MAKING AND SELLING DIRECT TO CONSUMER

In 2021, RevMo decided to begin manufacturing a direct to consumer product and created a sister company, PolyPet Ltd, to manage the retail side of the business.

MD Claire Walker says: “It was something completely new for RevMo to sell direct to the end user. The company, like most other rotomoulders, specialises in making products for others. Sometimes we are quite a few steps away from the end-user and sometimes we ship direct, but under our clients’ brand name.

“It was exciting and nerve-wracking in equal measure! Once we’d got the specification for the product right and tested the tooling and moulding, it was over to our marketing partner Caxton Communications to create the sales channels to get it out there.”

Zoe Robinson, founder and director of Caxton, said: “It was exciting to create a completely new brand and product. By involving the staff - plus family and friends of RevMo - we came up with a great brand which has really had an impact in the market. The Kitty Cabin has become a household name among pet owners - kind of like the ‘Hoover’ of pet shelters.”

Over the last few months, Geoff and Claire and the team have been trialling recycled plastic waste for new moulds of the Kitty Cabin and finally they’ve got the mix just right and the Eco Kitty Cabin went on sale in late August.

Made entirely from the waste created by making other products in the factory in Callington, Cornwall, RevMo has significantly reduced its environmental impact and will help to reduce the amount of virgin polymer needed for products in the future by stimulating demand for a green alternative.

The Eco Kitty Cabin is just as robust and good-looking as the original but made entirely from waste plastic. This 100% recycled plastic pet shelter shows how manufacturing can help the UK meet its global commitment to net zero.

Claire added: “The challenge was to produce something that looks attractive. Traditionally reprocessed plastic is all black, no matter the original colour of the waste material. Now we have managed to recycle our waste in a way that the finished product is a random colour effect.

“I’m so pleased we got it right in the end and I can’t wait to see what customers - and their pets - think of it.”

Do you have a great idea for a product made from waste plastic? Let’s talk about it!

See another example of environmentally-friendly manufacturing: the Aquatap is made from recycled marine waste.