About Us
Why 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!
What we do
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.
Who we work with
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
10% of our profits are donated to the Marine Conservation Society. Marine Conservation Society
Watch Beth’s story of organic cotton from the perspective of the organic cotton farmer, Sukhlal Benal, in Western India.