Ecostore has come out on top in a list of sustainable brands released by The Colmar Brunton Better Futures report. For the fifth year in a row, ecostore topped the unprompted list of sustainable brands in New Zealand. The Colmar Brunton Better Futures report asked New Zealanders which brands were leaders in sustainability. Furthermore, when prompted, 83 percent of those surveyed named ecostore as a leading sustainable brand in New Zealand.
Among the reasons listed by participants were, use of renewable resources, care for the environment through business practice, and a focus on quality natural ingredients.
Ecostore’s managing director Pablo Kraus said “while we are thrilled to appear top of the unprompted list for the fifth year in a row, New Zealand needs more companies championing sustainability. We are the only New Zealand company making all of our bottles from sugar plastic despite the significant advantages to the environment by switching, including reducing carbon from the environment. We are all in this together and corporates, particularly large corporates, need to lead the way.”
“We are dedicated to tackling the plastic problem, hence our significant capital investment in sugar plastic and making household cleaning and personal care products that are safer for Kiwis, their families and the planet. This has been our approach since we launched in 1993. This philosophy goes hand in hand with ensuring we create packaging that is as sustainable as possible. As a manufacturer of home cleaning and personal care products, it’s a responsibility we take very seriously.”
Ecostore has also committed to working towards an ambitious set of targets in the fight to beat plastic pollution. Last year the company signed the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration, and globally, ecostore also signed ‘A Line in the Sand - a Global Commitment’ to tackle plastic pollution, driven by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation – global leaders in the Circular Economy and addressing the plastic issue the world currently faces.
The report also suggests New Zealanders are ready for a deeper commitment to environmental stewardship and are ready to take action to protect and preserve the Earth’s environment - four in 10 New Zealanders are highly committed to living sustainable lifestyles.
“All our products are plant-based making them suitable for greywater and septic tanks to avoid endangering our waterways, and our packaging solution can help to combat climate change. Since moving to sugar plastic in 2014, we’ve saved 4,485 tonnes (and counting) of carbon from being released into the air,” added Kraus.
When asked to name the issues New Zealanders cared about the most, the top environment or social concern was plastic waste – seventy-two percent of Kiwis are concerned about the build-up of plastic waste in the environment. For the first time in 10 years, more than half of those surveyed expressed a high level of concern about climate change.
In one year, Kiwis have refilled bottles with over 30,000 litres of the company's cleaning and personal care products – that's the same size as a home water tank. With every bottle refilled that means one less bottle is produced. The company is now working toward making refilling easy and convenient.
“If more consumers move away from single-use products in favour of refills, then we can significantly reduce packaging waste. If consumers don’t have access to a refill station, another viable alternative is buying products in bulk, limiting necessary packaging while providing greater value to consumers. When reusing or refilling are not possible options, recycling is the next best way to help manage the waste.”
