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Pela is a company that is on mission to create a waste free future. They offer many products and accessories such as Phone Cases, Smart Watch Bands, Air Pod cases, and many more accessories. Pela’s founder, Jeremy Lang, began this mission after witnessing the impact that plastic had on the environment and started working and experimenting with materials that would replace plastic and other harmful materials in everyday items.

Pela Phone Cases are 100% compostable and made from natural resources and other wasteful materials to create a very environmentally friendly phone. The production and life cycle of these phones also crease 30% less carbon emissions, 34% less water usage, and 80% less production waste when compared to other phone cases in the market.

So far, Pela has prevented the equivalent of over 48 million plastic bags from entering the environment as a result from consumers purchasing their goods instead of other phone cases.  Pela is a Certified Climate Neutral company and a member of the 1% for the Planet organization, which is an international organization in which its members contribute at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes.

Michael Holowaty

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Tentree is lifestyle brand that sells an arrange of clothing and accessories for men and women. What makes their CRS so special? Their CSR policy is in the brand name; Tentree plans 10 trees for every product purchased. Additionally, Tentree claims to use on average, 71% less water in the production of their sweatshirts.  Lastly, Tentree produces these sweatshirts, along with their other clothes and accessories, in ethical factories with safe working conditions.

Aside from their logo which either says Tentree, or a number ten with a tree inside the zero, this brand does not label their CSR on their products aggressively. Lastly, Tentree prices their products equal to most brands within the market, sells their product in many major retail stores, and therefore creates a lower barrier to purchase.
https://www.tentree.ca/

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Earthwise Bag Company Inc. is a premier supplier of reusable bags with the goal to eliminate plastic bags. They make lightweight, durable, safe and non-toxic reusable bags. They mostly sell to retailers but they have an online website for their products and are in the Amazon store too. The company helps their customers meet their sustainability goals by offering best solutions through their product offerings. They support non-profit organizations and other great causes. Currently they are focused on environmental, hunger relief and health related charities.

The focus for this assignment is on their reusable and sustainable mesh produce bags made from recycled plastic bottles. These produce bags are used to carry fruits and vegetables, but can be used for other small items such as small laundry items. They come in a variety of sizes and three different color coded tags to distinguish between different items. These bags are lightweight , durable, and can scan bar codes easily through mesh. Their product CSR policy is for the bags to be made BPA free. Their products are constantly being evaluated for toxicity and safety by Bureau Veritas. The packaging for this item is eco-friendly because it is made from recycled paper.

Some barriers to using reusable produce bags are customers knowing they will receive a free bag, people re-using plastic bags at home for other purposes, low availability of reusable bags in shops, less comfortable to carry and reusable bags perceived as less hygienic. These reusable produce bags can be easily bought at the online Amazon store and are machine washable. Trade-offs to using reusable produce bags are protecting the planet and eliminating plastics in oceans.

-Monika Bednarz

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Let me introduce you to a company you should consider supporting.

Enter Terra Thread: these handcrafted goods are made with 100 percent organic and Fairtrade cotton that are colored in dyes that are Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) certified.

The Company:

Using exclusively Fairtrade America Certified Organic Cotton, Terra Thread ensures that their farmers have access to a safe working environment, gender equality, a living wage, and much more. Terra Thread’s cotton is not only GMO-free but is also grown using practices that are conscious of the environment and safe for surrounding ecosystems.

The Product:

All Terra Thread products are handcrafted in their Fair Trade Certified factory, ensuring safe, democratic work environments for their skilled knitters and sewers. Through their Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) certification, Terra Thread also guarantees that their cotton is dyed without harsh chemicals and with 88% less water and 62% less energy than generic cotton production.

Direct impact:

For every bag or accessory sold, Terra Thread donates meals to underprivileged children, families, and seniors through Feeding America. The number of meals donated increases with the item’s price.

Terra Thread delivers high-quality products that are both accessible and socially-responsible.

