Three pretty big things happened in April 2020. We practiced our layups and slam-dunks at the local basketball court after binging on Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance. We discovered the outer space background on Zoom. And we met with a pretty remarkable guy called Jordy, who’s reimagining how we use cling wrap.
Ten months on, our b-ball skills haven’t really improved, Zoom is now a solid part of our work life, and the team at Great Wrap have taken the country by storm.
Great Wrap, headed up by Jordy and his partner Julia, is the world’s first certified compostable stretch wrap. Since we spoke to them last year, just after the official launch of Great Wrap, business has boomed. And a lot of that is due to you: the Bank Australia community.
“We had a massive growth in sales after that article came out,” Jordy says. “So many people from Bank Australia have reached out to us over the last year. That community has really helped our growth.”
Along with seeing a huge increase in sales, there have been a few more exciting changes within the company. When they first started producing their cling and pallet wrap, it was all manufactured overseas. But demand became so great, the team couldn’t keep up, so made the choice to start manufacturing here, in Australia. They’ve just moved into a factory on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, and expect to roll Great Wrap’s first line of Australian-made cling film off their new extruder in two weeks’ time.
In June, they’ll move into an even larger facility, that’ll house the world’s highest quality pallet wrap extruder. A piece of machinery like this means Great Wrap will be making around 1.5 million kilometres of compostable pallet wrap each year. Even better? The new facility will be completely powered by solar.
Great Wrap’s first business goal was to create a really good product. Tick. The second was to manufacture it themselves. Tick. The third is to make Great Wrap using the best possible ingredients, which they’re developing now.
“We’re starting to use resins made from food waste, that are less agriculturally intensive,” Jordy explains. “One of our main ingredients now is potato waste from when they make potato chips.”
One of the main benefits of using food waste like this is that it has the lightest impact on the earth.
“We’re constantly developing this formula,” Julia explains, “and we’ll continue to do so. As technology evolves, we’re trying to do the same.”
Having released a domestic cling wrap to be used in the home, Great Wrap is getting ready to roll out a commercial cling wrap to restaurants around Australia, as well as setting up networks with industrial composting solutions.
“This is so businesses that use our products can compost it in an appropriate location,” Jordy explains. “That compost can then be used as gardening feedstock for councils, stuff like that.”
Over the past 12 months, Great Wrap has avoided tens of thousands of kilometres of plastic waste going to landfill. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By the end of this year, they’ll be Australia’s largest manufacturer of stretch wrap – that’s cling wrap and pallet wrap combined. When you consider just how much plastic is used in packaging, freight, and restaurants, which could easily be replaced by a compostable option that’s just as reliable, it’s a huge reduction in waste.
The move to manufacturing on home soil means Julia and Jordy can start building a Great Wrap team. They’re working with chemical engineers, technicians and science students to boost their manufacturing force, while building a sales and marketing team to get the message about Great Wrap out into the world in a way that’s helpful, meaningful and proactive.
“We finished 2020 with just the two of us,” Jordy says. “By the end of 2021’s first financial quarter in March, there’ll be 20 of us.”
And perhaps you, Bank Australia reader, could be one of them?
“Something we want to get across to the Bank Australia community is that we’re hiring,” Julia exclaims. “If you’re passionate within the space, or know someone who might be, we’d love to hear from you!”
Find out more about Great Wrap, or order some for yourself, here.
