Plastic replacement invention sales soar

B-Loony has sold more than 10 million of its eco-friendly, plastic-free balloon stick. The Buckinghamshire-based printed promotional balloon company launched the invention in January and has seen global uptake. B-loony, whose clients include McDonald’s, Costa Coffee and the Hollywood Bowl, developed the new cardboard BalloonGrip balloon holder ahead of the ban on plastic balloon sticks in the Single-Use Plastics Directive due to come into force in 2021.

The company responded to clients’ requests for an eco-friendly alternative by designing and. producing the first cardboard balloon stick in the world. An international patent is now pending on the invention which has proved to be a best seller.

Andy MacInnes, a commercial director, B-Loony, said: “If we assume that our new balloon holders are replacing plastic sticks, that’s already saved nearly 50 tonnes of plastic from landfill. Balloons themselves do not fall under the plastics ban because they are made from rubber which is a natural and sustainable product that comes from trees and biodegrades naturally.”

Most sales have been in the UK but orders have also come from Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia, as well as enquiries from Asia, Australia, Russia, and the United States.

BalloonGrip has recently been awarded the prestigious Save the Planet Award at the ECMA Congress in Malta. The European Carton Excellence Award was judged on multiple factors including design, logistics, efficiency, execution, shelf-life, brand impact, printing and folding techniques, usability, function, and sustainability.