I recommend checking out their website for backpacks, tote bags, laptop sleeves and face masks:

https://terrathread.com

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Ralph Lauren clothing is one of the most popular clothing brands today. It is a global leader in the design, marketing, and distribution of lifestyle products. This means they hold a big responsibility to be socially responsible to the public. They make sure to do this by making public that they are Establishing a clear roadmap to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. They are also taking action to address racial inequity, both inside the Company and as a public voice in the industry. They differentiate themselves from other brands and products by launching and open-sourcing something called the Color on Demand, which is a revolutionary platform that sustainably dyes cotton. This is still new in the clothing industry.

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Amongst the thousands of brands in the cosmetics and beauty industry, the most stern brand one would come across is Lush. Lush launches 100% vegetarian products which are cruelty free; made with no use of animal ingredients whatsoever.

They have established around 20,000 ingredients that are considered wholly safe. Also, numerous production methods have been adopted by them that are entirely free of animal testing. Instead of using actual animals for testing products like many other brands usually do, they use three-dimensional human skin models in order to launch their cosmetics. One of their many other attempts at being cruelty-free and vegan is that they introduced 'Lush Prize' of approximately £250,000 to promote safety testing on various products instead of opting for animal testing. By doing that, they are also promoting animal-free initiatives for companies and projects all around the globe.

-Harsimran Gulati

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Tentree understood that clothing companies need to have a sustainable product nowaday. They adopted the idea of planting 10 trees for each sale of tshirts or sweatshirts. As well they also implemented systems to ensure the process of creating the clothes use less than 75% water then the average shirt. Tentree uses there sustainable selling points heavily on their packaging, it's literally in their name. When customers make a purchase, they also receive a code that can be entered into the TenTree website that enables them to track where their trees are being planted around the world, ranging from Nepal to Canada to Madagascar.

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Designer Mara Hoffman is a leader in sustainable fashion. She makes clothing more conscious by using organic, recycled materials and also ensures her manufacturers follow international labor standards. The company started a new initiative in partnership with The Renewal Workshop which allows damaged Mara Hoffman garments to be inspected, cleaned, repaired, and resold. Since 2015, The Renewal Workshop has prevented more than 780,000 pounds of textile waste from landfills. The company also uses a sustainable recycled fiber called REPREVE for all their textured swimsuits, which is made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Manufacturing these fabrics ultimately leads to fewer greenhouse gasses and conserves water and energy in the process.

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The founders understood that the pollution caused by the textile industry is increasing more and more. They decided that their product was different. and all of their shoes are vegan and cruelty-free, plus they reduced knitting time to help reduce carbon emissions.

The running shoes are recommended because they are waterproof and especially in Vancouver it would be a good to buy since it is raining all year.

They are also breathable, since they have a specific design to make this possible and lastly, they are lightweight, so compared to rain boots or other running shoes they are the best option.

As I said before these shoes apart from being CSR, the design they have is made to meet the needs of the population of Vancouver (People who go out for a run and do not want to get their shoes wet). Also, something important to add is that these shoes have an approximate cost of 130 Canadian dollars, compared to other brands such as adidas whose shoes are around 180 or 200 dollars.

- Kevin Santana

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Northstar Clean Tech - Eco-Friendly process for single-use asphalt shingles

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Northstar Clean Tech - Eco-Friendly process for single-use asphalt shingles

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Asphalt shingles are thrown to the landfill when they are replaced. This process allows us to recycle 99% of the material in asphalt shingles into liquid asphalt, which then may be converted into new shingles and may be reused.

Their website has a strong primary focus on the environmental aspects of their process. Many metrics and statistics are listed, such as the current tonnage sent to landfills in America (12M tons), and the case study done for Vancouver B.C. which states that this process will save nearly 70,000 tons from the Vancouver landfills.

