Cumbria-based business, Bath House is cutting plastic waste in its products by introducing a range of refill pouches.

The new pouches make it easier for customers to reuse their existing Bath House glass and aluminium bottles and jars, cutting waste and saving energy.

Founded in 1997, Bath House was established with a focus on quality and sustainability, using natural, Eco-Certified ingredients in its luxury bath and body products.

The refill pouches, which are themselves recyclable, continue the company’s commitment to sustainability and have been introduced into the Sedbergh-based business’s six shops and on its website since January.

Senior Manager, Will Marshall, said: “We are proud of our new ‘easy to recycle’, durable refill pouches, which can be recycled within the normal household recycling. They will help our customers to recycle and refill their existing Bath House packaging more efficiently.”

In Cumbria:

Post-pandemic turnaround

Bath House’s green focus appears to be a hit with customers as the brand has seen growth across its retail and website sales over the last 12 months.

It’s a marked turnaround for the family-run business, which during the pandemic, had to focus more on survival than expansion.

Will continues: “Three years ago, we predominantly sold products via our retail stores in Cumbria and Yorkshire as well as via retail stockists and direct to hospitality, so we felt the impact of the pandemic sharply and needed to act fast to stay afloat.

“We quickly built our e-commerce website and wider online marketing and, fortunately, orders picked up rapidly.”

A new digital direction

As the pandemic eased, Will wanted to look again at the business’ direction. He says: “We had become a very different company with a substantial online presence and I wanted a chance to take stock and plan.”

Will discovered Help to Grow: Management, a national programme launched by the UK Government and delivered by Lancaster University Management School (LUMS).

The programme is 90 per cent subsidised by the Government and provides senior leaders in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the management tools to help them grow their businesses.

In Cumbria:

“Like a mini-MBA”

Will said: “I would best describe Help to Grow: Management as being like a mini-MBA. It offered a high-level insight into a wide range of business and management issues. Suddenly, I found myself with a new level of understanding of the business and was able to see gaps that I hadn’t before.

“For example, we had been phasing out plastic packaging for some time - 95 per cent of our products are now refillable or recyclable - but I realised that we had missed an opportunity to share this next phase in our commitment to sustainability with the whole Bath House team.

“Because of the Help to Grow scheme, we now have a much clearer focus on communicating our vision internally and helping all colleagues to understand how they contribute to encouraging people to live a more sustainable lifestyle.”

Gain the tools to grow your business

The Help to Grow: Management programme is delivered over 12 weeks through a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. Delegates also receive ten hours of one-to-one mentoring with an experienced business leader.  The timetable of weekly, part-day seminars is designed for delegates with full-time jobs. 

Places are open to the senior managers of UK-based SMEs that employ between five and 249 people.

The next cohorts start on 28 March 2023. Fees are part-funded by the UK Government. To find out more about costs, eligibility and to apply, visit Help to Grow | Lancaster University.