Eco-friendly nappy start-up secures social funding boost

An entrepreneur has secured seed funding to develop their biodegradable nappies start-up.

Social enterprise Bampoo was founded by entrepreneurs Amee Richie and Jake Elliott-Hook. Picture: Contributed

Amee Richie, the co-founder of Bampoo, is one of a dozen social entrepreneurs to secure a share of £60,000 funding in the latest round of Start-It awards.

Delivered by social enterprise start-up agency Firstport, the awards are part of the Scottish Government’s Social Entrepreneurs Fund and support people getting their ideas off the ground and running.

Bampoo, founded by Richie and Jake Elliott-Hook, is an “eco-friendly” social enterprise that produces biodegradable, toxin-free nappies. They are made from 100 per cent bamboo fibre and wood pulp which biodegrades.

Richie said: “The funding we have received will allow us to order our first production run in order to begin trading via our e-commerce site in the coming weeks.

“We are excited to demonstrate our social impact while helping to reduce plastic pollution and supporting low income families with a sustainable alternative.”

Josiah Lockhart, chief executive of Firstport, said: “The standard of our latest Start-It Awards is evident in the number of successful awardees. It’s always a pleasure to see such high-quality social enterprise ideas coming through our doors.

“Bampoo is an exciting social enterprise tackling some key environmental issues, as well as delivering localised social impact. It’s going to be great seeing them get up and running.”