The basis behind this company, is that they were looking to make a strong environmental impact in North America (starting in the Vancouver area) and wanted to enter a market that has essentially been untapped, in order to create a feasible business plan. With many years of related experience on their leadership team and highly skilled engineers, they were able to find this process and reduce the amount of landfill made from asphalt shingles by a significant amount.

This process is currently in the final stages of pre-production (launching in Q3 of 2021) and will be initially made available by contract. Opportunity in the future plans for consumer development.

A very unique process/service that is one of a kind, however there are areas to leave your shingles for recycling as a comparable service, these recycling plants do not recycle the shingles to the efficiency of Northstar's process of reusing 99% of the shingles. These recycling companies typically will grind the salvageable portion down and mix it with asphalt to then pave roads. This is a great current use, however there are still such a large percentage of the shingles that are simply disposed of and thrown into landfill, and that is the key difference in the current process and Northstar's creative approach.

https://www.northstarcleantech.com/

Submitted by: Cody Bailey

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1. What makes "socially responsible"? (Ideas: sustainable, local, organic, free range, low environmental impact, recycled, corporate reputation ...)

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream is committed to a plethora of different CSR activities, mainly sourcing, and purchasing of fair-trade ingredients to ensure fair compensation and treatment of workers. This entails things like fair wages, safe working conditions, fair treatment of smaller firms in business negotiations and so on. Although the company was founded in 1978 they began using fair trade inputs in 2005 and in 2010 shared plans to be completely fair trade by 2013.

Another way that Ben and Jerry’s in involved in CSR is through numerous grant programs and initiatives, to name a few:
- The Grassroots organizing for social change program
- The National Movement Building Grant Program
- The Vermont Capacity Building Grant Program
- The Vermont Capacity Building Grant Program
- The Vermont Economic Justice Grant Program
- The Vermont Community Action Teams Grant Program
- The Employee Matching Gift Program

Additionally, Ben & Jerry also donate some of their pre-tax profits to corporate philanthropy as well as anon-management employee-led philanthropy division called the “foundation” that awards ~2 billion USD annually.

2. How is this signalled on the packaging (if it is signalled, if there is packaging!)
For a business that is so involved in CSR, it is done effectively in secret as far as signalling on their products goes.

3. What else do you know about the company/product CSR policies (brief Google search)?
See point #1

4. What are the barriers to purchasing this product, if any? Any trade offs a consumer would make? Compare your product to a similar not-so-CSR product

Trade offs come in the form of price, availability, and quality of inputs. Typical ice creams found in the frozen isle of grocers use non fair-trade ingredients and are more likely to use cheaper more readily available inputs as well as less eco friendly packaging and production practices.
Ex. Western Family vanilla Ice cream

-          Brando Riley

https://bjsocialresponsibility.weebly.com/

https://www.benjerry.com/flavors/chunky-monkey-ice-cream

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MEC has launched a product recycling program to minimize the value loss of used materials. This sleeping bag is an example, which is made of recycled materials, such as polyester extracted from recycled polyester clothing. It is durable. The price of a sleeping bag is affordable, ranging from US$100 to US$250, and there are many types to choose from, suitable for long-term camping. Along with the  sleeping bags, MEC offers other products such as fleece jackets, used bicycles  and carpets. MEC also gives its staff discounts on cycling clothing and gear.

MEC does not waste water and solar energy on the earth, but uses recycling programs to create an economy that uses renewable energy to produce products. Calculated by weight, 50% of MEC's materials come from recycled resources, which reflects MEC's emphasis on social responsibility. Now, the challenge for MEC is how to create a safe regenerative natural system during covid-19, because we know that MEC will recycle used materials.

CSR and Sustainability | Mountain Equipment Co-Op || Competitive Intelligence Blog (wordpress.com)

Katherine Zhao

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The Timberland Earthkeepers are one of Timberland's many products, in which they have used recycled and ethically sourced materials.

