Our Commitment to Sustainability
Sustainability is a hot topic.
Rightly so: The planet we inhabit is struggling for survival, and its resources are disappearing at a frightening rate.
Although many industries have a poor reputation for planetary harm, from oil to heavy engineering, eCommerce is viewed as an industry that encourages fast and furious purchasing of throwaway goods. Often made from synthetic and non-recyclable materials, the products do not seem designed to last. Using oversized boxes and swathes of plastic-heavy packaging provides more packaging than product!
Production often generates greenhouse gasses and river and land-polluting toxic chemicals that negatively impact the environment. Is the concept of a sustainable eCommerce business an oxymoron?
Ethical E-commerce?
Not all eCommerce is equal. Many businesses take their environmental responsibility very seriously. From sourcing goods ethically and ensuring production in an environmentally conscious manner to logistics, packing, and shipping in the most ecologically sound way, companies can reduce the damage they inflict as they operate their business. Over time, small steps add up to make a big difference. There are companies worldwide that are striving to become ethical and sustainable, including those within eCommerce.
Social Responsibility
The B-Corp initiative is a worldwide system of commercial accountability designed to balance profit and social responsibility. Few businesses have achieved B-Corp status due to the incredibly stringent accreditation process involved. Even if the mountain of B-Corp is too much to climb, the ethos of social responsibility behind it may be employed within a business as part of its development towards a sustainable future.
Making Changes
At Atlas Flowers, we strive to minimise the use of plastics, non-recyclable products, and packaging. We haven’t eliminated all of these just yet, but we’ve massively reduced our consumption over the last few years, and have ceased working with some suppliers who are not adapting to a sustainable way of operating. Improving on all these aspects is a work in progress, and we continually seek new ways to reduce our impact and give back to the planet.
Our friends at Lamboo Dried & Deco supply a large range of our dried products. They truly share our ethos and have worked tirelessly over the years to improve their site, with the sustainability of their production central to their development work. Their warehouse and factory have a solar array for power, and the water used in production activities is recycled and reused on-site. The heat used for drying the flowers is regenerated to keep everyone warm all year round.
