Laura Harnett, founder of Seep, appears on popular business TV show this week

To appear on the show, she overcame her fear of appearing on national TV and pitching to the Dragons – Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman. She was nervous about how she would come across as hasn’t been on television before and didn’t want to feel exposed personally.

Laura said: “I knew this would be my last chance to appear on such a well-loved and prestigious show that I’d been watching for years, that was one of the sources of inspiration when I was setting up my business. I realised that I had such an important message to share about a simple plastic-free switch that everyone can make in their homes, I had to take the risk to get the word out there.

“I am no stranger to overcoming fears, when I recovered from breast cancer in my late 30s, I lost all fear about starting my own business, even though it was during lockdown. I’m not a typical founder and thought by appearing on Dragons’ Den that I could show other women, especially those a bit older, that they can do anything they set their minds to.”

While the outcome is still top secret, viewers will learn from Laura’s pitch that, while many people have already switched to eco-friendly cleaning sprays, washing up liquids and detergents, they aren’t aware that their day to day cloths and sponges are made from plastic. Every year a billion plastic cleaning items end up in landfill or incinerators every year and release microplastics into our homes and water every time they are used.