For the Earthkeepers, Timberland has used ReBotl material, which is made of polyethylene terephthalate or PET and is the the material that is used to make plastic water bottles. For starters the lining of the shoes is made up of 50% ReBotl materials, the laces are comprised of 100% ReBotl materials. Lastly, the boots outsoles are made of 15% recycled rubber. As for the ethically sourced materials, Timberland has teamed up with Leather Working Group in order to source leather from highly rated environmentally responsible tanneries.

The Earthkeepers are not the only sustainably sourced product that Timberland produces, other items include footwear made from sugar cane, eucalyptus and responsibly sourced cotton. In addition, Timberland has an initiative called Nature Needs Heroes which has the goal of planting 50 million trees by 2025 and creating a net positive impact by having all their products made with  100% sustainable materials by 2030.

- Connor Kensley

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EcoRoots’ Bamboo Toothbrushes are natural and sustainable, sourced with ethical materials that minimize waste and reduce consumers’ impact to the environment. Bamboo not only naturally renews rapidly, but it also possesses antifungal and antibacterial properties. EcoRoots’ toothbrushes have a natural design with 100% compostable handles and recyclable bristles, signalling social responsibility. EcoRoots’ minimalist product packaging, which is made of recyclable cardboard, also promotes social responsibility.

As a brand producing sustainable everyday products, EcoRoots collaborates with plastic-free vendors and small businesses, striving to make any packaging compostable, reusable, or recyclable. EcoRoots contributes to the 1% for the Planet movement, and by donating one percent of their annual sales, EcoRoots actively assists eco-friendly initiatives. EcoRoots has raised $10,315 for the Ocean Conservancy Inc. this year through purchases.

Since toothbrushes are replaced every 3 months, EcoRoots’ biodegradable toothbrushes are sustainable alternatives to traditional toothbrushes made with single-use plastics, which contributes to the plastic waste crisis in our environment, oceans, and landfills. However, a barrier is that their products are sold primarily through their eCommerce platform, meaning that the small business has a lack of brand recognition and shipping times may be inconvenient for consumers. Although EcoRoots’ products are affordable, a trade-off is that they are more expensive than mass-produced plastic products. Consumers may be attracted to the lower price point of leading competitors (Colgate, Crest) at $9 for a set of 4 plastic toothbrushes, as opposed to the $19 for a set of 4 bamboo toothbrushes.

https://ecoroots.us/products/natural-bamboo-toothbrush

Submitted by: Kelly Wu

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OLA Bamboo Natural Deodorant – Cucumber and Aloe Vera

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OLA Bamboo Natural Deodorant – Cucumber and Aloe Vera

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The OLA Bamboo natural deodorant is a Canadian-made product with no aluminum, paraben, or sulfate ingredients. The natural deodorant contains antibacterial and anti-odour properties and has antioxidants and vitamin E to moisturize the skin. The product is packaged in a 100% recyclable cardboard tube, eliminating the use of plastic containers that most deodorants would come in. This product is socially responsible because it is made with 98.5% natural ingredients and has a minimal impact on the environment.

OLA Bamboo is a Quebec-based company created with a mission to reduce plastic waste by providing eco-friendly products that are accessible and affordable. OLA Bamboo is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by giving back to the environment in tree planting. The company has partnered up with Compensation CO2 Quebec and has planted over 3,000 trees in the last five years. OLA Bamboo also works with communities in Quebec and has donated its products, such as bamboo toothbrushes and zero waste kits for those in need. OLA Bamboo encourages individuals to join their eco-friendly lifestyle by reducing environmental footprints together.

Barriers to purchasing this product include a lack of brand recognition and trust. With OLA Bamboo being a smaller company, consumers may feel skeptical about trying new brands that they’ve never heard of. Consumers may also be hesitant to invest in this higher-priced product, as this natural deodorant sells at retail price for $9.99 compared to the typical big name-brand (i.e. Secret, Dove, etc.) deodorant for ~$3. Brands like Secret and Dove are well-known; however, their deodorant is packaged in a one-time-use plastic container and contains ingredients that can be harmful to one’s health (i.e. aluminum poisoning). A trade-off that the consumer would have to make is the convenience of the product. Other deodorants with plastic packaging can easily be found at your nearest grocery store, whereas OLA Bamboo products can only be found at select health provider retail locations or online, which can take days to reach the consumers.

