OUR PLANET
how are we
contributing?
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
Robert Swan, Author
At Blendsmiths, we try to carry out best practices that have minimal impact on the environment and set a precedent for ourselves in continuing to always strive to do better for our planet, in all areas of our business.
We are a small company, with big ambitions and no matter our size in the future, we believe there are no excuses for not putting procedures in place and looking at ways to carry out practices that align with the Blendsmiths ethos.
When we started Blendsmiths, there were a couple of non-negotiables we wanted to implement across the business. One of them was to make sure we always considered the environment across our entire process and the people contributing to our supply chain.
WE ARE A
GREEN
COMPANY
We are a 100% plastic free facility
Our delivery boxes are made from 70% recycled cardboard. Absolutely NO plastic is used on site which we are incredible proud of.
Our pouches are made from PE and can be widely recycled in the UK. The type of PE is Low density, meaning its less tough and easier to manufacture than HDPE (High density), this ensures waste is kept to a minimum during the production process.
The pouches are also made digitally which is a more environmentally friendly printing process, our printers are CO2 Neutral. Despite being recyclable, the material has a barrier coating on it (EVOH) which helps keep the food fresher for longer and reduces product waste.
Our retail packaging boxes are made from virgin board derived from wood pulp. This board comes from sustainable and renewable sources and is completely recyclable.
Global UN Compact
Agreement
In 2018, we signed up to partnership agreements with suppliers under the Global UN Compact, the world's largest sustainabilty initiative.
The success of our business lies in our ability to contribute to the many people around the world, making our business possible in the first place.
This means our suppliers incorporate and execute the principles of the Global UN Compact into business strategies, policies and procedures, as well as establishing a culture of integrity and responsibility to uphold basic responsibilities towards people and the planet.
We have committed to working with our partners and suppliers to find practical solutions and improvements in all aspects of our business. As we grow, our ability to contribute increases - this would not be possible without your contribution, we are eternally grateful.
Good Health
& Wellbeing
Life expectancy in developing countries remains low, compounded by poor nutrition and lack of access to healthcare.
This is not just unacceptable for the affected individuals and their families, but has a direct economic cost for the individual and the country.
Since 2016, our partners have continued to roll out a 'Healthy Living Campaign'. Encouraging employees to put their health first - increasingly, we see the impacts of poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles not just in rural communities but across both developed and developing nations.
Agriculture
Perhaps more than any other sector agriculture faces huge environmental challenges that are interlocked and complex.
At a global scale, supplier operations are at risk of huge climates changes, contributing to poor soil quality and water scarcity which in turn impacts global food security.
Continuing to support small holders with a crop diversification for improved income and food security.
Just as a balanced diet is nutritionally diverse, a healthy livelihood shouldn’t be over reliant on one crop.Encouraging farmers to diversify crops helps to stagger income.
Female Farmers
We promote gender equality and opportunity.
In many of the countries our ingredients are cultivated, women have vastly unequal decision-making power, control over their own spending and access to education, finance, land and overall inputs.
Working with the International Cocoa Organisation and the Government’s Department for Family and Social Development, our partners field officers work tirelessly in the fight against bridging the gap and fighting for opportune recognition.
Farming Practices
Bypassing middle men to unlock mutual value. In addition to the Fairtrade premium and pre-financing from our partners, the farmers (and our suppliers) will benefit financially by eliminating the middlemen, whilst full traceability confers multiple benefits.
Our suppliers have set up education programmes helping farmers to count, financially negotiate and close deals appropriate towards the quality of their crop.
This in turn provides financial stability for them, their families and grows opportunity within the local community.
Financial
Management
Bypassing middle men to unlock mutual value. In addition to the Fairtrade premium and pre-financing from our partners, the farmers (and our suppliers) will benefit financially by eliminating the middlemen, whilst full traceability confers multiple benefits.
Our suppliers have set up education programmes helping farmers to count, financially negotiate and close deals appropriate towards the quality of their crop.
This in turn provides financial stability for them, their families and grows opportunity within the local community.
Carbon Footprint
Fossil-fuelled growth, and the emission of greenhouse gases that accompanies it, has led the world to climate change that will have major consequences for millions of people and the natural world around us.
This is why the majority of our suppliers have called for tax on carbon. Commercial enterprises must be incentivised to decouple growth from carbon and there must be a higher cost to doing business as usual, if companies are unwilling to change.
Only then can we stimulate a concerted effort to increase fossil fuel efficiency and more crucially, encourage innovation into alternative energies and efficiency measures.
Cocoa Tracking
In an increasingly fast moving world, you would be forgiven for not taking a moment to think, where and how the delicious drink you are sipping came to be.
We should all want to learn how the cocoa or chocolate product we enjoy links back to the farming communities where it grows.
We expect this story to be one of positive environmental stewardship and support for farmer livelihoods and rightly so.
The cocoa supply chain is long and highly complex which makes traceability a challenge no matter how direct the relationship is.
When faced with a lack of basic infrastructure or internet connectivity, it becomes very difficult to gather the reliable and consistent data required to measure and assess whether social and environmental programmes are having the desired impact.
We have been working with an importer for the past 5 years who have developed an end-to-end traceability system which makes this possible.
It tracks the cocoa at every stage in our direct supply chain, with the journey information recorded and uploaded into a centralised system.
With the rich data, we can better provide accurate sustainability claims.
And traceability does not stop at the cocoa bean level. To give our customers (you guys) the assurance of knowing exactly where the cocoa in our chocolate blends have come from, we fully support this technology to produce high quality cocoa ingredients.
Our single origin cocoa from Ghana and blended cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire can be crafted from 100% traceable cocoa beans at the processing facilities. Through the digital sustainability platform, we can access insights on the environmental and social impact of these ingredients from data on carbon foot printing to information on specific community initiatives.
Always VEGAN
Every product we make is 100% vegan-friendly.
In fact, we are lucky enough to have been accredited as one of just a few vegan manufacturing sites in the UK that is BRC and SALSA (Food safety) certified.In May 2021, we were awarded the UK Vegan-Friendly certification.
Vegan-friendly is an international non-profit organisation established in 2012 with the aim of ending animal suffering and global warming by increasing the consumption of plant-based food.
They believe that all animals should be treated fairly with love and compassion.We believe that all humans are equals and we all deserve to be treated with respect and equality.
We firmly stand against discrimination of any kind and we are proud to collaborate with people and businesses from all religions, race, residence or any way of life. Our way is of peace, discourse, love and kindness to all living beings.
After analysing our business model, our sustainability processes and monitoring our ingredients, they awarded us with the certification.
Proud to be British
In 2021, we were successfully and officially certified as 'Made in Great Britain'.
We are super proud to be British made and this certification is a huge addition to our journey so far.
All future packaging will proudly display the famous logo.