Also Journal

We celebrate International Women’s Day in collaboration with lifestyle store Harbour & Tide, as we talk to some of the store’s female led sustainable brands about their inspiration, aspiration and celebrating success.

Müll Club takes your communities plastic waste and turns it into desirable homewares from soap dishes and coasters to combs and rings. Recently featured on Dragon’s Den, Müll Club demonstrates how we can keep things circular whilst enjoying beautifully made things. 

We chat to founder Charlie about her journey from breakdown to Sustainability champion.

What inspired you to start your own brand, and how did your journey begin?

My journey began in my late 20’s after a bit of a mental breakdown that left me feeling lost, without purpose and just totally disheartened about the way of the world and its lack of response to the climate crisis. I have had a few various different environmental projects, that over the years I was learning and developing the skills that I didn’t know at the time, but were preparing me, and guiding me towards my recycling mission.

How do you define the mission and core values of Müll Club?

Müll Club wants to totally disrupt, and redefine the recycling industry. We want to take the reliance of households on the government and councils away, we want to inspire other businesses to create recycling options and start a new industry within the recycling world. We believe you can’t wait for change, you have to make it happen.

In what ways do you think women entrepreneurs bring unique perspectives to the business world?

This is slightly off topic but we need more women in business, research from the European Investment bank revealed that female entrepreneurs secure only 2% of venture capital investments. I don’t think women are given enough opportunity to really impact business, we’re still being held back by investment, preventing female owned business to really scale and grow. Women entrepreneurs bring more empathy, kindness and openness to business. I would say we are less led by eco and more driven by our purpose as a generalisation.

What significant trends do you see shaping your industry, and how is your brand responding to them?

We are receiving more and more requests for collaborations, which is incredible. I think we’re really demonstrating how beautiful recycled plastic can be. I think the trend will lean towards more collaborations and creativity around recycled plastic, as the industry keeps pushing boundaries and develops more complex designs and more effective machines. This is the very beginning of a new form of recycling, it’s so exciting. There are only a few of us in this field and we’re paving the way for future businesses and designers. It is a privilege to be at the forefront of this movement.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of running your own business?

The most rewarding part is absolutely the wins, securing a new project, successfully building the first machine, being featured in the Barbican, going on Dragons Den! Seeing the progress is so rewarding, but I do quite often forget to pause and reflect. Another huge plus for me is getting to control my own hours and having the freedom to pivot and adapt at the drop of a hat, instead of long drawn out meetings. I don’t have to attend any meetings that I’m not interested in, for someone with ADHD this is the dream. I hate those unnecessary monthly corporate meetings.

What advice would you give to aspiring women entrepreneurs who look up to you?

I would say starting a disruptive business isn’t easy. It is actually overwhelming difficult running a business, and you have so much to learn and so many people will tell you not to do it, or turn you down, you’ll get to points where you almost run out of money, where you fear it was all a waste of time…  but if it truly is your passion, if you want to live it, breathe it, and can’t see any other direction for you to take, then go for it. I accept that people will tell me no, that I won’t qualify for all the grants I apply for, I won’t get the investment first time, I might not secure all of my contracts; setting up a business is about small incremental steps, along as you’re moving forward you’re going in the right direction. I don’t take peoples opinions about my business to heart, if they don’t see the value, that’s on them, I know my worth and I know my mission.