A MID Wales biodegradable packaging company is winning new customers due to being the first in the UK to source locally sustainable timber in the manufacture of its woodwool.

Great British Woodwool, based in Newtown – the only manufacturer of its kind to use British timber – already counts Sarson’s Vinegar and Chester Zoo among its clients. It is currently in talks with a number of national retailers keen to use an eco-friendly, biodegradable packaging option.

“Woodwool has a long history and many uses but its full worth is now coming to the fore as the move away from plastics positions it to be the favourite packaging material of the future,” said Great British Woodwool managing director Craig Pugh.

“But I don’t see it as a commodity, but rather a product to which value can be added through the manufacturing process. “

“That we source our timber from sustainable British woodlands rather than Europe has great appeal, and its versatility is such that it can be used as bedding for chimpanzees at one end of the scale and as packaging for precious goods on the other.”

“Uses for woodwool in the modern world are incredibly diverse, and it has a particularly important role in the future of packaging, driven by an increase in e-commerce and a desire to eliminate non-recyclable plastics. Our optimism is based on us having a product that is 100 per cent natural, sustainable and biodegradable. We are working with companies ranging from the food and drink to the cosmetic sector – and even major online retailers,” said Mr Pugh.

Mr Pugh added that the swing away from plastics bodes well for woodwool and responsible environmental practice, as well as representing an area of business growth for Mid Wales.