We identify three pillars of our building thesis for which we strive to innovate to weave in a circular economy framework or introduce solutions with less carbon emissions:
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01
Sustainability in
Design
Through Increasing Durability of Product, Opting for Recycled or Biodegradable Raw Materials, and removing thousands of questionable ingredients.
Durability
Many products are designed with planned obsolescence, that is when the obsolescence (such as the irrelevancy, the ineffectiveness, or futility) of a product is planned and built into it from its conception, by the manufacturer. This is designed to keep consumers spending more and corroborates to the linear model of value creation that begins with extraction and concludes with end-of-life disposal.
Our philosophy is to design and produce goods that can last longer than the current market alternative.
Recyclability
In the case where a product is finished (such as in cosmetics and skincare), ATOLA work hand in hand with local recycling programs such as Waste For Change, to collect used bottles, sort them, clean them and recycle them for future use. We will continue to strive to improve the integration of a circular economy into the design of our products.
Raw Materials
Production begins with Raw Materials and more often than not, Raw Materials are newly created or extracted from Mother Earth. All processes in production require energy and water, both of which are scarce resources. Scouring all over the world, we meticulously research for better alternatives such as using biodegradable materials that disintegrate with time.
We also look for pre-consumer recycled materials as a method of implementing a circular economy in our procurement process. Using recycled materials means that we are eliminating what could have been waste from the environment as well as the need to expend more energy and water to produce new materials. These materials go through quality checks and assurance to verify that it is viable to be re-processed into other goods.
In the case where we have to use materials that are newly created, we work together with professional and ethical manufacturing partners to leverage on technologies that can reduce water and energy usage and reduce waste.
02
Sustainability in
Delivery
Through Focusing on Online Retail, saving up to 30% in carbon emissions.
Packaging
We work with local partners to source packaging materials that don’t use plastic, and whenever possible, be 100% biodegradable or recyclable to ensure safety delivery, without adding to the cost of the environment.
Our philosophy is to design and produce goods that can last longer than the current market alternative.
Bulk Shipping
We synergize across our various brands to reduce emissions in transportation through bulk shipping, optimizing for efficiency of resources.
Last Mile
We work together with logistics partners to minimize routes from select warehouses to our customers.
03
Sustainability in
Retail
Through Focusing on Online Retail, saving up to 30% in carbon emissions.
Focus on Online Retail
An MIT study showed online shopping being more sustainable than in-store shopping, both in terms of transportation emissions and energy consumption. A product that you buy in-store has to be sent from a factory to a warehouse, to the shop, and then you take it home. When buying online, the transportation impact is often reduced because it won’t have to stop by a store first. The MIT study also found that consumers who shopped exclusively online could have a carbon footprint (related to their shopping) almost 2 times smaller than that of a traditional shopper.
For this reason, ATOLA champions Direct-to-Consumer as much as possible, whenever possible, without disqualifying the branding experience through innovative packaging and designs.