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Tag Archives: Environmental Action

B Corp: For Profit as a Force for Good

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by ecobagsbrand in BCorporation, ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS brand, Ecobags in the Media, Ecobags Team, ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, Environmental Action, global citizen, Green Products, Tribe, Uncategorized

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b corporation, b corporations, Best for the Environment, Eco Friendly, Environmental Action, environmentally friendly, fair labor, fair wage, green business, Green living, Green Products, SA 8000, socially reponsible business, socially responsible

Sharon with Wings_Cochin India

Eco-Bags Products Founder & CEO Sharon Rowe, visiting our factory in India.

We are so happy to announce that we have been re-certified as a B Corporation. We so strongly believe in for-profit businesses as a force for good, and our ability as social and environmental change makers. It is a community that we are proud to be a part of and celebrate.

We have been a certified B Corp since 2010 – but we have been sourcing our labor and product ethically & sustainably since our inception in 1989, before it was the “cool” thing to do, before “social responsibility” was a buzzword.

Eco-B2016-best-for-the-world-overallags Products was  a B Corp Best for the Environment honoree in 2014 & 2015, and this past year – 2016 – we were recognized as a B Corp Best for the World Overall. We are happy to see B Corporation growing as more and more businesses join each year – and love to meet new friends, and see the old, at their annual retreats. As B Corp has grown it has had to change and adapt to the plethora of different businesses that are certified each year.

During our re-certification we learned that B Corp has changed the way it assesses businesses to better represent the growing number of for-profit companies that are seeking B Corporation certification that are social ventures whose sole purpose of existence is to employ those who are refugees or disenfranchised; companies like Greyston Bakery, whose practices (& baked goods) we so wholeheartedly believe in and support.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve in a way that benefits both the environment as well as the people and animals living on it, and our proud of our score of 111 on the B Corp impact assessment, from the B Corp website:

Any score higher than 0 points is a good score, as a positive score indicates that the company is doing something positive for society and the environment. The Assessment rewards practices that go beyond standard business practice; therefore, every point earned on the Assessment reflects incremental, positive impact.

Most companies score between 40 and 100 points out of the 200 points available.

Our factory  is both third party fair wage and fair labor certified, and the farm where we source our cotton uses revenue to fund a school for the children of their workers. Our cotton is GOTS certified organic. We have our SA 8000 certification, which is a social accountability standard. Our bags are made of either recycled cotton or organic cotton. We employ members of our local community and to lessen our carbon impact most of us walk to work or drive less than 3 miles, and one of us commutes by foot & ferry. We are a group of people committed to and with a strong belief in our companies values & mission.

We have made a commitment, and will continue to make that commitment, to support sustainability for the environment, and to make sure everyone in our supply chain works in a safe environ
ment, and makes a living wage.

Written by: Mollie Mac, ECOBAGS® very own marketing maven. Mollie is an adventurer and a green living advocate. If you have any tips or tricks for her she’d love to hear from you, email her at: mollie(at)ecobags(dot)com:)

 

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Let’s Talk Green

30 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by ecobagsbrand in ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, education, Farmer's Markets, global citizen, Green, green living tips, Green Products, Green Tips, Inspiration, Plastic Bag Ban, Plastic Bags, plastic litter, trash, trash free, Uncategorized

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Eco Friendly, eco friendly tips, Environmental Action, environmental tips, environmentally friendly, Green, Green living, jargon, Zero waste

blog-zero-waste-jargon-ecobags

A guide to the jargon of the zero waste movement.

Zero Waste: Is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. No trash is sent to landfills and incinerators. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature.

Precycle: The practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid bringing items which will generate waste into home or business.

Upcycle: Reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.

Circular Economy:  Is a generic term for an industrial economy that is producing no waste and pollution, by design or intention, and in which material flows are of two types, biological nutrients, designed to reenter the biosphere safely, and technical nutrients, which are designed to circulate at high quality in the production system without entering the biosphere as well as being restorative and regenerative by design.

Composite Material:  Is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. Diapers and juice boxes are made of composite materials, composite materials make it harder to recycle.

Organic Waste: Any waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane or simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things using composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion or similar processes.

Have any other terms that you would like to add? Let me know in the comments below!

Written by: Mollie Mac

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Ethical Consumerism

16 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by ecobagsbrand in BCorporation, ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS brand, ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, Environmental Action, Farmer's Markets, Fashion, global citizen, Green, green living tips, Green Products, Green Tips, Inspiration, peace, trash, trash free, Uncategorized, zero waste

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Eco Friendly, Environmental Action, ethical buying, ethical consumerism, ethical production, Green living, Green Products, socially responsible

20161102-blog

In general, I don’t promote consumerism, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not tempted in it sometimes, or that I never give in. I give in more than I like – especially as my partner and I recently moved into a new place, and sometimes decorating doesn’t seem like consumption.

