Sustainability Policies

Building ecoLiving from the ground (and garden) up has influenced our decisions about how we work, purchase, supply and maintain our business practices. We produce high-quality, sustainable products that combat waste and plastic pollution, and create the least environmental impact.

At ecoLiving, we operate consciously and sustainably in every possible way and recognise the urgent need to protect the Planet's ecosystems and reduce carbon emissions from the creation, distribution and disposal of waste.

We are carbon neutral, planting trees for every product sold through Eden Reforestation Projects and are FSC (trademark symbol) certified. We are part of the 1% for the Planet scheme, 100% vegan, GMO and palm-free, Fairtrade, and soon to be a B-corp certified company. Our offices are run entirely on renewable energy sources, and we drive electric cars.

As part of ecoLiving's Designed to Give pledge, we are donating 2% of our revenue each year to charities.

Protecting the Planet is not just our business; it's our passion.

Revolutionising products, inspiring change

ecoLiving was created in response to the growing plastic crisis. When ecoLiving's founder and director, Jo Mack, started her zero-waste journey, plastic alternatives either didn't exist or weren't truly plastic-free, biodegradable and compostable. Jo's firm belief that there is almost always an eco-friendly option that is comparable in price, better in quality, and doesn't cost the earth, led her on a personal quest towards sourcing and developing products she believed could and should exist.

In the early days, efforts to source a biodegradable, vegan dental floss led to working with a European manufacturer who could substitute silk and beeswax (common ingredients in everyday sustainable items, such as floss) with non-GMO corn and food-grade vegetable wax. Leaving no stone unturned, Jo, tackled plastic packaging next, working with an eco cotton bud supplier to remove unnecessary plastic windows. Jo's quest caused a ripple effect, with the manufacturer purchasing a new machine to fit Jo's requirements and the supplier changing her product to Fair Trade organic.

In response to the rising demand for sustainable, ethical and plastic-free alternatives, ecoLiving has evolved into one of the largest vegan zero-waste producers in the UK and EU.

Plastic-free

Minimising plastic is the guiding principle of our business and informs all our business practices.

All our packaging is plastic-free and made to be reused, recycled or composted back into nature. We are absolutely committed to reducing plastic and microplastic waste and produce all our packaging in the UK, reusing where possible. We offset any unavoidable carbon our packaging creates through the World Land's Trust Carbon Balanced programme.

UK First

We partner with UK-based companies that share our passion for the environment at every opportunity. If we cannot source what we need from the UK, we will consider European partners and try to minimise our carbon footprint as much as practicable. For example, our organic cotton-producing factory is located where the cotton is grown, limiting our carbon footprint significantly.

Zero Waste - recycling, reusing and composting

Being a sustainable business means minimising waste and finding productive ways to manage what remains. We are passionate about eliminating waste, taking measures to reduce consumption and ensuring that all products and packaging can be reused, recycled or composted back into nature or the marketplace.

We reuse all packaging/waste where possible and recycle and compost anything remaining. Our policy is to reuse first, recycle, then rot.

Beyond Plastic

Whilst plastic-free, reusable and affordable essentials are our business's main focus, we have also considered many other environmental factors and how we can provide ethical, earth and animal-friendly products.

Vegan

All ecoLiving products are vegan. We have never conducted or commissioned any organisation to conduct animal testing. Our products do not contain any animal by-products, nor are they processed by animals.

Organic and GMO free

We produce a range of certified organic products which are assessed against strict ecological and social parameter requirements. These include welfare standards, using products free from genetically modified organisms, and ensuring farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.

All our products and ingredients are free from Genetically modified organisms (GMO). We do not use genetic modification or incorporate genetically modified materials in our products.

Palm Free

Unsustainable palm oil production is one of the leading causes of deforestation in South East Asia, and it's in everything from food to cleaning products and packaging. All our products are free from palm oil or palm oil derivatives, and we endeavour to keep them that way. If in future, we are unable to find a sustainable alternative, we will always source 100% RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil as part of our commitment to protecting forests.

Taking care of the World's forests

We are FSC Certified and audited and source all wood, paper or forest product from FSC certified responsibly managed forests. We believe it is our responsibility to conserve and restore the ecosystem and mitigate adverse environmental and social impacts as much as possible. Through this certification, we support responsible forestry and local communities' social and economic wellbeing.

We also work in partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, which tackles extreme poverty and restores healthy forests by employing local villagers to plant millions of trees yearly in Madagascar, Nepal, Indonesia, Mozambique and Haiti.

We donate one tree for every sale across a whole range of products. With every order made, we plant a tree, which helps the environment and supports the continued employment of communities, ensuring their economic growth and ability to support themselves and their families. More than a quarter of all developing countries' forests are now managed by local communities.

Carbon Neutral

Our entire operation is carbon neutral. We offset by working with Carbon Footprint, who helped us identify carbon emissions at the source, set targets, and compensate for unavoidable emissions via carbon offsetting. We also contribute to removing carbon emissions through our partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, planting native trees.

For the People!

We believe that local communities' social and economic wellbeing is key to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection. We support organisations such as Eden Reforestation, 1% for The Planet and Fairtrade, who work to alleviate global poverty, promote sustainability and enable and empower people to become stakeholders in their own organisations and actively play a wider role in international trade.

Small-scale farmers and workers are among the most marginalised by the global trade system. All our products are Fair Trade, certified, and ethically sourced. ecoLiving holds social accountability certifications (SA8000 and SEDEX) and is a living wage employer run by an all-female team.

We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all our business dealings and relationships. We implement and enforce effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place anywhere within our own business or in any of our supply chains, consistent with our obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

"Be the change you want to see in the World." Gandhi

Sustainability Reviews

Every year we carry out a sustainability review. These reviews detail how we function as a business and where we can improve to become more sustainable.

Modern Slavery

Modern slavery is a crime resulting in an abuse of the human rights of vulnerable workers, including children. It can take various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking. ecoLiving Trading Ltd has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all our business dealings and relationships. We implement and enforce effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place anywhere within our own business or in any of our supply chains, consistent with our obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

We also expect the same high standards from all our suppliers and other business partners. As part of our contracting processes, we includes specific prohibitions against the use of modern slavery and expect our suppliers to hold their own suppliers to the same standards.