Eco Pledge
Our Eco Pledge is our sustainable promise. It focuses on the steps we have already taken, and those that we plan to take, putting the environment and our planet at the forefront of our strategy and business decisions.
As a company, Puckator has always had a green focus, and as the world begins to recognise the need for change, we are challenging our own processes and those of our suppliers to become even more sustainably driven.
What is our Eco Pledge?
Remove
Since 2019 we have been reducing and removing single-use plastic from all our product packaging. We have reduced this by 20% since 2020, and have a target of having zero plastic in our packaging by the end of 2025.
Research
We are researching new and innovative product materials to create a more sustainable eco-friendly product range.
Recycle
We recycle more than 75% of our packaging in both our UK and European warehouses via shredding, reusing or recycling.
Renew
From 2020 we have been working to offset our carbon footprint by investing in renewable projects around the world.
Product Materials
In recent years eco-friendly and sustainable materials have started popping up in multiple industries, but this has often been on a small scale due to many being made with new processes that have not been established or tested on a large scale.
Industry and manufacturers are now catching up with the demand, and this has made it easier to source products in new and innovative materials.
What eco-materials do we already use?
- All our food use plastic products such as lunch boxes and water bottles are BPA and phthalate-free.
- We offer a large range of reusable bottles, shopping bags, lunch boxes and cool bags which help to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
- Our soaps, hand creams, lip balms and bath bombs are vegan while also being gluten, palm oil and cruelty-free*.
- The incense we source is vegan and cruelty-free.
- Our door mats are made from waste coconut fibre in India.
- We have a growing range of RPET (recycled plastic bottle) products, including cool bags, and shopping and recycling bags.
- FSDU display stands are made from a mix of virgin and recycled materials in the UK.
- Our bamboo cutlery and toothbrushes are made from 100% biodegradable bamboo.
What other options is Puckator looking at?
We are continually looking for products using alternative eco-materials such as rice husks, sugar cane plastics, cork, recycled rubber, jute and more bamboo lines.
We are also looking at where our products come from and researching manufacturers and suppliers in the UK and Europe so that we can source locally and reduce our carbon footprint.
(*Excludes SOAP27 which contains honey and gluten, LIP81 which contain beeswax and our soap bars which contain sustainably sourced palm oil.)
Product Packaging Materials
Product packaging is an area we can make, and have made, the biggest impact in the last few years. Our focus since 2019 has been to work with all our manufacturers to develop our current product packaging, as well as researching new sustainable eco-material packaging suppliers and factories in China, the UK and Europe.
What have we done so far?
- We have replaced inner plastic bag packaging with recyclable textile bags, paper separators or natural string ties.
- Plastic tags used to attach labels to products are now being replaced with natural string or twine.
- Polystyrene and bubble wrap are being replaced with paper or cardboard in products with unusual shapes or fragile parts.
- We record all packaging at each level when products arrive in our warehouse to calculate the waste packaging, allowing us to identify areas we need to improve on.
- We have moved away from glitter, shiny finishes and metallic foils in our gift packaging as these cannot be recycled as easily. Instead, we use matt printing which still creates a great visual design for our products.
- Our product packaging now includes details about when it can be recycled to encourage the end-user to recycle.
- We have started to use plant-based and biodegradable inks which are better for the environment and for recycling.
Other packaging changes?
Along with the above, we continue to review our packaging, working closely with our suppliers, packing staff and customers to find innovative solutions to packaging challenges that are sustainable and keep our products safe and secure in transit.
Another benefit of reviewing the packaging used is that it often results in a reduction in the size of the packaging and that saves on both materials used and also CBM (volume). That means we can fit more in a container, which in turn reduces our carbon footprint.
Distribution Centres
Our two distribution centres in Cornwall UK and Wroclaw Poland, are leading the way in our environmental and sustainable push. We choose packaging suppliers that can show their eco-credentials and we update our processes to make sure we are thinking about them from an eco point of view as well as practicality.
Our warehouses are leading the way
- All cardboard sourced in the UK is 100% recyclable and made from 100% recycled materials.
- We recycle over 75% of our packaging waste either by shredding, reusing or separating and recycling.
- Pallets are sourced locally to the warehouses in both the UK and Poland and use softwood rather than hardwood which is a more sustainable material. Damaged pallets are returned to the supplier and recycled or reused.
- Packing methods have been reviewed and adapted to make packing more efficient, meaning we are using less packaging and fewer boxes are dispatched.
- In 2020 we were one of the first in the UK to trial recycled air bubble packaging.
- We also use recycled pallet wrap in both our warehouses.
New ideas for the future?
Our Distribution Centres are another area where we are continually looking to improve our eco-pledge. As new materials come on the market we look to trial these to see if they are viable for Puckator. These new materials include recycled grip bags, mailers and jiffy bags, as well as alternatives to solvent-based tapes.
Recycling & Reduction
Many people, whether at a business or individual level, don’t recycle as much as they could. This can be down to many factors, where they live, education on recycling, or lack of access to recycling facilities. Because of this, there is still a huge amount of potentially recyclable material that goes to landfills, and we all have to work together to change this.
What recycling and education happen now at Puckator?
- Our product packaging now includes information on when the packaging material can be recycled. Some products also have information on recycling the product at the end of its use.
- All our offices and warehouses have recycling points for staff so that paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and more can be separated for easy recycling.
- We shred all non-tainted boxes and use them as packaging material.
- Several years ago we moved to a largely paperless invoicing and accounting system, and we continue working to reduce the amount of paper used in our offices today.
What's planned for the future?
As part of our ongoing research into alternative packaging and product materials, we are looking to become a reference point for our staff, suppliers and customers so we can educate and inspire recycling and care for the environment on a local and global scale.
Travel & Communication
Products and packaging are not the only areas in which we work hard to build a greener future for the planet.
We have offices in the UK, Spain, Italy and China, as well as our Distribution Centres in Cornwall UK and Wroclaw Poland. With offices in all these locations, staff need to communicate and work together on a regular basis and with the global pandemic, we've all had to find ways to communicate online rather than face to face. With these new tools established in our day to day communication, travel between our offices and warehouses is less frequent, reducing our carbon footprint.
We also use hybrid electric vehicles within our fleet and rechargeable forklifts and mobile picking platforms in our warehouses.
Wildlife
Wildlife at our sites is a big part of our eco-pledge, especially at our Cornish site as we have developed and extended over the last 15 years, and the impact on the surrounding environment has always been at the forefront of each development project.
- We have designated bird and dormouse boxes positioned around our Cornish site.
- Areas of grass and insect friendly plants are located around our warehouse in Cornwall and offices in Sheffield, creating natural habitats and encouraging small animals and amphibians.
- In 2018 we installed a new sewage treatment plant at our Cornish site that generates clear water which is filtered back into the land and surrounding area.
We are considering all the options
Green issues, ocean plastic, sustainability and recycling are just a few of the many topics that are being tackled by governments and industry worldwide, and for us to find a lasting solution that has a real impact now and in the future, we all have to work together and make sure we are reviewing processes and asking the right questions as a business and as individuals.
At Puckator we are dedicated to making the environment and our Eco Pledge at the centre of our business strategy, and we welcome ideas and suggestions from staff and customers to help us move forward together.