Students' One Big Idea Hits Supermarket Shelves

Released on: June 07, 2011, 2:39 pm
Author: The Co-operative Group
Industry: Food & Beverage

A product designed by budding entrepreneurs from a Hertfordshire high school has hits supermarket shelves across the UK.

The pack of ethical plasters, designed by three female students from Bushey Meads School, so impressed bosses at The Co-operative Group - and original Dragon, Doug Richard - that it’s going on sale in almost 1,700 Co-operative food and pharmacy outlets.

One Careplast plasters are the result of a nationwide competition to design the next One product for Global Ethics, whose products also include One Water and One Eggs, to fund community projects in Africa.

A Level students Emmie Rayat (16), Taylar Leak (17) and Deryn Hertz (17) beat hundreds of entries to design a product that could be sold in the UK to help those most in need in Malawi. They came up with a children’s plaster pack of funky animal-print plasters, sales of which will fund medical kits and bicycle ambulances in Malawi, where rural communities might be up to 15km away from the nearest health centre and medical supplies are often unavailable.

Bicycle ambulances enable healthcare volunteers to travel huge distances on otherwise inaccessible roads to reach patients in remote villages. They take an average of 25 patients a month to hospital - including pregnant women. The medical kits ensure that first aid treatment is available promptly to communities of around 1,000 people.

The talented trio will see the projects for themselves on a trip to Malawi later this year, courtesy of The Co-operative.

Emmie Rayat said: “We’re delighted that our product is going on sale in so many Co-operative outlets across the country. We were shocked to discover that the life expectancy of someone living in Malawi is 43 years, which is younger than some of our parents and incredibly young compared to people in the UK. We’re looking forward to the trip to Malawi and to seeing the communities that have benefited.”

Peter Marks, Group Chief Executive of The Co-operative Group, which has annual sales of £14 billion, helped judge the competition. He said: “The students certainly did their homework and showed real enterprise. They pitched their idea perfectly - from the animal designs on the plasters to the powerful messages on the packaging, it all linked back strongly to funding medication, staff and other health care in Malawi.

“I'm sure the One plasters will prove popular with our customers, as they bring together two key elements of The Co-operative Ethical Plan - inspiring young people and tackling global poverty."

Duncan Goose, CEO of Global Ethics, which donates all its profits to projects in Africa, commented: “One Careplast is a fantastic concept - the students at Bushey Meads School have come up with a great product that will help some of the poorest people in Malawi when they are most in need.”

The One Careplast plasters cost £1.39 a pack and will be available exclusively in Co-operative Food and Pharmacy stores, which will donate 15p per pack to Global Ethics.

[ENDS]

About The Co-operative:
The Co-operative Group is the UK’s largest mutual business, owned not by private shareholders but by almost six million consumers. It is the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer, the leading convenience store operator and a major financial services provider, operating both The Co-operative Bank and The Co-operative Insurance. Among its other businesses are the number one funeral services provider and Britain’s largest farming operation. As well as having clear financial and operational objectives, the Group has also set out its social and sustainability goals in its groundbreaking Ethical Plan, which specifies almost 50 commitments in these areas.

The Group operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets, employs more than 110,000 people and has an annual turnover of £13.7bn. Further information is available at www.co-operative.coop

About Global Ethics and One products:
Global Ethics was founded by social entrepreneur Duncan Goose in 2005. Global Ethics’ range of “One branded” products have a unique “like for like” proposition, with each product in the range being sold to benefit communities in Africa.

The One range includes One water (funding water projects), One toilet tissue (funding sanitation projects), One hand wash (funding hygiene programmes) and One eggs (funding farming projects), and has helped change the lives of over one and a half million people in Africa.

For further information, please contact:
Michelle Henderson
Public Relations Manager – Food
The Co-operative Group
Tel: 0161 827 5290
Mob: 07770 925958

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