Kiwi brand Compostic is the first in the world to provide home compostable cling wrap and resealable bags. Founded by Jon Reed, the company aims to reduce the amount of harmful plastics that Kiwis send to landfill every year by providing more convenient, friendlier products. Already stocked in all good supermarkets in New Zealand and in more than 100 stores across Australia, Compostic is quickly closing in on their launch in the US.

Each year in New Zealand, a country made up of only 5 million, Kiwis use enough cling wrap to wrap the world three times. Most single use plastic is found in the kitchen, so for Green, starting his brand with clingwrap and resealable bags was a logical choice.

“We know that people are desperate to do the right thing, but often don’t know how to make the right change, or feel like alternative options come with a sacrifice. We wanted to remove the guilt of using convenience products, without sacrificing functionality.”

At 25 years old, well educated yet somewhat ignorant to the scale of the global plastic issue, Reed spent six to 12 months looking at different, and confusing options before stumbling across a material that felt like plastic, however broke down in less time than an orange peel.

“I figured there literally HAD to be a solution and I was curious as to what options were out there,” he says.

“I was amazed – both at the product, and at the fact that if this was available as an alternative then why wasn’t it used everywhere, and why were we still poisoning the world with plastic?”

At the same time of finding a plastic alternative, the media began to pick up on the plastic bag issue and it was clear more people were invested in becoming environmentally friendly.

“That’s when I decided that to convert 95 percent of people away from plastic rather than 5 percent, we had to make products that functioned just like their plastic counterparts and that’s when we started developing Compostic wrap.”

Reed says its been both fortunate and unfortunate to have no competitors. Compostic are able to lead the industry in what it means to be environmentally focused, however on the other hand, less options are available for consumers meaning more people will stick with plastic.

“Where we have an edge is that we stick to our values and never take the easy option. Our packaging is a great example – usually you design a product, get it printed and that’s it. For us it was different. We wanted to be zero waste – that meant kraft cardboard boxes that aren’t laminated, soy based inks, and no plastic or metal cutter on the cling wrap.”

After great sucess in New Zealand and Australia, Compostic will soon be launching into the US. With the country’s massive e-commerce opportunites and large deomgraphic of environmentally friendly consumers, Reed is excited to see his brand further onto the global stage.

“We have solidified our offering, our voice and our ethos, and we’re now ready to share that with an international audience after being so well received by our Kiwi customers.”

As the brand launches into international markets and invests into innovation for future products, there will be no excuse to use traditional plastics anymore. Reed also wants the brand to be a hub of education and support, helping consumers make steps towards a green lifestyle.

“It has been a long and hard road, but I’ve learnt a lot and can honestly say that I love what I do.”