Royal Mail to give its trolley sleeves a second life
Royal Mail and The Postal Museum have announced a partnership with Cornish small business Flotsam Flo, to upcycle a selection of Royal Mail’s old trolley sleeves, used to line the 850,000 wheeled cages that transport parcels through its network, into handmade bags as part of ongoing ambitions to reduce waste.
As part of the partnership, the upcycled trolley sleeves, now unique handmade bags designed by Flotsam Flo, are available exclusively for preorder online at The Postal Museum and instore from late November (subject to availability). The Postal Museum is an award-winning, independent museum based in London that covers 500 years of communications history and is home to the underground Mail Rail attraction. The museum has committed to make meaningful change to its operation and achieve the goal of Net-Zero emissions by 2040. This partnership supports this goal, as well as a UK based small business, and the work of the museum.
Royal Mail has now replaced its trolley sleeves with more durable alternatives, designed by its own in-house engineers, that can be used up to 3,000 times over an expected lifespan of four years and are made from fully recyclable corrugated plastic, including 30 per cent recycled material.
Waste management is a key part of Royal Mail’s Steps to Zero strategy, which aims to achieve Net-Zero by 2040 with a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. Progress has already been made, with the new sleeves saving 2,000 tonnes of waste last year – a 10 percent reduction when compared to 2020/21.
Supported by leading sustainable waste management company Biffa, Flotsam Flo is dedicated to transforming waste materials that cannot easily be recycled into unique handmade accessories.
Founded by Kate Doran in 2021, the sustainability-focused small business, emerged from her personal journey following a life-changing brain haemorrhage. It has been going from strength to strength over the past three years with Biffa’s support, who provide her with office space, mentoring and guidance, as well as raw waste materials collected from Biffa customers, including Royal Mail.
Matt Gower, Royal Mail’s Head of ESG, said: “Royal Mail is always looking for ways to reduce our waste, and the more creative the better. We love the bags that Flotsam Flo has created – our trolley sleeves have never looked so good. Embracing circularity is a key part of our Steps to Zero strategy to reach Net-Zero, and it’s great to work with partners who share this goal.”
Kate Doran, Founder of Flotsam Flo, added: “It’s been an incredible experience collaborating with Royal Mail to give its trolley sleeves a second life as beautiful handmade bags. At Flotsam Flo, we are all about reducing waste and finding beauty in sustainability. I still can’t quite believe I am working with Royal Mail and the fact my items are on sale through the Postal Museum in London – but if I do say so myself, they make the perfect Christmas gift. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support and belief that Biffa has in me – it’s a real pinch me moment as someone from Cornwall who simply loves turning waste into something beautiful.”
Fiona Campbell, Biffa’s Head of Sustainability, commented: “Kate’s work is incredibly impressive and it’s brilliant to see her partnering with Royal Mail to help turn previously unrecyclable materials into a fantastic new product. Hard to recycle materials are currently wasted too often, which is why we are focused on supporting micro-circular solutions such as Flotsom Flo which promote the waste hierarchy and show us that we can prevent waste by changing our mindset about materials and their potential for reuse.”
