CEO
We Seal Ltd
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Richard Hobson is the CEO of We Seal Ltd, a British company specialising in the design and manufacture of bread bag sealing systems.
With a wealth of knowledge and over 30 years' experience in pioneering innovative sealing technology, it is no exaggeration to say that Richard has revolutionised the way bread is sealed in Britain.
In the early 1980s, when Richard set up his first business, he never envisaged that it would lead to a career in the baking industry. Unexpectedly, his trajectory was altered by an unthinkable tragedy. A child had choked to death after swallowing a rigid plastic bread bag clip - the common sealing method of the day. This devastating event was the catalyst for change in the UK's bakery packaging industry and led to Richard using his expertise to develop a tape bag closure, it has remained the UK's sealing method of choice ever since.
A product ahead of its time in many ways, not only is the closure consumer safe if swallowed, it is also 100% recyclable and resealable. Containing 1/5 the plastic of a rigid clip, it is cheaper to transport and makes much less of an environmental impact to produce.
Today, over 95% of bagged bread produced in the UK passes through a We Seal machine and/or is sealed with a We Seal closure.
Even though the closure accounts for around 1% of the overall packaging of a loaf of bread, the company is 100% committed to making sealing safe, simple, and sustainable.
A passionate advocate for the circular economy, Richard's ethos remains that Small can be Mighty, and a lot of little things can make a big difference. He campaigns for responsibility and recyclability at every level of the packaging process, most recently addressing the Federation of Bakers on this subject.
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM PT