EcoKitty Sustainability Policy

We are a small family run on-line business based in Cornwall.  We provide excellent cat toys and gifts through our on-line shop,  online outlets and retail outlets. 

We recognise that the concept of sustainability can be interpreted in many different ways, but at its core is an approach that looks to balance different and often competing needs against an awareness of environmental, social and economic challenges.  

We believe that the predicted impacts of climate change, resource efficiency, fairness and ethical trading are of paramount importance, and that the social and economic consequences of a changing climate are likely to have an impact on our activities. By recognising and understanding these issues, we will manage risk and capture new market opportunities in a sustainable and ethical manner. 

We understand that climate change impacts, resource efficiency, fairness and ethical trading are of paramount importance, and are amongst society’s greatest challenges. 

The social and economic consequences of a changing climate will have an impact on our activities. By recognising and understanding these issues, we will manage risk and capture new market opportunities in a sustainable and ethical manner. 

We are fully committed to minimising our operational impact on the environment whenever and wherever possible. This is core to ensuring we run our business in the right way and with the right values. 

Our products

Even though we are a small enterprise, we understand that our activities, operations and products have a direct environmental and social impact.  We hope to ensure that these impacts are positive.  The products we make have been designed with our ethics and values in mind.  

Our range of products and gift packaging are designed with our ethics and values in mind and are designed and produced fully embracing the methodology and ideology of Ecodesign (Ecodesign is the way of thinking about design which takes in to account the environmental impact of the product or packaging across its full life cycle.)

All our products are made by us and for us in the West Country; this enables us to support the UK workforce and other UK businesses wherever possible.  We use 100% recycled wadding and 100% organic catnip in our cat toys.  Our Playhouses are made from 100% recycled card and printed using vegetable inks, as are our notebooks.  Our pencils are made from recycled CD cases. We do not sell others products.  Everything we make and sell is exclusively for EcoKitty.  

Where materials cannot be sourced as locally as we would ideally choose, we try to limit the product miles where possible to enable us to keep their carbon footprint to a minimum.  Where we are unable to achieve this, we mitigate our product carbon impact by supporting environmental initiatives.

All our product packaging is made from recycled card, including the wraps used to post out our playhouses.  We care deeply about the environment, and protecting finite resources.  We have therefore always limited the use of plastics to using 100% biodegradable plastic packaging, 100% recycled or reused plastics.  As environmental issues are of paramount importance to us, the use of these products is minimised as much as possible. 

We have big ideas and even bigger hearts.  As part of our social responsibility and focus on supporting our kitty friends, we donate toys and playhouses to cats and kittens in rescue centres waiting for their forever homes. 

Our approach

This statement sets out our approach to managing our environmental impacts through compliance with all relevant UK legislation and mitigating our direct and indirect environmental impacts.

The scope of our environmental impact management processes includes energy, water, waste and paper.

We aim to achieve our goals and promote good and best practices by:

• Striving to continually improve our environmental performance
• Mitigating our direct environmental impacts 
• Reducing our use of natural resources
• Pollution prevention 
• Integrating environmental considerations into business decisions in line with our commitment to environmental and social sustainability 
• Embracing the ideology of Ecodesign
• Setting targets on key aspects of our environmental performance and reviewing them periodically 
• Minimising water consumption and maximising water conservation
• Maximising energy and resource efficiency in our workplace
• Limiting unnecessary business travel by maximise the use of sustainable transport options where feasible, including the use of technology where appropriate
• Minimising waste (we are actually very good at this!)
• Considering the product miles and embedded carbon of our raw materials and suppliers within our sourcing process 
• Risk prevention and management
• Providing non-discriminatory practices in relation to the 9 Protected Characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

Our workshop is an eco-build, with renewable energy used for space heating and solar panels to generate electricity and to heat our water.  We also use energy efficient LED lighting and A* rated appliances.

We review this policy annually

Next review date  – January 2021