Introducing Pura, The New Brand Aiming to Shake-up Baby Care by Making Eco-Friendly Parenting Easy and Affordable

Jun. 22, 2020

•  New, family-run, Direct-to-Consumer brand launches with major UK campaign and plans to go global later this year
•  Social, TV and digital campaign launches this week
•  Pura products, including wipes and nappies, combine high quality, eco-friendly credentials with a more affordable price point
•  Celebrity support comes from talent including Diversity's Ashley Banjo, Strictly's Gemma Atkinson and 'Happy Mum Happy Baby' creator Giovanna Fletcher

Pura is a brand-new, UK based, family-run company on a mission: to democratise eco-friendly baby products for all.

Pura wasn't born in a boardroom, but in a home in Cheshire, in the North West of England, where founders Guy and Abi Fennell created their vision to shake up the baby care market, challenge the current market leaders, and make eco affordable for all.

The brand launched on Sunday, June 21st, with a series of assets to celebrate Father's Day, including the brand's ambassador, choreographer and TV presenter Ashley Banjo, reading the Pura created book 'Lily and the Wipe monster' on Dadsnet and Pura's IGTV.

The brand believes that being eco-friendly is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. Pura ran multiple pitches and brought on board several specialist agencies last year to help deliver their ambition to reassure parents that with Pura they are making the best choice for their babies, the planet, and their pocket. 

These include lead creative agency FCB Inferno, who are also managing the influencer, consumer PR and social media outreach; brand design agency Beach who created Pura's identity and product packaging; website and app agency Crowdform and digital media agency Cadastra.  Chief Marketing Officer Amanda Richards brings a wealth of experience in the consumer goods arenathanks to more than 20 years of business leadership and marketing experience working for consumer goods giant Unilever and Health Tech leader Philips. Previous roles include Vice President Global Marketing Business Group Philips Health and Wellness, Global Brand Director Innovation and Digital for Unilever Spreads and Global Media Director for Unilever’s Refreshment business.

 The first problem that Pura is working to address is the one posed by traditional wipes and disposable nappies. A massive 90% of the wipes currently sold in the UK contain plastic - meaning they can last over 100 years in landfill. And yet the vast majority of consumers are not aware that the wipes they are using contain plastic. Baby wipes were also cited as one of the key contributors to the infamous London fatberg of 2017, where a mass weighing the same as 11 double-decker buses blocked a part of London's sewage network.

Enter Pura. Pura baby wipes are 100% plastic-free, 100% biodegradable, 100% compostable and are made from biodegradable plant fibres. They are available in flushable and non-flushable versions. The flushable versions carry the UK Waterboard's Fine to Flush logo which is the new official standard in identifying which wet wipes can be flushed down toilets safely. The baby wipes contain no allergens, perfume or chlorine, with only 99% water and organic aloe vera added.

Disposable nappies are the next challenge that Pura will tackle, as it can take 200 to 500 years for a disposable nappy to fully decompose - leaving a damaging legacy to our children's grandchildren.

CREATIVE LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

 FCB Inferno Creative team Kristian Wheater and Jonathon Owens have built a campaign using babies as the powerful messengers to hit home the serious problems caused by wipes. In the launch film, babies gurgle to all parents the dirty truth about the products they've been using.

As co-founder Guy Fennell says:

"This is not our world. It's our children's. Yet we're damaging it with the very essentials we're using to look after them."

 

The launch of Pura is being supported by a major advertising and promotional campaign including broadcast, social and digital throughout the UK with celebrity parent endorsement coming from Diversity's Ashley Banjo, Strictly's Gemma Atkinson and 'Happy Mum Happy Baby' creator Giovanna Fletcher. Post-launch Pura will look to do a fast expansion into Europe and beyond. Further product launches into the baby care category are planned for later in 2020 and early 2021.

Subscribers to wipes and nappies will also receive a free copy of "Lily and the Wipe Monster", a beautiful picture book created and funded by Pura. The book tells the story of Lily: a smart, caring girl who finds out her family has been flushing plastic wipes down the loo for years and embarks on a mission to make things right - with a little help from a very large and stinky new friend.

PROPRIETARY, MARKET LEADING 'TRAFFIC LIGHT' PACKAGING

 As part of their commitment to bringing greater transparency to the market to help consumers make more informed decisions, Pura has also developed a proprietary 'traffic light' labelling system on its packaging. This simple system allows consumers to understand at a glance whether the products are plastic-free, biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, flushable, and so on. Pura believes that knowing how your purchases impact the planet should be as simple to understand as the colour labelling on food and are calling on all brands to start using the system.

DTC SUBSCRIPTION MODEL

 Pura products are available for one-off purchase and via subscription at www.mypura.com, with free next day delivery, seven days a week. Consumers can choose the products that suit them best, opt for weekly or monthly deliveries, and change or cancel their order or subscription anytime. Trial packs will be available for those who want to experience the product firsthand before purchase, or set up a subscription.

PARTNERSHIPS

Pura is the exclusive partner of Nappicycle, the only UK nappy recycling company. They are working together to maximise the number of disposable nappies that are recycled for use as affordable housing materials and notice boards for nurseries, schools and businesses. Pura is also the only baby brand to be teaming up with the Woodland Trust to help support the sustainability of the UK's natural environment. The partnership will see Pura work with the Woodland Trust to plant more trees in the UK and will also be offering the opportunity for new parents or family and friends to dedicate trees to new baby arrivals. So, just by subscribing, Pura customers are protecting the environment for the next generation too.

They are also working in partnership with The Hygiene Bank, a grassroots community initiative that provides personal care products to those who need them across the UK, as well as making both financial and product donations to the NSPCC to help families in need. The brand is also offering a 10% discount to NHS staff on all Pura products, available through the NHS Benefits website.

Later this year, Pura will tour the UK in their fully electric eco-bus, complete with Pura changing stations and feeding areas. Parents can keep an eye on the Pura social channels to find out when the bus will be calling into their local town, and Baby and Toddler shows so they can pick up a free sample.

Co-founder Guy Fennell explains:

"It's all about driving change and leaving the right legacy for our children. We would love to see everyone make the switch from plastic to plastic-free wipes. At Pura we are working hard to make that happen. Parents too often have to compromise on quality or price for environmental friendliness. At Pura, we want to empower all families to care for their family, their environment and their budget without compromise."

 

Sharon Jiggins. EVP at FCB Inferno adds:

"For far too long parents have had to make the choice between affordability and the environment. The entrance of Pura finally means that compromise is no longer needed. Our approach to the creative work was to defy category conventions, using the "cutesy" babies' voices to deliver hard-hitting uncomfortable truths to educate parents on what is really going on. And Pura's commitment to provide parents with the greenest of choices throughout their supply chain is commendable."