Interview with Emma Bunton, co-founder of Kit & Kin, Spice Girl and UNICEF ambassador.

1. Emma, first of all congratulations on launching your eco-friendly Kit & Kin range! What inspired you to start-up Kit & Kin?

Thank you! My two boys have both suffered terribly with eczema, and I had tried just about everything with limited success. After meeting my co-founder Christopher Money through mutual friends, we got talking about other options out there, since he struggled finding products gentle enough for his little ones too and had been the industry for a number of years. Eventually we realised that we needed to create the line that we would have loved to have seen available when our kids were born!

2. You must be super busy, with Kit & Kin, your Radio show, TV appearances, your role as UNICEF Ambassador and on top of that being a mum, how do you keep on top of everything?

I’m really lucky because I have such a fantastic support system around me – Jade [my husband] and I share parenting duties equally, and my mum lives down the road and is always on hand for babysitting duties. I currently host the Heart breakfast show, so most days I’m up and out of the house before the kids even wake up! But I’m always home in time to pick the boys up after school and do the dinner, help with homework and read the bedtime stories. For me, it’s just about balancing work commitments with my life as a mummy.

3. There are some well established brands selling nappies, how do you think Kit & Kin stand out against these brands?

In the UK we throw out around 8 million nappies a day, which is almost 3 billion nappies a year! It’s hard for new parents to not feel guilt about those sorts of numbers! But that’s what makes Kit & Kin nappies really stand out. Unlike conventional nappies, which will take up to 500 years to biodegrade, almost every element of our nappy including its packaging – will biodegrade within 3 to 6 years. Kit & Kin is also a partner of the World Land Trust. We’re proud to say that for every 10 nappy subscriptions we sell, Kit & Kin will purchase and protect one acre of the rainforest through the World Land Trust’s conservation program. We’re not going to save the rainforest all by ourselves but we can certainly do our bit and help raise awareness.

4. There are many environmental issues for customers to consider when buying products, are there any issues which are important to you or you thing people should be paying more attention to?

The importance of the rainforest should not be underestimated. It’s a vital eco system that provides clean air and safe havens for some of the world’s most vulnerable wildlife but it’s also a crucial source of life saving medicines. 25% of all medications used around the world today originated from the rainforest and yet only 1% has been analysed for its medicinal benefits. At the current rate of deforestation the rainforest could be gone in only 50 years which I find frightening. For me, protecting the world my boys are going to grow up in is so important.

5. Do you think consumers have a responsibility to shop more ethically or do you think the responsibility lies more with brands being more transparent or perhaps the government with regulations on standards or labelling etc.?

It’s a bit of everything really. It helps to have proper labelling, and there’s also a responsibility on companies to make sure the products they supply are safe. I think it’s so difficult for consumers to know what’s good nowadays. There are so many brands and options on the market, especially as a new parent, that it can all be so confusing. This is why we saw the need for Kit & Kin, a brand you know that uses safe and natural ingredients within our products and sustainable materials across our entire range, developed to protect and safe guard your family as well as the environment.

6. Nappies tend to look fairly boring so I love the designs on your nappies, what made you choose animal designs?

We wanted our nappies to feel that extra bit special! Our entire range of products is PETA-approved, and we never test on animals – so we wanted this promise to protecting all aspects of our world to be reflected in the nappies too! The designs are super cute, and I think set us apart from other brands on the market.

7. What’s been your biggest challenge with Kit & Kin?

We wanted to create a responsible brand that parents could rely on and trust to provide the safest, most eco-friendly products – and that meant ensuring every detail was perfect. The development process took about 2 years from idea through to launch, but that’s meant that all our products are hypoallergenic, approved by dermatologists and the skincare range is certified natural.

8. If you had one bit of advice for new mothers what would it be?

Don’t panic! That can be much easier said than done I know, because being a new parent is such a crazy and overwhelming time. My advice would be to take help when it’s offered, and try to just enjoy every moment! It’s such a magical time, it’s important to step back and see how incredible it really is.