Leading environmental brand ecostore has released its latest sustainability report, transparently sharing the company’s continued journey to do business without contributing to climate change.
The comprehensive report measures ecostore’s impact across a range of categories, with a focus on three key pillars: Our Work (Ā mātou mahi), Our World (Tō mātou ao) and Our Community (Tō mātou hapori). The focus of this report was the data collected in the three-year period from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2022, following on from the 2018 sustainability report.
Innovation underpins ecostore’s growth and highlights its continued focus on creating less, not more. By shifting its focus to producing highly concentrated, effective formulations, it is reducing the amount of product required to do the same great job, which in turn is reducing the footprint from its manufacturing and distribution processes.
While success can be measured by what was accomplished, such as achieving B Corp Certification, joining the ANZPAC Plastics Pact and growing communities, ecostore also identifies success in what was not produced; 140,480kg of plastic, approximately the weight of an average blue whale, was saved through ecostore’s various initiatives, including*:
– Cleaner Concentrates saved more than 185,500 spray bottles, or 12,900kg of plastic.
– Hair Care Bars helped to save more than 14,700kg of plastic and 65,500L of water in the reporting period. That’s 322,600 350ml shampoo bottles which have not been produced.
– ecostore removed the recycled plastic scoop from its laundry powders, saving over 3,000kg plastic annually.
– 99,180kg of plastic, or the equivalent of 1,885,600 plastic bottles, saved through ecostore’s 100-plus refill stations and bulk offerings
– The pilot Plastic Return Programme saw 10,700kg of plastic containers returned that were recycled into new packaging.
Sustainability Reporting and B Corp Lead Romain Mereau says that transparency is fundamental to ecostore’s ethos, and the sustainability report provides another way to have honest conversations with its community.
“Over the last three decades of business, we’ve built a relationship with our customers and supporters by not only creating highly effective products, but by being open and genuine about everything we do and achieve. That encompasses everything from what’s in our products to our production processes. We are big believers in taking everyone on the journey, and this report is a way that we can collectively celebrate our wins, acknowledge where there is room for improvement, and create a plan as we move into the future.”
However, Mereau acknowledges that ongoing innovation is accompanied by new challenges, and the report helps to highlight the areas where ecostore is committed to making further improvements. Despite the business and its factory being Toitū net carbonzero certified, ecostore’s desire to further reduce emissions remains steadfast. Initiatives like building science-aligned targets to work towards reducing its overall carbon emissions, and undergoing a factory rebuild with the opportunity to design for the future, are currently underway and on the agenda for the next reporting period.
CEO Pablo Kraus says, “I’m incredibly proud of our team and the mahi they put in every day to offer consumers a choice that is safer for them, their families and the environment. We’re by no means perfect; the report is not only a snapshot of the work we’ve done but, importantly, the work we still have in front of us.
“We are clear on our goals and we’re passionate about doing business without contributing to climate change. We are committed to continually improving our product formulas to boost their performance while maintaining quality and safety at every step, and we will continue researching ways to reduce plastic packaging through redesign and innovation, as a key part of circularity is stopping waste before it is even created.”
Since the reporting period, the brand has continued its commitment to sustainability by implementing further improvements, such as the launch of its 3x Concentrate Laundry Liquid, Toothpaste Tablets and Dish Soap Bars, the full impact of which will be captured in the next report.
*figures are for the duration of the reporting period.
About the ecostore sustainability report
The report covers activity between 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2022, and measures ecostore’s impacts against the Global Report Initiative (GRI) framework: a set of universal standards that allow businesses of any size to measure impact on the planet and people. The report takes a comprehensive look at business operations and key material topics, covering everything from leadership, financial performance and communication, to packaging, manufacturing and climate impacts, and customer experience, reputation and organisational culture.
