Our Commitment to the Environment

Our Impacts on the ecosystem

We have chosen products that rapidly Biodegrade into non-harmful substances after use, so that when they go down the drain they have the least impact possible on the environment. Some of our products, such as those from Pangea, begin to Biodegrade less than 48 hours after use!

Also, due to the fact that none of our products contain filler ingredients, the beneficial ingredients are more concentrated. This means you don’t need to use as much product, and the overall product lasts longer. Less product used, means less product goes down the drain to begin with. This also means that in the long run less packaging is consumed as products are replaced less frequently.

Sustainability

 We have made a commitment to not carry any products containing petrochemicals of any kind. We are also doing our best to avoid any ingredients produced through the use of petrochemicals, such as cocoamidopropyl betain (coco betain). The only exception to the petrochemical rule is that some product containers are made of plastic (see ‘Product Packaging’ for more information).

Product Packaging

Most companies that we have chosen to carry have a commitment to using minimal packaging. Many have chosen to use recycled packaging as well. Whenever possible we have chosen the most recyclable and sustainable options, for example glass over plastic containers. However, we also believe that it is safer to have plastic packaging in high risk (of breaking) areas like the shower. When we have brought in products packaged in plastic, we have done our best to ensure that they are plastics that are readily recyclable (#1 PETE and #2 HDPE). Due to the added weight of glass packaging, some suppliers have chosen not to use it due to the higher fuel use in shipping. Our Pangea products come in plantable boxes, made using a new Zero Waste process with 100% post consumer paper and organic seeds like sweet basil and amaranth. Simply slip off the label, soak the box in water for a minute and plant it in the earth!

Shipping

When shipping out orders, we reuse boxes and shipping materials sent to us from suppliers and other sources(some packing peanuts are even biodegradable!).

Manufacture

We have chosen to support companies that have environmentally friendly and sustainable manufacturing standards. For example, many of our Ontario-based manufacturers run on wind power.

Printing

All of our professionally printed material (cards, flyers, etc.) is printed to FSC standards by an FSC certified printer. Everything that we print ourselves is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, except our product tags which are printed on ‘tree-free paper’ composed of a mix of banana fibre (10%) and 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

The Store

When renovating our physical store location, we did everything we could to be environmentally responsible. Some examples of this are as follows:

Lighting: We retrofitted all the existing lighting fixtures with LED lights.

Flooring: We ripped out the old carpets and laid down Canadian-made cork floor with a water-based, non-toxic finish. It is also reusable should we choose to change locations in the future.

The Walls: We painted with zero VOC water-based paint.

Our Shelving: The bases were made locally with local, responsibly harvested birch wood, and painted with zero VOC water-based paint. The shelves are made of easily reusable, reconfigurable and recyclable glass.

Our Information Area: We have a Canadian-made couch with an air-dried wooden frame, and soy based foam fill in the cushions.

 
We also have a number or refurbished/repurposed items (including our counter, the magazine rack and a few window display boxes), and have chosen many recycled, biodegradable and recyclable office supplies (including a stapler that doesn’t need staples!).

      Though we are not perfect, we are trying to reduce our environmental footprint as much as we can.
      As time goes by, we hope to keep improving and reducing.