Supporting green growth at Juice
Mobile phone accessories manufacturer Juice has gone from a start-up to a multi-million-pound business. And now it’s set its sights on becoming one of the most sustainable mobile tech companies around.
Read time: 2 mins Added: 10/08/2022
An industry-first for sustainability
In 2020, Juice removed all single-use plastic from its packaging and made all its packaging recyclable at home – an industry first. Today, all Juice packaging is made from a new form of plastic made entirely from post-consumer waste.
“We wanted to go further than just creating recyclable packaging,” says Juice founder and CEO Jolyon Bennett. “We’re taking other people’s rubbish and creating something completely new from it. And then, when our packaging gets recycled, it can be used again and again. We’re not creating any more plastic packaging that ends up in landfill.
“We’ve stayed away from paper, because there’s no getting those trees back. But plastic lasts 3,000 years. We plan to reuse, reuse and reuse all the plastic for as long as we’re in business.”
And Juice’s ambitions don’t stop there. Projects are currently underway to manufacture products using the same recycled plastic.
“We’ve managed to make power banks and speakers out of post-consumer waste,” says Jolyon. “The ultimate aim is no more virgin plastic being made ever.”
Juice has also taken a number of other steps to boost its green credentials, including banning air freight – all products are imported via sea, moving its offices to within easy reach of a train station and installing electric charging points in the car park. All electricity is supplied by a wind farm in Wales and the company also uses electric freight and forklifts.
Support along the way
“When we first started out ten years ago, Lloyds Bank saw the potential in our business plan and gave us a chance,” says Jolyon. “We were granted a £100,000 overdraft and that’s what enabled me to get things started. And our relationship has grown alongside the business. We use them for all our financial products, from business banking to currency, as they were the only bank that believed in us from the start, and they’ve continued to offer invaluable support at every step. We see our Relationship Manager as part of team Juice.”
“Lloyds Bank has played a huge role in our sustainability journey,” Jolyon adds. “They supported us with funding so we could make the packaging shift, and, just as importantly, they’ve provided moral support. As a CEO and business-owner, sometimes you just need someone to have your back.”
Looking to the future
“We’ve got a great foundation for the business,” says Jolyon. “And now we’re looking to expand into nine other countries worldwide. We’re also planning to expand our direct-to-consumer sales and are investing heavily in Juice.co.uk. We’re ambitious, we want to grow from a £15 million business to a £30 million business in the next three years.
“Without Lloyds Bank’s support, we wouldn’t have been able to build our business and grow it to where it is today, and we’re excited to continue our journey with them.”