our sustainability initiatives
Sustainability has become an important conversation in the beauty sphere - and rightly so. In 2018, Zero Waste reported the global cosmetics industry produced 120 billion units of packaging every year - with much of that being non-recyclable plastics. As an industry that is ultimately based on consumption, it is important that we commit to sourcing ingredients, packaging and shipping components that minimize our contributions to the epidemic of plastic pollution, deforestation and gas emissions. Whilst the industry has a long way to go to improve the options available for eco-friendly packaging and ingredients - we pledge our commitment to make sustainable choices in every manner that we can, whilst encouraging the 3 R’s: recycle, reduce and re-use. Here’s what we’ve done so far:
Miron Glass
When choosing packaging to house our active formulas, we are considerate of their environmental impact whilst being uncompromising on quality. Glass has a great recyclability rate throughout Europe and decreases the use of single-use or non-recyclable plastic. Our products are all housed in patented Miron Glass (otherwise known as ‘violet glass’) sourced from the original European manufacturer of violet glass that has been producing the glass for the cosmetic industry for over 50 years. Violet glass vessels have traditional use in Ancient Egyptian culture to house oils or healing formulas in order to protect them - the glass is able to filter out damaging rays of the visible light spectrum, extending the shelf life of products.
Whilst glass is recyclable, the downside is that it is heavier to transport than plastic, meaning it has a higher carbon footprint to ship to you. We are working on offsetting our carbon emissions - stay tuned for how we plan to do this!
Ingredients
We approach the procurement of raw materials with careful consideration to environmental and social practices. When it comes to the plant-derived ingredients that are used in some of our products, we only work with suppliers that place an important focus on biodiversity conservation, careful use of natural resources (we do not source from plants with a high risk of extinction) and who minimise environmental pollution. We ensure that suppliers participate in fair-trade efforts and fairly support the farmers that cultivate the raw materials, in addition to supporting the local communities, beyond the harvests.
Tissue Paper
We use fully recyclable and biodegradable tissue paper, sourced from sustainable forests that are acid-free and use water-based inks. Water-based inks are a more sustainable alternative to traditional based inks in the printing world that are made of up of plastic/volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Water-based inks can be cleaned using only water and soap whereas solvents like PVC inks cannot be safely disposed via drains and require additional VOC-carrying solvents throughout the cleaning process. Water-based inks are also considerably safer for the workers at printing facilities!
Postal Boxes
Our postal boxes are made from rigid flute corrugated board that is 100% recyclable. On average, our boxes are made from a minimum of 75% recycled fibres.
Postal Tape
Our postal tape is made from 100% sustainably sourced Kraft paper that is fully recyclable. The adhesive used on the tape is solvent based, as it needs to be strong enough to secure the products. However, this does not stop the tape being recycled as any residual solvent is skimmed off the surface during the recycling process.