Babies create a lot of waste – and not only because they poop often. Baby products have not been the most environmentally friendly until now. 90% of the wipes currently sold in the UK contain plastic, for example, meaning they can last over 100 years in landfill. A new family-run, direct-to-consumer brand, Pura, is hoping to redress the balance, making eco-friendly parenting easy and affordable. Pura wasn’t born in a boardroom, but in a home in Cheshire, in the North West of England, where founders, Guy and Abi Fennell, created their vision to shake up the baby care market and challenge the current market leaders.
The brand launched in the UK on June 21, to coincide with Father’s Day, with brand ambassador, choreographer and TV presenter, Ashley Banjo, reading the Pura created book, Lily and the Wipe monster, on Dadsnet and Pura’s IGTV.
Lead creative agency, FCB Inferno, is managing the influencer, consumer PR and social media outreach. Brand design agency, Beach, created Pura’s identity and product packaging. Website and app are by agency, Crowdform, and digital media by agency, Cadastra. The launch of Pura is being supported by an advertising and promotional campaign including broadcast, social and digital throughout the UK with celebrity parent endorsement coming from Diversity’s Ashley Banjo, Strictly’s Gemma Atkinson and Happy Mum Happy Baby creator Giovanna Fletcher. Post-launch Pura will look to do a fast expansion into Europe and beyond. Further product launches into the baby care category are planned for later in 2020 and early 2021.
FCB Inferno creative team, Kristian Wheater and Jonathon Owens, created the launch film using babies as the messengers to hit home the serious problems caused by wipes.
Pura co-founder Guy Fennell, commented, “This is not our world. It’s our children’s. Yet we’re damaging it with the very essentials we’re using to look after them.”
Sharon Jiggins, executive vice president at FCB Inferno commented, “For far too long parents have had to make the choice between affordability and the environment. The entrance of Pura finally means that compromise is no longer needed. Our approach to the creative work was to defy category conventions, using the ‘cutesy’ babies’ voices to deliver hard-hitting uncomfortable truths to educate parents on what is really going on. And Pura’s commitment to provide parents with the greenest of choices throughout their supply chain is commendable.”
Pura is the exclusive partner of Nappicycle, the only UK nappy recycling company. They are working together to maximise the number of disposable nappies that are recycled for use as affordable housing materials and notice boards for nurseries, schools and businesses. Pura is also the only baby brand to be teaming up with the Woodland Trust to help support the sustainability of the UK’s natural environment. The partnership will see Pura work with the Woodland Trust to plant more trees in the UK and will also be offering the opportunity for new parents or family and friends to dedicate trees to new baby arrivals. So, just by subscribing, Pura customers are protecting the environment for the next generation too.
The brand is also working in partnership with The Hygiene Bank, a grassroots community initiative that provides personal care products to those who need them across the UK, as well as making both financial and product donations to the NSPCC to help families in need. The brand is also offering a 10% discount to NHS staff on all Pura products, available through the NHS Benefits website.
