Smiley Movement logo

Two mums find solution to party waste

Words by Smiley Team

Two mums have set up a plastic-free party decoration business after being fed up with the amount of waste leftover from celebrations. 

The Conscious Party Box was founded by Rachel & Pippa, who didn’t want fun today to be at the expense of their children’s tomorrows. 

It’s important to celebrate the good things in life, they say, but it doesn’t mean it needs to cost the earth. And their combined skills as a web designer, and fashion and lifestyle designer, means they’re well covered to set up a small creative business. 

Having five children between them, they put on five birthday parties a year, and attend several more. "We know they come with a mountain of waste, from straws and plates, to party bag contents, which often don’t even make it home, or are chucked away within a day," says Pippa.

(Here’s how Aldi is getting ahead on ditching plastic)

“The Conscious Party Box was created from our desire to encourage stylish themed events for children which didn’t result in a lot of landfill waste.”

The duo sell plastic-free party kits which are either reusable, compostable or recyclable. They also donate to Plastic Oceans UK, with every purchase of a party box and decoration kit, which works to end plastic pollution and foster sustainable communities worldwide. 

Their most popular theme is the rainbow kit, but people also love their party bag and stocking fillers. “A lot of people struggle with sending a load of rubbish home with party guests," says Pippa. "A seasonal hit has been our new DIY reindeer crackers, the perfect Christmas Eve activity for any family!"

(Read more about the plastic hunting pirates

Pippa says people have been so positive about what they offer. "It seems we have solved a problem a lot of people have been facing," she says. "We put paper clips in with our decorations which means that they can be put away and used again unlike so many single use decorations."

With five children, a lack of time means running the business is challenging. But the pair still have big ambitions.

“We would love to expand our range of party bag fillers in the future, and even come up with some of our own kits," Pippa adds. "We want to stock more decorations, too. We love decorations and there are so many out there. We are excited about future kits!"

You can find out more about The Conscious Party Box and purchase planet-friendly decorations here

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

You might also like…