Forestry and materials

We have chosen to work with renewable resources as they can be grown and regrown without depleting natural resources. This makes them an ideal environmental choice. Not only do they regrow as trees, but as forests they provide life to fauna and flora, and are themselves living systems. Since the forests we source from are growing year on year, and providing habitats to diverse plant, animal and insect species, they contribute beneficially to the planet's ecology and climate. To ensure that the forests we source from are indeed growing, and managed in a way that promotes biodiversity, we have instituted programmes in conjunction with a range of non-profit environmental organisations: WWF, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), the High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN), and ProForest to name a few.

We don't own the forests we source from, nor do we make paper. To ensure sound forest management practices, we have an engaged approach to sourcing, and work closely with suppliers, NGOs and other stakeholders globally. The objectives, actions and communications of these work plans constitute our forestry programme. The programme's focus is on traceability of supply and sustainable forest management. The aim is to ensure that the sources of our fibre are good – and accepted as such. We have had our performance independently audited, and have written a report on the results: the pdf under Documents explains the programme, our achievements, and work that remains outstanding. This report will be updated yearly.

We are currently on the boards of the Forest Stewardship Council and the High Conservation Value Resource Network. [see links] Both these organisations have at their core the preservation of forest values.  Our work with these organisations informs our activities and approaches, and in conjunction with our membership of the Global Forest and Trade Network, ensures that we work actively with those parties whose goal is to preserve and enrich the world's forests.

Global Forest and Trade Network

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Forest Stewardship Council Board

Other materials

Paper's environmental attributes are without comparison. However in terms of the demands on our packaging – that it be able to maintain liquid food hygenic, stable, and protected from air and light – paper requires some support. Most notably, it requires water – and air-proofing. This is best done through the use of plastic (primarily low density polyethylene) and in longer life products, aluminium. These materials make up approximately 25% of a package's weight on average across our packaging lines. We are proud to have provided the key qualities of a bottle or a can with a fraction of those energy-intensive materials – by substituting cellulosic material. High functionality. Lower environmental impact.