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Kresse tells us how she shaped her early career to follow her
interest in the environment before setting up her own environmental
companies…
I
was working at a venture capital company in Hong Kong, an exciting
city that had and still has some serious environmental issues; there
was no recycling and no sewage treatment and also no shortage of
waste. I was 24 when I had the opportunity to set up my first
company, Bio-Supplies, which makes and sells environmental packaging
alternatives. I thought, if I’m going to work from 5am -10pm
everyday, I might as well do something that excites me!
Basically,
I wanted more than a job, I wanted a mission.
Two
years later I relocated to the UK to expand Bio-Supplies and also
started Babaloo, a company that produces a range of ethical and
environmental products for parents and babies. Then last year I
encountered another environmental problem. The London Fire Brigade
was sending its decommissioned fire hose to landfill, after several
years of active duty. My partner and I founded EAKO to take on this
hose and other commercial and industrial wastes so that they could be
transformed. We make a range of incredibly beautiful lifestyle
products and 50% of our profits go to charities affiliated with the
waste; from the fire hose line, 50% of our profits go to the Fire
Brigade’s Benevolent Fund.
Days
after starting the business we were asked by the team behind Live
Earth to make 500 belts in three weeks.
Supplying
our very cool carbon free belts for the London concert was our first
big challenge and took us from cottage industry to full-scale
production literally overnight.
Having
three roles definitely keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn’t have it
any other way.
www.fire-hose.co.uk
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