Live green. Lets take care of our planet
Small steps have the power to make things better for us and the planet. We believe in the power of every single person to contribute to that change. We are a sustainably focused organisation, and in our quest to build a better world we believe that small, everyday actions can make a big difference.
Frivolous consumerism is creating excess and is damaging our environment. Being thoughtful and intentional with our spending is more sustainable for us and the planet. Reducing our negative impact and living green now protects us and the planet tomorrow. Let’s be more considered in our society and learn to spend and consume in healthier ways.
“It is our collective and individual responsibility … to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live.” — Dalai Lama
12 simple ways to Live Green
- When shopping and out and about, take your own containers, use reusable bags and coffee cups. Provide your own containers for takeaway food.
- Avoid single use plastics.
- Buy less, buy better. Only buy what you need and pay attention to labels. Think fair trade, organic, animal friendly and local.
- Switch to homemade cleaning products such as white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, essential oils and liquid castile soap. Simply mix these with water in a spray bottle and cut up squares from old clothes to use as cleaning rags.
- Reduce your meat consumption, go plant-based one day a week or more!
- Cook seasonally and at home. Minimise your food waste by shopping with a planned list and using your freezer for leftovers.
- Start your own organic vege patch, choose bee friendly plants, mow the lawn less and let biodiversity take hold of your garden.
- Start your own compost system to include compostable packaging and teabags.
- Choose slow fashion, including second hand, and think about natural, durable fabrics. Mend what you have. Have fun swapping with your friends.
- Drive less, move more. Use public transport, carpool, bike or walk. Combine errands into one trip. Add a car-free day to your week.
- Be mindful of your water usage. Reduce your shower lengths, wash your clothes less and fix leaks as soon as possible.
- Regularly service your products such as heat pumps so that they may be more efficient.
Going plastic free starts at home
Embracing a green lifestyle is rewarding and fun, and it’s easy to start at home.
- Choose to use reusable products made from natural fibres in and around your home. Browse our range of beautiful plastic-free products that are sustainably produced and perfectly suited to living green.
- Make your own cleaning products using pantry basics like white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, essential oils and liquid castile soap. Simply mix these with water in a spray bottle and cut up squares from old clothes to use as cleaning rags.
- Enjoy organically-grown foods and make healthy, home cooked meals.
- Avoid single use plastics and swap items like clingwrap, for beeswax alternatives.
- Use waste free personal products, eg bar soaps and shampoos, reusable sanitary products and baby nappies.
It's all about compostability!
We use compostable packaging across many of our food products including chocolate, drinking chocolate, cocoa and tea. On all our food packaging you will see information about which parts are compostable and how to dispose of them responsibly.
We use Econic compostable packaging for most of our products, including all our chocolate blocks and bars, because it’s designed to retain the utility and food safety provided by traditional plastic films, but without the impact on the environment.
Setting up a home composting system can be very useful, and also enjoyable! The ideal environment will contain heat, water, oxygen, soil and micro-organisms. If you are missing one of these elements, (for example, if your home compost is too dry) the composting process will not be as effective.
New compostable teabags
Did you know that most teabags in New Zealand are made using a filter paper which incorporates a fine mesh of plastic (polypropylene) to strengthen and seal the bag. We’d all prefer not to have plastic in our cup of tea, so at Trade Aid, we’ve been working closely with our partner in India, Tea Promoters India (TPI), to find a filter material that does not contain polypropylene. In 2019 a new material finally became available which uses starch based PLA in place of the polypropylene. After extensive testing, and a few shipping delays due to Covid, we have proudly made the shift to using teabags that are free of petroleum-based plastics and will break down in industrial and home compost systems.
Our packaging sustainability plan
The environmental impact of our packaging is an area of continual work and improvement for us.
New Zealand consumers in recent years have become more aware of the waste created at the end of a products’ life cycle. As a business concerned about making the best possible environmental decisions, Trade Aid’s responsibility is to take into account the product’s entire lifecycle and not just the waste stream that results at the end of a product’s life.
You can read more about this and learn about our packaging plan here.
Trade Aid and Toitū Envirocare
Respecting and caring for the environment is high on everyone’s agenda. But for us at Trade Aid National office in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, it’s a critical part of our business.
Trade Aid Importers (TAI) are a member of Toitū Envirocare, who are assisting us on our journey developing a robust Environmental Management System (EMS). An EMS is a planned approach to managing environmental impacts, that can lead to improved and beneficial environmental outcomes. It’s the foundation from which all our environmental and sustainability initiatives are instigated, implemented, and maintained.