| Shetland 2008 Winners |
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GoEco from
Link Teacher: Ann-Marie Jamieson
Business Advisers: Neil Murray and Kevin Learmonth
Team Members: Helen Whitham, Astryd Jamieson, Gemma Mann, Emma Coote, Megan McQuade, Emmy-Claire Johnson, Mandy Leask, Victoria Laurenson and Rosanne Watt
About GoEco
GoEco produced environmentally-friendly organic canvas bags. Their very first focus as a company was that they wanted to be environmentally-friendly and they came up with the idea of the bags in an initial brainstorm, given that plastic bags are a big problem and make up 30% of waste. Their aims were: to be a successful company and to make a profit while promoting environmental awareness. GoEco initially had 11 members but this dropped to 9 as time went on.
They set up a company constitution and also had disciplinary procedures which they all agreed to in advance. They felt this was important to set boundaries and deal with instances of people missing meetings or not turning up when required. They also paid themselves a wage as they felt this was a more realistic experience as a company.
Their leaf-shaped logo came about fairly naturally, they wanted to choose something with an organic shape and the letters of GoEco fitted in very naturally. In addition, it appealed to both men and women and became a strong brand identity for the company.
The team held a launch night for their bags to generate interest and brand awareness. They involved local radio and newspapers where possible and are pleased that many young people in Shetland are using the bags as school-bags!
Their bags have been sold at trade fairs all over Shetland and the team targeted families and people out shopping.
Because of their environmentally-friendly ethos, they initially had problems sourcing suppliers. They were extremely conscious of the company’s carbon footprint and felt it important to take the time to find the right supplier – one that had an ethical trading statement, and that used natural dies. It was a risk to take the time to find a suitable supplier but GoEco felt it so integral to their company aims that it was worth the risk. To continue their environmental focus, they ensured that all bags were printed in an environmentally-friendly way and that plastic was not used in the production process. They also communicated solely by e-mail and took minutes of meetings on laptops, so as to save paper.
About YES
GoEco might have paid themselves a wage but, according to the team, what they learned was more important than what they earned!
They have achieved their goal of raising environmental awareness in the community and a proud to see their bags in use in Shetland. They are also proud to be “not just selling a bag, selling a concept”.
They feel they have successfully run their business, made a profit and fulfilled their aims. They also have potential to globally expand the product.
Regarding potentially running their own business in the future, one student definitely is during a gap year and the rest would consider doing so, as the programme has shown them what they can do.
If they had to go through the programme again, they would be quicker to set up their electronic communication process and also change their trade stand sooner.
Awards 2008
Winners: Environmental Award
Winners: Good Governance Award
Winners: Best Director Award (Helen Whitham)
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