I’m not one to make a bet, but I’m willing to put good money down on the fact that somewhere in your kitchen lies a box of plastic wrap. The omnipresent plastic wrap, also dubbed Saran Wrap, was discovered in the early 1930s and has seen little change since its development into a kitchen accessory in the late 1940s to prevent food spoilage.
If we think about the evolution of automobiles or personal computers over the past decades, the changes have been mountainous, yet, the plastic wrap category has essentially been at a standstill.
Julia and Jordy Kay have developed a new standard within the plastic wrap sector with an invention dubbed Great Wrap. The stretchy and robust wrap looks (and even feels) like your classic Saran wrap, yet it’s made from potato waste and is entirely compostable. The wrap degrades in under 180 days into carbon and water, leaving behind zero toxins, unlike biodegradable petroleum-based products that decompose into harmful microplastics.
Launching in the United States in August, the cling wrap and refillable dispenser aims to help minimize plastic and promote composting at home. Julia Kay states, “If we added just 0.4% to the world’s soils by composting food waste, then we could immediately counteract climate change. Composting has a profound impact on your garden and saving the planet.
Beyond the incredible work of the team of scientists, biotechnologists, and engineers that have developed technology to manufacture the stretch wrap, the branding and packaging are also immaculate. Continuing the brand’s sustainable mission, the Great Mate is a reusable dispenser and slicer available in four colors. Beautifully designed, the container gets made using 33 recycled PET bottles.
The circular texture and youthful colors create an approachable system, though it could have easily been intimidating. There’s no doubt that the accessibility and sustainability aspects of this brand will propel it into households, restaurants, and shops globally. The simplest ideas, especially the ones that modernize something we use every day and make it more sustainable, become transformative products.
