Eco business set up by trio from Marlow and Maidenhead

A website selling sustainable and ecological products has been launched by three friends fresh out of university.

Tom Johnson and Patrick Brown, both 23 from Marlow, and Robert Kemp, 23, from Maidenhead, are looking to ‘change the way businesses do business’ by launching the planet-friendly online shop Fourstate.

They say the name derives from the four key areas of the Earth: air, humanity, land and water.

Customers can choose products ranging from bathroom essentials to clothing from specialist ethical brands, while also giving something back to good environmental causes.

You gain ‘Fourstate points’ with every purchase, which you can then allocate to a cause, or causes, under any of the four states.

These include planting a tree in Africa, donating to conservation partners, or removing a kilo of waste from the ocean.

Each product also has a ‘purchase impact’ section where people can read about how the item benefits the environment.

The business launched in April this year after months of planning and designing.

Tom, who graduated from Exeter University in business, said: “We don’t just want to sell, we want to create a community. That is why we are focusing on the Marlow and Maidenhead area.

“The idea is you are not only buying products that are good for you and the planet, but you can also give something back the more you spend.

“We want to change the way businesses do business. We do think [they] need to be more responsible.”

He added: “You have got to identify a gap and a problem, and put them together.

“Business has been really good – the traffic has been great, so it is all going in the right direction.”

Visit fourstate.co.uk to shop.

W Fourstate will be holding a pop-up stall at the Marlow Market on Saturday, July 6.

They will be there from 10am until 3pm in The Causeway.