Link: https://olabamboo.com/en/product/natural-deodorant-canada/

Karen Ha

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The Nexe Coffee Pod has been developed to be a fully plant-based and fully compostable replacement to regular plastic and environmental harmful coffee pods that are currently on the market.

The Nexe Pod has the ability to be:

Compatible with the leading single-serve coffee format machines (Keurig and Nespresso)

Non-toxic in soils

Fully compostable in as little as 35 days

5 years of science-backed testing

More volume capacity vs standard single-serve capsules

Based on the packaging of the Nexe coffee pod, we can see that it has a natural colour tone, which represents the recycled and plant-based aspects. It has also been created with 3D printers which reduce greenhouse gases in the environment. When you look at the body of the packaging, you can see a basket woven style pattern, which I guess reminds consumers of homemade knitting?

What is Nexe?

Nexe is an innovative materials company based in Vancouver, that designs, manufactures and leverages disruptive technology to make plant-based products.

Founded in 2015, the company leveraged 3D printing to design, prototype and patent the world’s first compostable single-serve coffee pod born out of the need to replace non-biodegradable plastic.

Nexe is partnered with the Government of Canada, UBC, and the City of Surrey to name a few.

A barrier to entry for consumers to purchase these coffee pods are to own or have acess to either a Nexe, Keurig or Nespresso coffee machines. Otherwise, the Nexe pods are priced similarly to other branded pods.

https://nexecoffee.com/

- Daniel Cavak

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TruEarth is socially responsible in terms of both its sustainable and environmentally friendly products and its product donation initiative. The company's most popular product, ‘Eco-Strips’ laundry detergent, is the most prominent example of TruEarth's commitment to the environment. Rather than using traditional plastic packaging for their laundry detergent, TruEarth created a paper-like form of detergent that is packaged in zero-waste compostable packaging, to help reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. The packaging of this product showcases words like ‘ECO’, ‘biodegradable’, ‘hypoallergenic’, ‘saving the planet one load at a time’ and finally a ‘track your waste’ weblink that shows consumers how much waste they have reduced by purchasing their Eco-Strips. As of September 7th, 2021, the company has eliminated 5,219,113 plastic jugs from the oceans or landfills and has also donated 10,023,175 loads of laundry to communities in need. TruEarth has also collaborated with many like-minded companies and social causes, like TenTree, Ocean Wise, and The Great American Shoreline Cleanup.

TruEarth's corporate values express their commitment to the environment and their integrity within their business practices, where they state, "We will never compromise our values or cut corners to reduce costs. We will not shortchange the environment to make a profit. We will be transparent about production and ingredients".

Other products offered by the company are well-aligned as well, where several environmentally-friendly substitutes for traditionally plastic products are sold. For example, beeswax food wrap instead of plastic wrap and reusable bamboo cotton pads to replace single-use cotton rounds.

A barrier to purchase this product may be skepticism in the product’s effectiveness when compared to traditional forms of liquid laundry detergent. There is also a much higher price point in comparison to a bottle of Tide laundry detergent, for example (TruEarth is $21.95 for 32 loads, while a bottle of Tide is approximately $9 for 32 loads). TruEarth products are currently stocked in over 1,700 stores in North America and the company also has an excellent e-commerce page, but they are yet to expand outside of the continent.

I personally have used this product for several years now and think that it is worth the additional cost if one has it available to spend. When you consider how many plastic bottles of laundry detergent a single-family home would use and throw away in a single year, a product like this is a great environmentally-friendly option!

