Packing her kids’ lunch seemed like a harmless daily activity to Kirsten Quigley, until she learned how much plastic sandwich bags were polluting the ocean. According to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, more than 220 million tons of plastic is produced each year and contributes to concentrated marine pollution in the oceans’ five gyres.
The statistic changed how Quigley viewed her kids’ lunch storage and led her to found Lunchskins, a D.C.-based company producing reusable sandwich bags.
“I always considered myself as someone who is interested in sustainability, but I also saw myself as a part of the problem,” Quigley said. “My partner and I wanted to create something that was a better, smarter, more beautiful, more affordable way for people to move away from plastic baggies and give them a better alternative.”
The original Lunchskins bags used dishwasher-safe fabric. Each bag boasts a patterned design for kids to enjoy. Even Quigley’s kids have been a crucial part of the company’s growth.
“My kids have been very engaged in this entire process,” she said. “I turn to them as product testers and run my ideas by them all the time.”
The newest line of Lunchskins bags are recyclable, reusable and made of paper.
Keeping sustainability at its core, Lunchskins also partnered with 5Gyres, a nonprofit working to stop plastic pollution in the oceans. For every order of Lunchskins, the company donates 50 cents to 5Gyres.
“We really believe in partnerships with people working on the ground every day to fight this big global issue of plastic pollution,” Quigley said.
Lunchskins’ 50-pack of recyclable paper bags costs $5-6. The company recently announced it is expanding distribution and will be available nationwide at Target, Whole Foods, Container Store, Wegmans and Harris Teeter by yearend.
