Sustainability gets its own page because it’s one of the most important issues of our age, and we’re committed to finding a way to build a business that is circular. Watch this short, informative video if you want to learn more about circular economies and how we can go about achieving them.
This is going to be a big challenge and it’s going to take time, but we believe that it’s a target worth aiming at. Here’s a little bit of what we’re doing now to take steps toward our goal, and what our plans are for the future to make sure my kids, your kids, and their kids have the same pristine beaches, tree-filled mountains, and liveable planet that we got to enjoy.
Small first steps.
Our mission is to be 100% carbon neutral and to eliminate waste as much as possible in the coming years. The first steps we’ve made toward this goal include sourcing our plants from primarily local growers, reducing waste by using minimal and only 100% recycled packaging, and planting trees to offset the carbon we produce in the manufacturing and transport of our products.
One plant sold = one tree planted.
On our journey to building an eco-conscious business, we learned that a particularly effective way to offset emissions and help fight climate change is by planting trees.
So, we initiated a tree planting program from our very first sale, where for every plant purchased, one tree is planted in a habitat that needs it – from the coastal forests of Canada to the Amazon, Asia and beyond.
Our tree planting program is accomplished in partnership with the team at One Tree Planted, a certified non-profit with a focus on global reforestation that planted over 50 million trees in 2020.
Each month, we donate $1 from every plant we sold, and in return One Tree Planted plants a tree in an area of the world that needs it most.
Want to plant even more trees? Awesome – simply purchase one of our tree planting packages here and we’ll take care of the rest.
100% recycled packaging (and less of it).
We deliver all of our plants and pots by hand as we think this is the best way to transport your new green friend and ensure it arrives in good condition and health. Our delivery method also enables us to skip the boxes and wasteful packaging usually required when shipping fragile items like plants and ceramic pots.
For most of our products, we use only a single sheet of 100% recycled paper packaging and one 100% recycled paper sticker printed with soy ink, from sustainable packaging company No Issue, to hold things in place.
A work in progress.
As proud as we are of these initiatives, the reality is that it’s still not enough.
This is only the beginning for us and in 2021 and 2022, we have plans to work closely with growers to help reduce waste and remove single use plastic from our plants’ lifecycles, increase the number and percentage of products in our catalogue that are grown or made locally, continue to reduce packaging in our supply chain, and improve the efficiency of our delivery service by exploring human-powered and electric solutions.