Billie Jo Hohepa-Ropiha’s future is about to change for the better.
On a mission to eliminate a trillion wet wipes globally
The BDÉT founder is one of the five SheEO venture winners for 2021. SheEO is a worldwide network where women and non-binary people aid each other to thrive in business. As a winner, Billie will receive interest-free loans for five years, business mentoring and pro-bono legal and PR support.
Her product is a natural and sustainable foam that a user can apply to toilet paper to turn it into a wet wipe
“How can people use dry toilet paper? It’s weird to me, but it’s not a subject you talk about,” Hohepa-Ropiha said. But she is also concerned about the environmental impact that traditional wet wipes have on Aotearoa’s waterways and oceans.
“Wet wipes are a huge problem for wastewater pipes.”
Her product is a solution to the millions of wet wipes that end up in our waterways and landfills each year. Each of these wet wipes takes decades to break down. They can wash out to the ocean where they can even be ingested by ocean life.
Learn more about BDÉT on KIWIFRENCH’s journal.
She has also been asked to speak at Te Aratini, the first-ever Festival of Indigenous and Tribal Ideas at a World Expo, at Expo 2020 Dubai at the end of November, about the business.
You can purchase BDÉT products on KIWIFRENCH here:
