As a small, made in Canada company, we've always relied on the fact that we produce locally and in micro batches to do our part as an eco-conscious brand. Lately, that hasn't felt like enough. While we're proud of the measures we've taken, we've never been satisfied with how we package and ship our products. A plastic mailer bag just doesn't fly anymore. From now on, every Province of Canada order will arrive in our new, compostable, recyclable eco-packaging.
Bonus: It doubles as free gift wrap. We're proud to launch recyclable packaging going into one of the most socially conscious seasons of the year.
Recyclable & Biodegradable
Our new packaging is made with 40% post-consumer repurposed paper and is 100% recyclable and compostable. Once you're done with it, throw it in your blue bin or backyard compost. If it doesn't make it there, you don't have to worry about it being on our planet forever.
One of our paper bags takes two months to break down. One plastic bag takes hundreds of years to break down. Take a look at the lifeline of commonly used products in a landfill:
The Longest Coastline, The Largest Responsibility
Many are probably familiar with the video that Parley released this summer. The video shows a moving mound of waste in the Dominican Republic, which, after about three seconds, is revealed as waves struggling to push plastic to a beach. Watching footage like this is not only upsetting to witness, it's deeply concerning to think about; there are fewer things more terrifying than oceans that can't breathe.
As Canadians, we are holders of the world's longest coastline and the majority of the world's freshwater lakes. We have a responsibility to protect our shores, because unhealthy water isn't just an environmental issue, it's a human rights issue. When our environment dies, so, too, do our communities.
"The oceans give us life. We give them plastic. Plastic is a design failure. We can only end the problem with a new material" - Parley
We can all do better, and for us, "doing better" meant investing in recyclable shipping materials. Switching up this one practice was easy and - we believe - necessary, which made it a no brainer. That's why we're challenging other Canadian companies to invest in recyclable shipping materials.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Manufacture Locally
Since launching Province of Canada in 2014, the main pillar of our company has been 'Canada first,' meaning that we prioritize Canadian manufacturing no matter what. We're willing to accept higher production costs in order to keep everything made in Canada because eliminating international imports and exports significantly reduces our carbon footprint. It makes for narrow margins, but we will continue paying more than cheaper brands in order to achieve higher quality products that have less of an impact on our environment.
