Susie Brown, who sells eco-friendly handmade cards and accessories from her online retail website, has recently been approached by green boutique Kaight in Manhattan and by The Dodo and the Dinosaur in Milan. Both stores want to stock her crafts and accessories.

Susie launched her website Susiemaroon over a year ago and hopes to double business in the coming year. She told The Scotsman:

"There are a lot of boutiques opening which deal in designers who are eco-friendly, especially in the US and Italy.

"I was shocked when the shops in Milan and New York got in touch - they had found my website and liked what I do."