About us
The story of Turtle Bags
Twenty years ago, scientists were beginning to understand how waste plastic was finding
its way into our oceans, acting as a sponge for chemical pollutants, helping to carry them
into fish and then on to us.
Horrified by this prospect founder and ecologist, Beth Williams, wondered what she could
do to raise awareness around her. How to create less waste, be mindful of our individual
consumption and make small lifestyle changes to hopefully make a big impact? And so
Turtle Bags was born, with a mission to raise awareness of this invisible problem and to
offer alternatives to plastics which are kinder to both people and planet. Behind the
brand Turtle Bags is a real passion for the planet!
As long-term members of the British Association of Fair Trade (BAFTS) Turtle Bags work
closely with supply partners to ensure that products share our environmental values and
that there are fair conditions for those making Turtle Bags.
Our cotton products proudly bear the Fairtrade Cotton Mark and the Global Organic
(GOTS) logos. These two marks demonstrate that the organic production of our cotton
has been carefully monitored by a third party, ensuring a safe working environment and
growth of the crop without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilisers.
We have a long-established partnership with our partner Women’s Empowerment
Programme who make our Jute and Seagrass bags. Their forward-thinking work supports
and touches the lives of many vulnerable women in Bangladesh, offering them support,
training and much more to transform their often difficult lives.
The women in Bangladesh work with Jute and Seagrass. Jute is a super sustainable fibre
requiring no fertiliser or pesticides and relying on natural irrigation. There are not enough
words for how good Seagrass is for the planet, so we will refer you here to the renowned
expert Fiona Crouch Home – Save Our Seabed
We are utterly to delighted to have been held up as an example by the UN in their recent
report on alternatives to plastic Raising awareness of an invisible problem – UN-SPBF
Cottoning on...
The story of organic cotton from the perspective of the organic cotton farmer, Sukhlal Benal, in Western India
