The issue of excessive food waste is a topic that concerns many members of Generation Z. And with the World Wildlife Fund estimating that one third of all edible food is thrown away globally,, external perhaps it should be a bigger topic of discussion for people of all ages.

In the US state of Colorado, Sophie Warren says that when her parents first started beekeeping when she was a young child, she and her older sisters, Chloe and Lily, couldn’t bear to see all the beeswax going to waste after the honey had been harvested from the honeycombs.

“We realised there was a significant amount of beeswax left over,” says Sophie, now 17, “We didn’t want to throw it away because the bees worked super hard to make it. So, instead of wasting it, we made lip balms out of it.”

In 2009 when Sophie was just five, Chloe, seven, and Lily, nine, the three sisters (with a bit of help from mum and dad) set up a cosmetics company – Sweet Bee Sisters – to sell the lip balm.

The firm now sells a range of skincare products, and the siblings hope that their example will inspire other children and young adults to become environmentally-minded entrepreneurs.

“We want other strong leaders to come up alongside us,” says Sophie. “We believe that our generation will be world changers.”