The ethical products market has grown from a mere £11.2B in 1999 to four times the size at £41.1B a couple of decades later. When we compare that to the growth in the average household expenditure of just 2%, it becomes clear that people are buying ethically with a vengeance. And James Dutton has come up with another product to add to this long list. The humble sticking plaster was transformed when he became concerned about his son’s allergic reaction to the synthetic product.
The sticking plaster is the latest to join the long list of products that include toilet brushes to crayons. James Dutton discovered that the ever-present plaster was causing more harm than good to his son.
But Dutton’s beginning has its roots in a purpose other than creating a winning product. He was more concerned about coming up with a plaster that was made from natural products. His son, Charlie’s skin was severely allergic to chemicals added to conventional sticking plasters. There wasn’t an alternative in the market. So he came up with a product on his own that would not cause a rash whenever his son wore one.
James Dutton Ultimate Quest Is A Total Plastic Free Product
He ultimately came up with Patch Strips, a company that sells products for wound care that are made from sustainable products. All of James Dutton’s products are toxin and latex-free and are entirely sourced from bamboo. His company follows all the rules expected of a modern ethical company. Even the packaging used is compostable.
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James Dutton’s quest for a plaster that would suit his son’s sensitive skin led to a revolutionary product. He was inspired by his wife who made bamboo products. She had told him about its anti-microbial properties. He had found the base product. He now needed the right products that would not cause any allergic reaction to the wearer. He began experimenting with natural products for the adhesive and finally came up with one that did not cause any adverse reaction on his son’s skin.
James Dutton has no scientific or medical background but he came up with the right kind of medicinal plaster which used only natural ingredients. His experience with his sons’ medical condition steered him to make more experiments to comprehend how people suffered from adverse reactions to different products.
He discovered that around 20% of users reacted adversely to adhesives and fabrics used in making the plaster, and that was quite a big number. The entrepreneur in his was awakened, and PATCH Strips was conceived.
Starting from Melbourne back in 2016, Dutton has already sold more than a million packs of bamboo-based plaster in 35 countries through a network of 24,000 retailers. He has built a market cap of $18 million (£13 million).
Key To Dutton’s Success
The key to Dutton’s success is that he has concentrated on the growing ethical products market. From the start, he was focused on developing a sustainable business model. And he also concentrated on developing a natural product. It was a learning process. For instance, the plaster was initially coated with a plastic film. But at the insistence of his customers found a substitute for it. He ensured that the complete product was sustainable.
James Dutton was fired by a desire to embrace a concept with sustainability and ethics at its core. He has made sure that the bamboo he uses is sourced from natural habitats that don’t use fertilizers or pesticides.
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He is also particular that retailers stock his product without wrapping them in plastics, or distributors do not use plastic-coated flyers to market his product. James Dutton remains forever focussed on his primary goal; getting rid of plastics from all first aid products.
