Plantopia is on a single-minded, crucial journey towards empowering continuous wellness improvement for people and planet. The route we are embarking on is defined in our People & Planet Positive Manifesto which describes our sustainability ambitions and commitments. These inform, inspire, lead, and activate both our decision-making and goal setting so that as a community, we achieve significant positive change. They are reflected in our formulation principles.
Plantopia actively respects, promotes and advocates change for the sustainability and biodiversity of our vast, interconnected eco-system.
While we don’t formulate to a percentage natural target, all our formulas are a minimum of 88% natural and on average, 97% natural, as well as being Leaping Bunny accredited and vegan friendly.
Our vision is to shed a transparent light on the sustainability of ingredient supply chains starting with our own. We are taking on this challenge in partnership with the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT), with whom we share so many values and principles around sustainability.
We want to contribute at a global level to the necessary positive changes required for people and planet, while inspiring others to do the same. We are committed to using our voice to champion this conversation in the hope that we can encourage others to do the same and further advance change around the preservation conservation, education and regeneration of our ecosystems, as well as driving more fair and equal treatment into all the communities we touch.
Towards a more sustainable supply chain
In response to the people and planet challenges impacting the world we live in, we have identified five corresponding focus areas to help us to fulfil the Plantopia vision and ambition for people and planet wellness – our Five Force Focus. Three focuses in particular are critical to helping us maximise the positive effects of sustainable sourcing:
ECOSYSTEMS:
Preserve and regenerate this highly valuable but hugely complex network and interconnected sourcing system, with a dedicated commitment to conservation and regeneration.
PLANET:
Reduce and remediate devastating and ongoing harm with our planet positive commitment, being accountable for the 4R's of waste management – Remove, Recycle, Reuse and Reduce.
SOCIAL:
Fair and equal responsibility to everyone in our value chain, to ensure we not only minimize harm, but also create a positive benefit for the lives that we touch through our business.
As a member of the Union for Ethical Bio Trade (UEBT), we are committed to sourcing ingredients from nature with respect for people and biodiversity. UEBT works to regenerate nature and secure a better future for people through ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity. Aligned with our progress not perfection approach, UEBT membership is focused on gradual improvement. We will be working with them to track every one of our renewable, biodiversity-derived ingredients back up their supply chain to source. More than 200 of them. UEBT will help us measure, monitor, assess and communicate our progress in measurable, transparent ways.
What is sustainable and regenerative sourcing, and why is it important?
Sustainable sourcing is the process of ensuring the ingredients being sourced are obtained in an ethical and responsible way that ensures biodiversity is conserved, benefits are shared in a fair, respectful and equitable manner, and that social and economic impacts are taken into consideration in the sourcing process. Our commitment to tracing every renewable, biodiversity-derived ingredient back to source enables us to work with collectors, growers, farmers, communities and suppliers to drive up social and environmental standards in our supply chain. By 2025, every Plantopia product will contain a wild harvested ingredient. By combining the valorising of native plants with sustainable practice and biodiversity education, we encourage local communities to value of the environment around them, giving reasons for them to engage in conservation.
When it comes to regenerative sourcing, we prioritise ingredients from regenerative agriculture, following all the way through to and including packaging. Regenerative agriculture aims to improve soil quality and farm health by incorporating practices that support healthy soil, people and the environment. Each and every Plantopia product contains at least one by-product ingredient. Also called upcycled or circular ingredients, by-products use the waste produced in the creation of one product or ingredient as the feed stock for the creation of another. They result in more complete use of a resource, less waste and more great ingredients.
We are committed to working with our network of suppliers to spread regenerative practices further, driving change through advocacy and the continuous improvement in our own supply chain.
What is social sustainability, and why is it important?
Sustainability is about more than reducing plastic and recycling, carbon footprint or even how ingredients are grown. It’s also about social sustainability: the people Plantopia touches in bringing a product from field to shelf. The United Nations Global Compact describes social sustainability as;
Social sustainability is about identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people. The quality of a company’s relationships and engagement with its stakeholders is critical. Directly or indirectly, companies affect what happens to employees, workers in the value chain, customers and local communities, and it is important to manage impacts proactively.
Setting targets that impact social responsibility and sustainability helps Plantopia have a positive impact on society and development, not just business. It’s about taking steps to ensure fair prices, minimum social standards, and building long-term relationships. We are committed to ensuring the cultural and social concerns of local communities and indigenous people in cultivation and wild collection areas are taken into account. That includes women, children and other vulnerable and too often silenced groups. And it involves ensuring the rights and traditional practices of these communities and peoples are respected.
We don’t have all the answers and simply cannot achieve these important goals alone. We need you, our community, to join us on this journey and to add your voice to ours. Our commitment is to collaborate, working together as one community, to reach our people and planet positive destination: from small steps to significant strides, ensuring total transparency every step of the way.