Comic Relief has revealed its first ever 100% plastic-free red nose.
The plant-based red nose is made from bagasse – a natural by-product of sugar cane – chosen for its widely-celebrated sustainable qualities.
The new nose will be available to buy from January, ahead of Red Nose Day 2021, which takes place on 19 March.
Inspired by messages from children to produce a plastic-free version of the famous nose, Comic Relief and long-standing partner Sainsbury’s carried out extensive research and testing into suitable plastic-free alternative materials.
The new nose has taken over 18 months to develop and will be available in 10 different characters to represent the great outdoors, including a squirrel, fox and badger.
“It is amazing what you can create from a sugar cane product,” said Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis.
“Our new nose marks a strong step on our sustainability journey. We are committed to designing a more sustainable nose every year, while continuing to make them attractive and fun, and recognise we still have a lot of work to do in creating the perfect model.
“But this journey is an exciting one and we thank all the children and supporters who let us know they wanted a plastic free-option. Children are at the heart of our Red Nose Day campaign and their opinions are really important to us.”
The red nose first launched in 1988 when Curtis and fellow Comic Relief founder, Sir Lenny Henry, wanted to create a symbol to represent the charity and its first event.
Over three decades later, the red nose has raised over £70 million for good causes, helping to change countless lives in the UK and all over the world.
The charity says it is committed to developing the material used to make its red nose every year, with a goal to create a version that is compostable at home in the near future.
Tony Bosworth, plastics campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “Everyone knows how extensive plastic pollution is and what it does to wildlife so it’s good that the famous Comic Relief nose will be plastic free.
“We need alternative and better solutions to avoid single-use plastic everywhere and this should be led by industry and government. We look forward to Comic Relief making sure that all of its materials are environmentally friendly.”
Find out more at comicrelief.com/nose. Image courtesy of Comic Relief.
