Environmental and ethical policy

It’s Our Planet Too is committed to having a positive impact across all areas of our business. We believe that businesses have a responsibility to act in ways that protect people and the environment from exploitation and degradation. That is why we have designed our business practices and policies to meet our own high ethical standards.

We aspire to become a registered B Corp, but as a small business this is out of our reach at the current time. We see this is a demonstration of our commitment to strong environmental and social policies and robust governance, as well as our commitment to continuous improvement and learning. We are also a member of Social Enterprise UK. 

We're aware that it is impossible to be 100% perfect, which is why we seek to be as transparent as we can to allow our customers to make their own informed choices. 

As a fledgling business, we are striving to make a difference – be it to spread a positive message about environmental change or to ‘give back’ to environmental charities.

However, in these early days some of our business decisions - such as sourcing and printing small order quantities - leave us with less control over the supply chain than we would like. However, it does mean that we are able to offer our products without having to commit to huge, often wasteful order quantities.

As our business grows, we will work tirelessly to improve our processes and maximise our positive impact in all areas that we can control.

Suppliers

It’s Our Planet Too is committed to making sure that everything we do is carried out ethically and with minimal environmental impact and we expect no less from our suppliers.­ 

We work directly with a number of suppliers, all based in the UK. These are categorised as Tier 1 suppliers and we have a clear understanding of their environmental and ethical commitments and ability to communicate directly and influence them.

Our Tier 1 suppliers in turn source products and materials from their own suppliers, some based in the UK and some in other countries and regions. Whilst we do not have a direct relationship with these sub-tier suppliers, we require that our Tier 1 suppliers are satisfied that they are operating in a responsible way through their own policies and processes. 

It’s Our Planet Too will not knowingly trade with any brand or supplier that does not comply with the laws and regulations in the countries in which they operate

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

We are committed to diversity, equality and inclusion across all areas of the business, including all employees, volunteers and audiences. 

The Environment

Business practices

We recognise that we have a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. Therefore, we endeavour to:

  • Continually improve and monitor environmental performance.

  • Continually improve and reduce environmental impacts.

  • Incorporate environmental factors into business decisions.

  • When necessary, provide staff with relevant environmental training and resources.

Procurement

  • Our Tool Kits For Eco Heroes are printed by a small, local independent printer on 100% recycled paper stock, using vegan inks.

  • Our notebooks are printed by one of the leading and most forward-thinking eco printers in the UK. They are ISO 14001 Approved and received the top score in Europe in the GREEN LEAF environmental management awards. They are registered for FSC® and only use paper from sustainable forests. They are also a sponsor of the Woodland Trust – the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. 

  • Our notebooks are printed using 100% vegetable based inks.

Packaging

  • Our packaging plays an important role in reducing waste and ensuring products reach customers in perfect condition.

  • The packaging we use to ship customer orders is 100% plastic-free. 

  • For any unusually large orders, we may use pre-loved packaging but will always ensure that it does the job it was designed to do and protects the order in transit.

  • Any card or plastic that is used to send and protect items on their way to us is always reused or recycled.

  • Our notebook printers are committed to recycling 100% of paper waste. Some offcuts are supplied to local nursery education establishments who use the paper for the children’s art and craft products before recycling appropriately. They also work with waste management specialists to dispose of all excess ink based supplies.

Customer Relationships

Customer service

  • We have a fuss-free exchange and returns policy and aim to reply to all customer enquiries within one to two business days (Kate personally responds to everything, so bear with her!)

  • We know that some purchases may be a gift and customers are able to add a gift message to an order. Just fill in the box at the point of ordering and this will be printed on your packing slip. 

  • With the exception of subscription products, all products are dispatched within 1 or 2 days. When ordering a subscription product, customers can request when they would like their subscription to start.

  • In the unlikely case of an item being out of stock, we will contact you with an update to detail the delay and ask you how you'd like to proceed.

  • Depending on the size and weight of your order, it will be shipped (plastic free) by Royal Mail. Please refer to our shipping policy for more information.

 

Quality Control

  • We do our best to verify quality and ensure that mistakes don’t reach our customers. If you do find any issues with our products, please let us know as soon as possible. Email us at hello@itsourplanettoo.co.uk or click here and we will do our best to rectify, replace or refund you. 

 

Marketing

  • We are committed to the principles of ethical marketing and to helping our customers make informed choices. 

  • As a business, we pledge to the ethical move in service of a new marketing standard based on transparency, trust and honesty.

  • We strive to show an inclusive and diverse group of people in our images and promise never to edit or airbrush our photos.

  • All of our lovely models so far are our children and their friends, but we are really keen to show how our clothing looks on all children from ages 3 to 14, so please send us your pictures or get in touch if your child would like to model for us. 

  • We will never sell your data to advertisers. For more information, please see our privacy policy.

 

Product lifecycle / after-sales journey

  • Our Tool Kits For Eco Heroes are designed for families to explore and learn together and as they are ‘stuff free’ they can be shared. We would recommend that any activity cards be placed in a clear plastic wallet and asked with a white board pen, this way they can be used again.

  • The vast majority of activities included in our Tool Kits can be completed with items readily available in the home, garden or even in the recycling box. With the exception of a few ingredients in our recipes there should be very few ‘extras’ that need to be purchased.

  • We send an email to our subscription customers approximately 2 weeks before a new Tool Kit is sent out to let them know what to save from the recycling as well as what to borrow or find.

  • The materials used in our craft activities are rarely purchased and any materials deemed unsustainable (for example plastic google eyes) are old stock and will never be replaced. Sustainable alternatives will always be sourced.

  • When your little one has become an eco hero and completed their Tool Kit, please pass it on and inspire even more children to love our environment.