Our Journey To Sustainability
Transparency
We offer full transparency across our range. We’ve always road tested our products, we’re now assessing the environmental impact in depth.
Change
We are constantly improving the sustainability of both our product range and how we function as an organisation. Change isn’t easy but it’s worth it.
Commitment
We don’t “green wash” our advice. We truly believe that the planet needs protecting and this starts with business’s committing to being more sustainable.
FAQS
HOW DO YOU GENERATE THE PRODUCT SCORE?
Our Product Score is generated by an average score across 4 Key Questions:
- Where is the origin of the product?
- Is the product made from recycled or sustainable material?
- How many months will the product last if used daily?
- Is the product easily recyclable or biodegradable?
We are aware that the above questions are a simplified analysis of a product’s sustainability. However we do feel that they separate the “no gos” from the “winners” and help to guide you in your choice for sustainability. We also hope that they start to open the conversation about a product’s true sustainability.
WHAT OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS DO YOU MAKE?
Assessing a product's true sustainability is a complex process and every item should be assessed uniquely. Other considerations that we make when considering sustainability are:
• The process involved in the production of the item, for example how much waste or pollution is created and what energy does the manufacture run on. We prefer to use manufacturer accreditations, where available, as they offer verifiable information.
• The desirability of the item is also important, although this is subjective, we tend to find that Retail Branded products offer a higher perceived value and more likely to be kept and used for longer by a recipient.
• The design of the branding being applied to the product is also key in ensuring recipient engagement with the item, our inhouse design time will always look to add value to your design where they see fit.
How do you review your product range for sustainability?
Due to our large product range and wide supplier base, we review the sustainability of our products on a quote by quote basis. As all of our quotes are drawn up uniquely for each customer, we are able to provide specific, sustainability information for each item as requested. If you require specific environmental information please ask!
We are aware that there are historic items in our range which do not meet the sustainability standards we expect, we therefore always highlight alternative more sustainable options when these items are requested.
WHY ISN’T YOUR FULL PRODUCT RANGE SCORED?
Although we have been advising on the sustainability of the products within our range for years, we only launched our Sustainability Scoring system in June 2021. Due to the time intensive nature of assessing each product, we expect the process to be quite lengthy before the full range has been updated.
We are starting with our best sellers and newly added items first to ensure the most ordered products are analysed for you as quickly as possible.
WHY DO YOU STILL SHOW PRODUCTS WITH A POOR RATING?
We believe it is our responsibility to offer transparency and encourage the use of more sustainable products, by providing more sustainable alternatives to Poor or Fair rated products we hope to encourage this with our customers.
DO YOU CONSIDER SUSTAINABILITY WHEN SOURCING YOUR RANGE?
Absolutely. This is one of our highest selection criteria and informs our decisions on the products we recommend and promote. Having been running our e-commerce site for over 12 years we are aware of some “historic debt” on our website which we are working our way through to remove and improve.
CAN WE ASK FOR ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION?
Yes please do. We are more than happy to provide you with any product background information you require.