We have rejected thousands of products – even many that have gone on to become best selling ‘eco’ products for other retailers. But we will not knowingly put profit before our genuine desire to sell what we truly believe contributes to a sustainable future.
Since 1999 we have been asking so many questions of ourselves and of our suppliers and every day there are new issues to think about. New concerns to address. For example here’s the latest – if a product we consider to be a good eco alternative is now made with nanotechnology should we continue to support it? Look out for our e-mail discussions on this and other issues coming soon - we’ll be asking your views.
Below is a small sample of the hundreds of questions we ask our suppliers and ourselves. Next time you buy a product on the high street or in your local store consider if these questions have been asked…
- If the product is plastic, is there any PVC?
- Has that stained glass product got lead in it?
- Is the toy made from MDF? (The glue in MDF is made from formaldehyde).
- Do the cosmetics contain parabens? (At last, many more manufacturers are finally coming round to our point of view and also avoiding this suspect chemical).
- Does the nail varnish contain formaldehyde?
- When it says sourced from the wild, is this a natural resource that is being depleted?
- What are the working conditions in the factory where the product is made?
- Does the product use nanotechnology? (The general view is that environmentalists are cautious about it. We share that view until we can be convinced otherwise).
- Is a sponge an animal or a vegetable? (Answer: it's an animal product so we don't stock it).
- Does the marker pen contain xylene or toluene? (Ours don't contain these nasty solvents).
- Is the paper recycled – is it pre consumer or post consumer waste? (Post consumer is better).
- Does the hemp in the product come from a source where toxic chemicals have been used to soften the fibres? (We looked far and wide to find good hemp that is not chemically retted).
- Is the product still worth supporting if it helps rural poverty but is made from synthetic materials? (Most of the time, we say 'yes' because we, with your help, can really help lift people out of poverty with fairly traded products).
- If it says organic, is it supported with valid certification? (We always require proper certification).
- What type of battery is in the rechargeable product? (We haven't taken Nickel Cadmium batteries for over 7 years now).
- Is the palm oil organic? (Palm oil plantations are a big cause of rainforest loss).
- Is the bamboo from managed sources? Is it treated with lindane? (It's not a miracle crop if it's intensively farmed, so we have to find out where it's from).
- Is it tested on animals? Do the lipsticks and rouges contain crushed insects to make them red? (Vegans and vegetarians make up an important part of our customer base, so we check this).
- Has the textile product been bleached with chlorine or peroxide? (Bleaching can be a polluting part of fabric making, and peroxide is less damaging).
The answers to these and many other questions have not always been clear cut or readily available and we have spent many hours over individual products assessing the information we can glean, weighing up the pros and cons, considering alternatives already on the market, assessing the potential and the practical reality for improvements down the line.
Sometimes only by buying and supporting a product can we get an issue addressed (“today it may not be organic – order now and the next 300 will be!”). We have faced this chicken and egg problem many times and our volume purchasing policy has helped to encourage many changes to the way products are made and materials sourced – sometimes suppliers are keen to change but they did not know about these issues before we asked the question – that’s why it is important to ask the questions.
Just by asking the questions we have sown the seeds – and often people want to know more – they want to make their products better – and sometimes they will only change if they can see a commercial advantage. But the risk remains with us because they need upfront orders and payments to underpin the change.
We are proud to know that our purchases – your purchases – have allowed us to convince suppliers to change materials, seek out better sources, use better ingredients and to start to ask the same questions that we do.
We aim for a world whereby real sustainability is embedded into the soul of all product design and where these questions won’t need to be asked any more!
To read more about our selection criteria
click here