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Active Hands Go Green

Here at Active Hands we’re passionate about what we do, and we’re passionate about doing our bit to take care of this planet. With the race to save our planet gaining traction we thought it was time to step it up, share what we’re doing, and ask if there’s any more you think we could do!

Packaging

If you’ve ever ordered a product from us there’s a few things you might have noticed. For example… your parcel arrives in a polymailer or a box, but did you know we use either degradable or recycled polymailers? The degradable ones can break down in anaerobic environments like landfills, and the recycled ones are not only made from 100% recycled materials BUT you can recycle them too. If your parcel showed up in a box it probably had a previous life – because whenever we get deliveries we save the boxes in our stock room to reuse when we get an order *just* the right size… we even bring in any boxes from home! And what about that bubble wrap and packing paper, you ask? Almost all of the packaging we use was sent to us in parcels first… and now it’s for you to reuse if you can, how about to pad a Christmas or birthday gift you’re sending through the post?

polymailer labelled as degradable
shelf full of boxes ready to be reused
cardboard box of packing materials to be re-used

Reducing

printer image

You may have noticed that we’ve been working to make our website smoother, faster and all around a better customer experience. What you won’t know is that there’s lots going on in the background too! We’re working to improve and streamline our dispatch process and office practices in a bid to use less paper and ink. And some products, like our hair ties, are packaged AFTER you’ve ordered them, so that if you order 5 hair ties, it’s still just 1 set of packaging!

Recycling

Recycling icon

A 2013 survey in the UK found that 80% of businesses did not recycle… we expect that number has gone down by now, but regardless, we refuse to be one of them! Paper, card, cardboard and that pesky plastic… it’s not heading to landfill on our watch. We provide recycling resources for ourselves and our tenants – so any paper that we do need to use can have a life after us!

Quality

Rob at our manufacturer's factory

One simple, but effective, way of cutting down on unnecessary waste is by buying quality products. This means that you don’t end up throwing away and replacing things too often. Here at Active Hands we believe in good quality products, made to last several years even with heavy use, to reduce any unnecessary landfill.

Suppliers

green map of the UK

Most of our Active Hands gripping aids are made by a manufacturing company in Cornwall (UK) or by our trusty outworkers near Reading (also UK). Having reasonably local suppliers cuts our carbon footprint… and it’s made even better by the fact that the gripping aids made in Reading hitch a ride with Rob and Mel’s Dad when he comes up to visit! We also recently took on the manufacture of the 1-Up Hair Ties, and we source the main components from within the UK – this means we don’t need to get them flown in from their creator in Australia!

Getting To Work

cartoon outline of a car

Active Hands are pleased to have been able to offer staff the opportunity to work from home, even pre-COVID. The majority of our staff still work at home for at least part of the week – this reduces pollution and allows our brilliant employees some flexibility – especially if they need work to fit around the school run! When we do work in the office, we have several employees who car-share to reduce their emissions, and some even live close enough to walk when the weather holds out!

Carbon Offsetting

cartoon tree

We do our best to reduce our emissions, but we’re not naĂŻve – we know they still exist! We have committed to annually calculating the carbon we’ve used travelling to and from the office and exhibitions, getting stock and materials shipped to our head office, posting your orders and heating our building. We then pay for those emissions to be offset through certified schemes. It’s not an exact science, but it’s another way to help our planet.

So, there’s your run-down of our #EcoInitiatives… if you can think of more that we could do, let us know!

Here is our formal environmental policy, if you wish to view it!

Jo Walters