The thing is not participating in consumerism is the ideal, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an ethical way to go about buying new things if that’s what you choose. You can choose to buy products that are produced responsibly and ethically.

What does this mean?

  • Choose products that are certified fair labor/fair trade – meaning that the people who are making the items you purchase are paid a living wage and work in a safe and healthy environment, and that the products meet rigorous environmental standards.
  • Go to the B Corporation website, to find companies that are certified by the non-profit B Lab  as having met social sustainability and environmental performance standards.
  • Look for a Green America seal of approval.
  • If you’re buying organic, make sure it is OTA ceritifed.
  • Purchase your produce, meat, & nuts from a local farmers market or join a CSA.

And though these products may cost a few extra dollars – remember why they cost a bit more. Most companies that produce ethically usually produce quality items that are made with better materials that will last longer, the products most likely have a smaller impact on our environment, they are most likely better for your and your family’s health, and you are supporting a company that pays it’s employees a livable wage and offers them a safe working environment. These are all things, to me, that are worth a few extra dollars.

Plus, I’ve noticed the more I think about my consumerism, the less I am to consume, therefore saving more money.

Written by: Mollie Mac, ECOBAGS® very own marketing maven. Mollie is an adventurer and a green living advocate. If you have any tips or tricks for her she’d love to hear from you, email her at: mollie(at)ecobags(dot)com:)

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Organizations we Love – EWG

07 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by ecobagsbrand in ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, education, Environmental Action, global citizen, natural, trash free, Uncategorized, zero waste

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Environmental Action, environmental tips, environmentally friendly, Green living, green tips, health, healthy living

20161107-blog

The Environmental Working Group is one of our favorite non-profits, and something I reference in my daily life.

A big part of living green is being educated and aware of products, foods, chemicals, etc. that are harmful to our bodies, and, of course, the environment. For two decades EWG has provided research to the general public that has not only allowed people to be more aware and make better choices for their health and the environment, but has also informed policy.

Their guides can help you make better choices at the grocery store, in your beauty routine, and even with the electronics you choose.

With the upcoming holiday season, consider making a donation to this very important non-profit organization. And, with any tax-deductible donation of $140+ you’ll get a bountiful box of green goodies (including a reusable ECOBAGS® tote)!

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Last Chance: ECOBAGS®, Sarah Lazarovic, & Trash is for Tossers “Buyerarchy” Giveaway!

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by ecobagsbrand in co branded bags, contests, custom printed bags, ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS brand, Ecobags Team, ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, Environmental Action, Fashion, Green, Green Events, Green Products, Inspiration, plastic litter, tote bags, trash free, Tribe, Uncategorized

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Custom printing, Eco Friendly, eco friendly tips, ecobags, ECOBAGS BRAND, Ecobags Team, Environmental Action, environmental tips, Global Citizen, Green, Green Products, green tips, Inspiration, plastic bags, reusable shopping bags, socially responsible, sustainability, Zero waste

giveaway-ig-photo

It’s your last chance to enter our “buyerarchy” giveaway that we are hosting along with artist Sarah Lazarovic and Lauren Singer of Trash is for Tossers.

We’re giving away 30 totes with Sarah Lazarovic’s “Buyerarchy,” and ten lucky winners will also receive her book “A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy.”

We hope this giveaway inspires people to reduce not only their use of plastic, but to purchase more intentionally. It’s not just plastic that we need to reduce consumption of, but we also need to reduce our consumption of all the “stuff.”

Giveaway closes 9/27/16 at 8PM!

Here’s how to enter:
1 – Follow @ecobags_us, @trashisfortossers, and @abunchofpretty, on Instagram
2 – subscribe to our email lists by following this link
3 – Go back to our Instagram post, tag one of your eco friendly friends, and type #iamthechange

All entries must be submitted by 9/27/16 8:00PM EST. The winner will be announced by 9/28/16 5:30PM EST. We will notify the winner by direct message on Instagram, as well as announcing the winner on the original Instagram post.

Contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. This contest is in no way sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Instagram, Inc. By entering entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.

Written by: Mollie Mac, ECOBAGS® very own marketing maven. Mollie is an adventurer and a green living advocate. If you have any tips or tricks for her she’d love to hear from you, email her at: mollie(at)ecobags(dot)com:)

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