Meet the woman turning plastic in the Thames into a thriving small business
Where some see a dirty river, others see a business opportunity. As part of our ongoing look at the country’s brightest entrepreneurs, City PM’s Jennifer Sieg meets Flora Blathwayt – whose business Washed Up Cards turns bits of plastic floating in the River Thames into greeting cards.
Flora Blathwayt spent her pandemic looking for a way to spend her days outside, reconnecting with the world and nature.
But her search eventually brought about much more than a passionate, recreational hobby – it created a business that has an environmental purpose, too.
Joining the Square Mile’s pool of entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to make a positive impact, Blathwayt soon founded her wellness-promoting business, Washed Up Cards – using bits of discarded waste from London’s river as decoration.
“EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT”
For small business owners and entrepreneurs, there’s never a one-size-fits-all schedule.
Whether it be cleaning plastic, recycling paper, or sending and sorting out cards at the Post Office, Blathwayt said “every day feels quite different,” while she is working to make a difference.
Creativity meets Sustainability
Blathwayt’s route to entrepreneurship wasn’t what many would consider a traditional one — she considers her business journey to have originated more “organically.”
The idea to make cards out of the washed up bits, bobs and pieces she found came after spending countless hours, days and weeks sifting through the waters of the River Thames – known as mudlarking to those in the know.
The River Thames has become an oasis for me, a sanctuary for me in London, and I don’t think I would have discovered it without that.
Flora Blathwayt
As a long time advocate of upcycling, Blathwayt had seen hidden potential for the plastics she was finding.
“It’s remarkable what sort of stuff you find, what plastic you find, but some of the little plastic jewels and sequins and treasures that I found,they really did kind of inspire me in a way to do something with them,” she said.
After deciding to design and create cards to keep in touch with family and friends, Washed Up Cards quickly began growing – fast.
Blathwayt’s business does more than just promoting sustainability and awareness, she said, as it brings together a community of people.
Through workshops, public beach cleans, and social media engagement, Washed Up Cards quickly gained popularity.
Engaging the community
While Blathwayt runs much of the business on her own, her days in on the water in solitude quickly subsided as people began following along and engaging with her adventures.
Blathwayt’s sociable personality could be to thank for the business’s presence in the community, as people soon followed suit after she began documenting and streaming her beach cleaning days on Instagram.
Having now nearly 8,000 Instagram followers – Flora continues to work toward strengthening community involvement and promoting important issues.
“You see all the plastic and it hits home more and it can kind of get you at a deeper level, and at the same time you feel like you’re doing something about it.”
The community workshops she hosts are important in promoting creativity and sustainability, Blathwayt said, and she hopes they bring a sense of focus or inspiration for the those who participate.
As Washed Up Cards continues to grow, Blathwayt hopes to expand community engagement through hosting workshops in schools and charities, “getting more and more people involved as the time goes on.”
If her work has just one impact on one person who thinks twice about their consumption or habits, Flora said it’s a step in the right direction.
“It really has evolved into something I never anticipated, which is people wanting to come and do beach cleaning with me. I talk about how much it helps my own well being and how good it feels to have a purpose, and I think people have come on board with that and I love that,” she said.