sustainable business, part 1
Part of the original concept for Dot & Lil was that it should be a sustainable business. Minimizing our carbon footprint is one of the key operating standards of this company. I wanted to tell you all a little bit about how we are sustainable. There are also some areas where we could be greener and where we are searching for new solutions.
We order directly from manufacturers or producers whenever we can. This means that whatever we are buying has not been shipped before it is shipped to us.
We use glass and paper for all of our packaging so that it is recyclable and more importantly re-usable. The only exception is our lip balm, packaged in recyclable plastic, because you want to be able to throw it in your purse and glass just would not work! (ouch). Almost all our paper is %100 post-consumer recycled. This includes our gift boxes, kraft paper we wrap our in, and our window bags for bath tea and soap sets. The clear wrap on the round soaps is cellophane, which degrades very quickly.
The bags people leave with at craft fairs are handmade by Nancy Marrelli (my mom!) from re-purposed fabric. Recently, we have started using biodegradable plastic bags for heavier or larger items. They are made in Canada too!
I will talk more about what we do to minimize our carbon footprint in upcoming posts.
We source our supplies from Montreal as a first choice. This cuts down on emissions from shipping. It also means that we are contributing to our own community. Anything that we cannot find here and must order from elsewhere we search for in Quebec, then Canada and the U.S. as a last resort. Currently, everything we order is local to Montreal except two of our suppliers who are located in Ontario.
We order directly from manufacturers or producers whenever we can. This means that whatever we are buying has not been shipped before it is shipped to us.
We use glass and paper for all of our packaging so that it is recyclable and more importantly re-usable. The only exception is our lip balm, packaged in recyclable plastic, because you want to be able to throw it in your purse and glass just would not work! (ouch). Almost all our paper is %100 post-consumer recycled. This includes our gift boxes, kraft paper we wrap our in, and our window bags for bath tea and soap sets. The clear wrap on the round soaps is cellophane, which degrades very quickly.
The bags people leave with at craft fairs are handmade by Nancy Marrelli (my mom!) from re-purposed fabric. Recently, we have started using biodegradable plastic bags for heavier or larger items. They are made in Canada too!
I will talk more about what we do to minimize our carbon footprint in upcoming posts.