-Lisa Evans

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To begin, “Klean Kanteen” is highly committed to our earth and making sure to do whatever it takes to keep it healthy and safe. Therefore, what makes it so “socially responsible” is that these bottles and their products overall are BPA free stainless steel and reusable. From here, it then contributes to the environment of course, because this company is not wasting resources which would be dumped into the environment and make things unhealthy. Their main motto and message is to “KICK THE PLASTIC” and furthermore keep the environment happy and healthy. In terms of the packaging, there is the logo with an earth symbol which somewhat shows the social responsibility. However, it does not specifically say anything but when you order them, the box it comes in as well as the information inside will specifically and explicitly say what their company is about. Some other brief information about this company is that their 3 main focuses are on people, the planet, and the products! As well, they are extremely involved within the community. An example of their involvement is giving back to schools, and any local events that occur within their community and supplying them with clean water and their reusable products. One barrier faced might be the pricing in the short term because not-so-CSR products will be cheaper. However, in the long run it will be cheaper to go with a more-CSR product because not having to keep purchasing in this case non-reusable water bottles will add up in cost. Thank you for reading and I hope this gave you some new information on this specific company as well the link for all of the information will be below. :)

https://www.kleankanteen.com/pages/our-family

Submitted By: Maiya Claire

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Adidas partnered with Parley who is an association that tries to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. They do so by intercepting micro plastics in the oceans. Adidas and Parley recycle these plastics to make use of them on their shoes. This partnership is making use of these micro plastics and turning them into a sought after product. They also raise attention and awareness to the plastic pollution that is happening in our waters. The mission is for Adidas and Parley to create a 100% recycled polyester by the year 2024. The first product released was shoes but now they have branched off to make shirts, shorts, and jackets.

Submitted by: Alec Craven

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Patagonia Synchilla Fleece (Cameron Marchant)

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Patagonia Synchilla Fleece (Cameron Marchant)

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As most people already know, Patagonia is an industry leader when it comes to ethically sourced materials and sustainable production. An example of this is seen in this fleece, which is made with 64% recycled material, such as polyester sourced from recycled plastic bottles. This particular product is also Fair Trade certified, along with 87% of their other products. This means that Patagonia pays a premium on the product, which goes directly to the factory employees who are responsible for production. As is probably common knowledge, factory workers in developing countries are heavily underpaid when it comes to modern standards, so this program ensures these employees have the extra funds to access things such as childcare, healthcare, etc. All of these programs and features are listed on the tags of the products, and the website goes to great lengths to explain the impact of the product, where it is made, and what makes it more sustainable and ethical than the industry standard.

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Carbon zero transportation on the cheap! Grabbing a used bike off Facebook is a great alternative to driving a gas guzzling car and is loads of fun too.
Vintage bikes like this 90's steel framed Marin are incredibly durable and continue to stay in great shape decades after manufacturing. Talk about reduce, reuse recycle.
For just $150 your return on investment is substantial, not to mention you directly support someone who may be strapped for cash.
Barriers to purchasing sweet used bikes like this are low, especially in comparison to vehicles which may often need repairs.
Biking is great for your mental health as well! We should all take a break from our phones and go on a ride.

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In a cardboard recycled box rather than plastic. New technology so balls don't need to be stored under pressure. They last longer than regular balls. The company donates a (small) percentage of profits to sustainability non-profits. The price is comparable, tennis pros say the balls are as good. They may be hard to find though.

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Arc'teryx has introduced the "Rebird" program to crack down on its wasted material contribution. Instead of our garments going to waste, Arc'teryx has used the Rebird program to create a circular economy by reusing materials and regenerating natural systems. Along with the Stowe Windshell, Arc'teryx offers other Rebird products such as: up-cycled totes/ pouches, chalk bags, and ski/snowboarding jackets. I have attached a link below if you would like to look more into the program.

https://arcteryx.com/ca/en/explore/rebird/

Submitted by: Jack Fox