Sustainability...
OUR DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABILITY INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:
• Advocate
• Certified organic
• Certified Fair Trade
• Eco-materials
• Reduce
• What it means: Stand-up for your beliefs.
• What we are doing to achieve it: We communicate with our customers through our Web site, blog and social media and our packaging to educate and create awareness of environmental issues, and our company’s measures to achieve our sustainability goals.
• Benefit: We create an authentic picture of what our company is doing to help preserve our planet, and what you as a consumer can do to help.
• What it means: In order for honey to be certified organic, the bees which make it cannot forage on any flowers that are sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. In addition, the beekeeper cannot use any chemicals or antibiotics in the production of the honey.
• What we are doing to achieve it: Our suppliers are committed to sustainable farming practices: they don't use chemicals or antibiotics in their hives.
• Benefit: You get peace of mind knowing that the food you put in your body is free of harmful chemicals, and the bees and the environment are spared them, too.
• What it means: The Fair Trade Certified™ Label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of our honeys. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards
• What we are doing to achieve it: We are a Fair Trade licensed company. We believe in paying farmers above market prices for the best quality honey. When you buy our fair trade certified honey, your purchase directly benefits the communities who produce it.
• Benefit: Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS - MADE IN THE USA
• What it means: Packaging components (like the container, lid, and label) that don’t impact the environment negatively, and are made in the U.S. to cut-down on shipping.
• What we are doing to achieve it: We recognize that there is no such thing as “no-impact” packaging, because all packaging materials take energy and resources to make and transport. However, we work closely with our packaging manufacturers to achieve a balance between sustainability and functionality.
• Benefit: Less waste and smarter designs will benefit all people and the planet.
We use post-consumer recycled content plastic (PCR) containers because they keep plastic out of landfills and do not require any virgin plastic resins to be made. They also save energy during shipping, since they are lightweight.
o We use glass jars because they are easily recyclable in most municipalities.
o Our metal caps are recyclable.
o The labels on the jars are printed with soy-based ink.
o We purchase all our packaging components from U.S. manufacturers, with the exception of our glass jars. This cuts-down on over-seas shipping to our plant.
All of our packing components, like the box and cushioning material used in shipping orders placed on our Web site, are made from 100% biodegradable materials (except for the tape).
• What it means: Find efficiencies in the production process and produce less waste.
• What we are doing to achieve it: Typically, honey is shipped on pallets made of pine wood, with a sheet of new cardboard between the product and the pallet. Instead of buying new cardboard, we re-use boxes by cutting them to the right size for the pallet. This cuts down on waste. We don't buy new pallets. Instead, we work with a pallet exchange program, in which we effectively rent pallets. We ship our honey on them to our customer, and when the pallets arrive at their destination, they get sent back to the company which owns and manages them. This cuts down on waste, and saves trees from being milled for new pallets.
• Benefit: Less waste means less landfill space consumed and a cleaner environment. Re-using pallets means saving trees.
