Far From A Greenwash

The term greenwashing has been around since the 1980's, well before muggi was even glint in the inventor's eye. Greenwashing is where a company uses advertising and public messaging to appear more climate friendly and environmentally sustainable than it really is.

It's hard to believe some stretch to such tactics but, for some, being green means putting pounds before the planet.

It's a hugely topical term and there are of course brands and organisations using it to deceive and outwit us into giving them our hard-earned attention as well as money. On the other hand, there are also plenty of brands and organisations with green at the heart of everything they do.

As Kermit the Frog famously sang, "It's not that easy bein' green", and it's not always the fastest way to market so shortcuts can and will be taken.

What every brand and organisation seeks is authenticity and trust in their audience and customer. Many ooze authentic authenticity yet some are as vacuous as deep space and can only manufacture it - faking it until they make it or, in some cases, faking it until they get caught out.

There's no argument that the green agenda is monumentally important in ensuring our natural world not only survives, but thrives for the future of all its inhabitants but, there are hundreds of sides to any agenda.

Take muggi as an example. David invented our little mug hugging friend to meet a very specific need; to prepare and carry four mugs of tea safely and securely for him and his sail boat crew whilst navigating a choppy English Channel. As with any design process, what muggi looked like, felt like and behaved like became, and continuous to be, an endeavour to refine, hone and improve.

The materials used from initial prototypes to the modern day design have been based on what's available, affordable, fit for purpose, safe to use and technically possible to manufacture. The initial prototype was made from foam rubber, perfect for a one-off but not practical to mass produce, even for anyone with just a pinch of sensitivity for the environmental impact.

In the beginning David had no idea that this first attempt would be the first of over 200,000 muggi to be born into this world so as things started to progress the desire to work with sustainable materials became a very hot topic.

From the first major design iteration - which is very much what you see today - muggi has been made from recyclable PP (Polypropylene) but not always recycled PP. In other words, the source plastic hasn't always come from recycled materials but the finished product has always been recyclable for when it's not wanted anymore.

It's very important to reference this as part of our journey as muggi has come in for much criticism (and praise, of course) over the decade of its existence for the simple fact it's made from plastic, regardless of the finer details. Plastic, in some quarters, has and will always be seen as environmentally unfriendly.

muggi isn't perfect - is anything? - but its always tried to be the best it can be at any given time.

muggi has always been multiple use with a potentially multiple lifetimes of use thanks to its robust design and manufacture. It's never been single-use and never will be. And now, thanks to a magnificent shift in technology and investment by very clever scientists and engineers, muggi is made from 100% marine, land and post-industrial waste plastic. Still 100% recyclable and still as strong and safe as ever.

As we evolve and innovate over time so will the ideas and materials we use to make our everyday tools and accessories safer and cleaner for the planet and everyone on it. We owe you, our valued customers, openness and transparency about our processes and environmental impacts as we endeavour to be better humans than we were yesterday.

We're not perfect and no one can claim to be. As long as muggi continues to enrich the lives of those who come into contact with it we'll continue to improve and grow and be as green and lean as we can be. If it takes time, patience and some good old fashioned British grit, then so be it.

A greenwash, no. Dishwasher safe, very much so.