourced, BCI cotton), a Little Book of Walks & Snacks to both inspire and allow you to get creative, a phone stand keyring so you can get those scenic selfies just about anywhere. Lunch is sorted with reusable beeswax food wraps and insulated bottle (good for hot and cold drinks). Comfy, made in Britain hiking socks and all-natural minty fresh Cornish made lip balm mean everything is ready to get the most out of getting outside. The Mini box contains the perfect trio of the Little Book, bottle and keyring to take anywhere.

This is just the beginning – more box themes will be added, for younger walkers and for budding gardeners. An appreciation of the outdoor world must surely come with awareness of the need to protect it. With all the press coverage of the ‘War on Plastic’ and Greta Thunberg’s campaigning, its no longer a case of out of sight out of mind for our waste and how we manufacture. If even the biggest fashion chains such as Selfridges impressive looking Project Earth and Primark getting serious about sustainability, things will change. Hopefully as our development continues - one day maybe we will be able to have that one stop destination for outdoor wear with a sustainable and ethical story.

Support the better ideas by shopping with us here – or let us know if there’s items you’d like to see @enjoyecobox on Instagram and Facebook