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| Environmental Policy |
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Eco-Essentials put the environment at the heart of its operations because we are deeply concerned by the loss of habitat, global warming, and pollution which is affecting life on earth.
At Eco-Essentials, we analyze all our activities for their environmental impact and we promote sustainable living practices. Our environmental policy will help to reduce carbon emissions and slow the effects climate change, protecting our planet for future generations.
Shopping at Eco-Essentials and using our Products for Sustainable Living will help you to minimise your environmental impact too...and if you're not already doing what we do, then why not adopt some of our practices below to help protect the planet from climate change?
Waste Minimisation
We have adopted the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle philosophy for our waste.
We try to minimise our waste wherever possible by choosing products that have minimum packaging which is reusable, biodegradable or recyclable.
We do not agree with the use of disposable items and prefer reusable/ refillable items.
We do not agree with the use of plastic carrier bags. We shop with a "bag for life" and decline plastic carrier bags in shops.
We opt for paperless billing where possible.
We only print documents when absolutely necessary and we use both sides of the paper.
We have reduced our junk mail by registering with the Mailing Preference Scheme and we opt out of receiving marketing information from companies we deal with. We have also registered to opt out of Royal Mails Door to Door Scheme - I was shocked to hear from the postman that he receives £1200.00 per annum to deliver leaflets (Junk Mail) from companies. He did not seem to understand that we all pay for waste disposal in our council tax.
We sort all our waste.
We compost all suitable waste.
We reuse as much waste as possible for instance: we make notepads from discarded paper, we shred waste paper to help package our products, and we reuse boxes to package our products.
We store a range of plastic containers which could be recycled, but currently cannot be recycled because there are no facilities available to do this.
We store used batteries and light bulbs which could be recycled, but currently cannot be recycled because there are no facilities available to do this.
We store our cooking oils to prevent them from going down the sink. We are looking into the possibility of making biodiesel with our waste oils. Mass biodiesel production creates land usage issues causing food shortages and increasing food prices - it's not the answer to replace crude oil and can seriously affect the environment.
We are members of Aberdeen Freecycle - a group where we can give away our unwanted items or take other peoples items to prevent them from being landfilled.
We donate unwanted items to charity so that someone else can use them.
We collect used stamps for charity. Recently Freecycled to a member collecting for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
We recycle items that cannot be reused or composted.
Our waste minimisation policy ensures that only a tiny amount of rubbish goes to landfill.
Packaging of Orders
We try to keep the packing we use for postal orders to a minimum whilst protecting the products.
We do not purchase plastic packaging but we may reuse plastic packaging that we have received from our suppliers.
All our bubblewrap is reused, we collect it from local people to prevent it going to landfill.
All our card wrapping and boxes are reused.
We sometimes reuse envelopes. We used to receive used envelopes from locals but due to my sensitive nose, the paper absorbed various scents from households and were making me ill. Also, we were sticking on so many labels to cover up old addresses it just didn't work out.
We re-use packing chips from suppliers, some are biodegradable, some are not.
Any packaging we purchase is to be paper-based with the intention of it being reused, composted or recycled.
Our envelopes do not contain windows because the plastic windows cannot always be recycled.
Our invoices are printed on A5 paper to conserve resources and we use either FSC certified or Chlorine-Free 50% recyled paper.
We use biodegradable cellotape on 99% of our orders.
We do not routinely give away bags with our products.
We promote the reuse of bags wherever possible and we may reuse bags from other shops which are not biodegradable but can be reused or recycled.
We reuse packaging wherever possible.
Product Packaging
We make it a priority to choose products where the packaging is kept to a minimum and can be reused, composted or recycled.
Plastic bottles should be made of one of the plastics that are recyclable in the UK (i.e. HDPE or PET).
Energy Efficiency
We use energy-efficient light bulbs (CFL's) which are Energy Saving Trust (EST) approved.
We switch off lights when we leave the room.
Electrical appliances which are not in use are switched off at the socket and are never left on standby.
All battery-operated equipment is fitted with Ni-MH rechargeable batteries where possible.
When we boil the kettle we only heat enough water for our needs.
Our hot water tank is fitted with an insulating jacket.
We previously used a Green Renewable Energy Tariff from Ecotricity, a UK based company investing in the UK Renewables Industry. Since we've just moved, we now have the 100% Hydro Electric tariff at Scottish Hydro Electric but may switch back to Ecotricity.
We previously purchased gas from Ebico Equigas, an ethical gas supplier who charges everyone the same price for gas which helps people on low incomes. LPG is new to us and it's not so easy to find an ethical or eco-friendly LPG supplier.
Water Efficiency
The toilet cistern is fitted with a water saving device (Hippo the Water Saver) saving a third of the water used for each flush.
Dripping taps are fixed immediately.
Taps are not left to run unnecessarily.
All sinks are fitted with plugs.
Locality of Items
We try to find local suppliers wherever possible.
We try to use goods which are manufactured in the UK wherever possible.
It is impossible to only stock UK made products and we like to support small businesses that benefit the environment.
Pollution
We use plant based and biodegradable cleaning products (Bio-D, E-Cloth, Ecover & Dri-Pak) which do not harm the environment.
We support the REACH initiative because we believe that many chemicals found in household items are harmful to health.
We believe that there are safer alternatives and that these alternatives should be used at all times.
We prefer organic farming methods.
We do not agree with Nuclear Power.
Ethical issues
Our suppliers have confirmed that the palm derivatives in the A'kin & Biologika ranges come from sustainable sources and not from plantations where rainforest once stood.
We do not agree with Nuclear Power.
We use an ethical bank because we do not want to support activities such as the weapons trade, nuclear initiatives, animal testing, genetic modification, the chemicals trade, or the tobacco trade for example.
Transport
Eco-Essentials do not use any vehicles to travel to work. Travelling is done on foot as the local Post Office is close by and it's good exercise. Working from home is great because there are no traffic jams or fumes or perfumes. We don't have many large heavy parcels but would only use the car if absolutely necessary. Again, this reduces the environmental footprint of Eco-Essentials.
The Future
The owners of Eco-Essentials would like to be self-sufficient. We have just moved to a more rural location on the edge of the village of Kemnay which is about 12 miles from Aberdeen. The house is not connected to the sewer but has an eco-friendly septic tank which reduces pressure on water treatment works. Our heating is LPG gas which is environmentally safer than oil. We are looking into various other options for becoming more self-sufficient including solar panels, wind turbines, and grey water recycling. We've installed the first water butt in the garden. The previous owner was a keen gardener and there is a vegtetable plot with fruit trees and berry bushes. We've planted shallots and got tatties rooting in the greenhouse. We plan to grow all our own vegetables and we may even rescue some battery hens to provide free-range eggs.
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