The Clean Green Nappy Machine is committed to ethical standards which reflect the environmentally-friendly nature of its business. Wherever possible we follow the international waste reduction mantra of reduce, re-use, recycle.
We make conscious ethical decisions when entering into arrangements with any supplier, from the manufacturers and wholesalers of our stock to the printers we use for our company literature.
Below you will find a list of tangible actions we have taken to ensure that as a company we have a minimal impact on the environment.
1. Promotional Material. All of our literature is printed on 100% recycled paper. While many printers have started paying lip service to producing a more environmentally-friendly service, and paper suppliers are producing a range of partially recycled paper, it is difficult to find high-grade paper which is 100% recycled. We felt that our committment to the environment was such that if we could not use a completely recycled stock, we would not produce promotional literature. We managed to source such a stock and proudly print all of our company's materials on it.
2. Packaging. Usually discarded immediately, packaging is potentially one of the most wasteful by-products of our business. In February 2007 we took the decision to send out all of our packages in fully biodegradable courier pouches. The "Eco PolyJacket" which we have sourced is slightly more expensive than the alternatives, but as it will ensure that the pouches break down entirely when disposed of, we feel this is an investment which pays dividends. We have implemented this without putting our postage and packaging prices up , so the cost is not passed on to our customers.
On occassion, you will find your order won't fit in one of these pouches and we will have to send it out in a cardboard box. When we have to do so, we re-use boxes which our stock arrived in from our suppliers. Since we first began trading, we have not once had to purchase a cardboard box for this purpose. As a result, you may find the box is less pristine than you might expect - we may have had to tape a dog-eared corner here or there - but we hope you'll agree that this aesthetic consideration is a small price to pay!
3. Administration. We are committed to running an office which is as close to paperless as is practicable. We monitor our paper usage carefully, rely primarily on electronic filing systems, and think carefully before printing anything.
4. Waste. All of our eligible waste goes through our local council recycling collections, except any paperwork with personal customer details which we always shred, to ensure we comply with data protection legislation.
5. Postage policy. In order to ensure that a minimum of fossil fuels and packaging are required to get your order to you, we will always try and wait until all of your goods are available for despatch and send them in one parcel. In some cases, the wait for new stock from a supplier will mean that we send the order in more than one parcel, but we will usually check with you first to find out your preference.
6. We try and ensure that the products which we source to sell to you meet, and come from companies that meet, the same standard of ecological guidelines as we have. We will supply natural fibres in preference over man-made ones, and ask our suppliers about the sustainability of the crop which their fibres come from. We like to sell stock from fibres made out of hemp and bamboo which have a minimal environmental impact. We seek out organic alternatives, and try and ensure that all of our suppliers conform to green processing standards as laid out in ISO 9000.
We ask all of our customers to help us in keeping the impact on the environment of our business to a minimum - re-use packaging where possible, recycle it where not. Pass on our promotional materials to friends who may use it. Only print correspondense where absolutely necessary.
Obviously much of this is simple common sense, and requires minimal effort on our part. However we believe that by always sticking to these simple guidelines, we set an example, which when implemented by all responsible businesses will ultimately make a positive impact on our planet.
