Julia Kay on Crafting Compostable Stretch Wrap

Dive into the world of sustainable innovation with Julia Kay, the co-founder and co-CEO of Great Wrap. In this interview, Julia shares her journey from architect to eco-entrepreneur, creating a groundbreaking compostable stretch wrap. Her story is a compelling blend of passion, ingenuity, and a deep commitment to environmental stewardship. Discover how Julia and her team are reshaping the future of packaging, one compostable wrap at a time.

Inspiration Behind Great Wrap

SBS – What inspired you to start Great Wrap, and how did you identify compostable stretch wrap as a market need?

Julia – My background is actually in architecture, and over the years, I’ve worked on some amazing projects, from small heritage-listed galleries and resorts to education-focused buildings. I was always really obsessed with the materials I was building with, and it was in my research into materials with low embodied energy that I caught sight of how much pallet wrap the construction industry wastes each year.

I met my now husband, Jordy, when I moved to Melbourne. At the time, he was making wine, farming organically, and also using a lot of pallet wrap. It was over a few glasses of wine one night that we decided we wanted to do something more meaningful together. One day, we were discussing how dire the plastic waste in Australia is and started chatting about pallet wrap — a globally used single-use plastic that often ends up in landfills, taking hundreds of years to break down.

We knew it was a problem that needed tackling, so we thought we’d give it a go. Nobody seemed to be doing anything about the problem, yet everyone was using it.

Research and Development of Compostable Wrap

SBS – Can you describe the research and development process that went into creating your compostable stretch wrap?

Julia – At the start, it was mainly research that Jordy and I did together. We wanted to test that there was an appetite for a product like ours, and we knew we wanted to use it, but we weren’t sure if this was actually a product the rest of the world cared about. So we had some pallet wrap contract manufactured and posted it on our own personal Instagram accounts — it sold out within hours! That’s when we knew we were doing something important.

After that moment, we decided we wanted to make it ourselves to ensure we could give customers the best products possible and do so with local manufacturing. We had a lot of conversations to start building our network and understanding what we would need to do to make it ourselves in Australia.

Strategies for Educating About Compostable Packaging

SBS – What strategies have you employed to educate your market about the benefits of compostable packaging?

Julia – We’ve used many strategies to build brand awareness and educate customers about Great Wrap and the benefit of opting for compostable materials at home and in the supply chain. It includes a mix of in-person and online activities, such as packaging expos, email marketing campaigns, online journals, media appearances, panel discussions, and media relations.

Balancing Environmental Goals and Business Growth

SBS – How have you balanced environmental goals with business scalability and profitability?

Julia – The purpose will always come before profit at Great Wrap. We are a B Corp Certified business with a focus on making good decisions that will have a minimal impact on the environment. We’ve gone through multiple investment rounds now, and we try to work with strategic impact-aligned investors who understand our mission and support what we’re trying to do so that we can scale sustainably.

Overcoming Marketing Challenges for Eco-Friendly Products

SBS – What have been some of the biggest challenges in marketing and selling an eco-friendly product, and how have you overcome them?

Julia – Some of our biggest challenges stem from being a startup business with a small team and ambitious growth goals. We have overcome this over the years by working with external contractors to help us fill in the gaps where we need it most at any given time.

Evolving E-Commerce Strategies

SBS – How has the e-commerce aspect of your business evolved, and what have been key learnings in selling online?

Julia – We’ve learnt a lot about running an e-commerce business over the last few years. Each time we launch a new product online, we learn something new and build off the previous learnings. This means we constantly feel more equipped with our launches. For a while, we only had our home products available online. Then, when we began selling our pallet wrap online, we shifted towards a combination of D2C and B2B sales through our website. Many months went into ensuring this transition and website functionality would work for our customers.

Effective Tools for Online Sales and Customer Engagement

SBS – What tools or technologies have been most effective in managing your online sales and customer interactions?

Julia – We use many tools and technologies at Great Wrap to ensure everything runs smoothly. We use a mix of Gorgias, Hubspot, Kalviyo, Shopify, and Loox for customer interactions and online sales.

Eco-Friendly Logistics and Distribution Management

SBS – Could you share insights on how you handle logistics and distribution, especially considering the eco-friendly nature of your products?

Julia – We manage all elements of manufacturing, logistics, and distribution at our facility in Tullamarine to ensure consistency and visibility over our wrap and customer trials. Our materials are compounded and extruded through our machines on site and turned into compostable stretch wrap. We currently manufacture wraps for homes and businesses with different lengths, thicknesses, and widths to cater to different industries. Locally manufacturing our products is an important part of our mission as it creates local jobs and boosts Victorian manufacturing.

Innovation and Future Plans at Great Wrap

SBS – How do you approach product innovation and development, and do you have plans for new products or line expansions?

Julia – Our current product innovation and development are often based on our customer trials and feedback. Future innovations are led by Jordy and me, which is always in line with our 10-year strategy. We have big goals for the business and try to focus on the big picture which for us is minimising the human reliance on traditional plastics that end up in landfill. In the future, we plan to make our wrap with PHA in our own biorefinery. PHA is compostable and marine degradable — so if it was ever to accidentally end up in the ocean it will break down there too!

Advice for Aspiring Sustainable Entrepreneurs

SBS – What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to start a sustainable business in the current market?

Julia – Don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never done before. Have an open mind and surround yourself with people who’ve been there — learn as much as you can. The sooner you ask questions that might feel unnatural, the sooner you’ll know the answer, and it can all grow from there. Sounds cliche but it’s true! Also, blue sky ideas are the ones worth working towards!

Great Wrap’s Vision for Eco-Friendly Packaging

SBS – Finally, how do you see the future of eco-friendly packaging, and what role do you hope Great Wrap will play in it?

Julia – The future is exciting and is looking promising! We want to see Great Wrap used globally in homes and businesses so we can make a large impact and see less traditional pallet wrap and cling wrap in our landfills. We believe composting and compostable products are the future, and the more awareness we can get, the more positive it will be for the industry and the future of composting infrastructure. There are many other forward thinking startups around the globe that are working towards the same goals as we are which is promising to see.