DIVE DEEPER:

• In just six months, five million Americans can go through more than 10 million boxes of cling wrap between them, while in the UK, it’s estimated that around 1.2 billion metres (over 700,000 miles) of it is used every year.

• Nearly impossible to recycle unless there’s access to specialised equipment, when it ends up in landfill or incinerators, cling wrap can release the highly toxic chemical dioxin, according to the WHO.

• The US EPA states that 30% of waste in the US is organic matter which could be composted instead, while the World Food Programme states that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted annually, accounting for 8% of all greenhouse gases.

• Made from food waste and home compostable, Great Wrap has the capacity to solve three problems in one fell swoop – reducing plastic pollution, utilising food waste, and delivering food waste into the composting system.

• The cling wrap is certified Home Compostable AS 5810 and Compostable AS 4736, and the company claims it will break down in home compost in under 180 days. It is also worm-safe, breaking down in the same manner as food.

• Great Wrap states it is on pace to divert 50,000 tonnes of potato waste away from landfills in 2022 through the production of its cling wrap, reaching 300,000 tonnes when the company opens a plant in the US in 2023.

• Functionally, Great Wrap is almost identical to standard plastic cling wrap. It is fridge and freezer-safe, malleable and transparent. It is also microwave-safe at low heat for short periods of time.

• Two Nudie Rolls of Great Wrap cost AUD 9.90 (USD 6.86), comparable to supermarket prices for standard, plastic cling wrap. Customers can subscribe to receive new rolls every two or three months.

• Great Wrap also makes a home dispenser for its cling wrap – Great Mate – to hold the roll and slice it like a conventional plastic wrap box. The dispenser is made from 33 recycled PET bottles, although this is, of course, still plastic.

• Sales of Great Wrap products were previously limited to Australia but the company opened US sales in August of 2022. Further plans for expansion include opening up to B2B by the end of 2022.

• The company currently has two locations – one where trials take place and a ‘mega factory’ for manufacturing. By the end of 2023, Great Wrap states it will have the capacity to manufacture 30,000 tonnes of stretch wrap per year, making it the biggest producer of stretch wrap in Australia.

• Great Wrap acquired AUD 24 million (USD 16.6 million) in a Series A funding round in July 2022.

• The company won the Social Responsibility and Sustainability category at the 2021 Melbourne Young Entrepreneur Awards. It also won the Home, Garden and Utilities category at The Circle Awards and a Gold Award at the 2021 Good Design Awards.