Impact Report 2020/21

IMPACT REPORT 2020/21

The Oliver Co. Ethos

At Oliver Co. we create innovative accessories with sustainability, transparency, and social responsibility at the core.

We believe that sustainability goes a lot further than just the ingredients in the product. We work directly with our manufacturers and material suppliers to ensure a high standard of ethics are maintained from production of the materials through to the product manufacturing. We conduct self-assessment questionnaires with new suppliers at the minimum, but favour full auditing to allow us assure they are operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

We are transparent about our supply chains, detailing information on the production and labour of each product. We want to honestly communicate with consumers, offering an insight into the true craftsmanship behind each product, and our planet before profits ethos.

Our 2020/21 Highlights

2020 was no doubt a difficult year for us all, but it also highlighted the fragility of our planet. As a company we are more motivated than ever to be a part of the change and to contribute positively to the planet and people we share it with.

Below we share some of the highlights of our year.

Company

- Created our sustainability section to the website giving transparency and information on our factory and materials.

- Hired our first employee to work exclusively on our B Corp certification for 2022

- Wrote our Code of Ethics, Virtual office stewardship and SAQ for suppliers.

- Moved all our home offices to 100% renewable energy

- Wrote our first annual Impact Report

Planet

- Joined 1% for the Planet

- Became committed to becoming Climate Neutral in 2021

- Donated 10% of our Black Friday revenue to the Felix Project

Product

- Introduced Oeko-Tex certified recycled polyester & GOTs certified organic cotton linings

- Reduced the distance materials travelled to reach our factory.

- Trialled a new circular technology for 2021 release

MATERIALS

Apple Leather

Apple Leather is a low impact, OEKO-TEX certified material crafted using recovered waste from the apple juice and compote industry. Up-cycling the apple waste into functional materials reduces the reliability of fossil fuels and requires much less energy and water to produce, compared to other faux leathers on the market. In addition, Apple Leather creates around 80% less carbon emissions in comparison to leather production.

A Natural Waste Stream

Unlike other bio-based materials, Apple Leather doesn't require you to plant produce specifically for the leather production.

OEKO-TEX Certified

This means that the material is free from harmful toxic substances.

 

Local Production

Apple farms are close to the factory producing the Apple Leather, reducing the overall carbon impact.

Renewable

Using Apple waste means less reliability on non-renewable fossil fuels. Apple Leather is USDA bio-based certified.

 

Reduced Impact

Compared with 100% PU alternatives, Apple Leather has a reduced impact in almost every measured category including energy water use and global warming.*

Income for Farmers

Creates an opportunity for farmers to get a second income through the waste produced.

 

LCA of Apple Leather

In 2021 the University of Milan conducted a LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study is to identify the potential environmental
benefits related to the partial substitution of polyurethane (PU) with processed waste from
apple processing.

Below shows the key findings from the study. The full LCA report can be found here

Other Materials

Wood Leather, according to the manufacturer, creates 60% less carbon emissions compared to a square metre of leather, made using thin sheets of wood, from FSC® approved forests, that are cut with micro laser etchings.

 

Tencel Lyocell fabric lining is made from eucalyptus wood pulp and produced in a responsible closed loop production process, allowing the fabric to be certified as compostable and biodegradable. 

 

Cupro is a “regenerated cellulose” plant-based material made from cotton waste, which is biodegradable as well as easily recycled, since it’s made from 100% plant-based materials.

 

The Organic Cotton used in our products is GOTs certified, which means that the fibres are grown organically, without using insecticides or pesticides, with ecological and socially responsible methods. 

 

Recycled Polyester is used for lining of some of our products. According to the company Repreve, where some of our polyester is sourced, it can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 29%, energy consumption by 44% and water consumption by 16%. compared to virgin polyester.

 

Vegan Glues are used throughout the production of our products.

 

You can see the certifications for various materials here

Our Packaging

Our supplier, Tiny Box, is a UK based company producing ethical and sustainable semi-bespoke packaging. 90% of their stock is either recycled/recyclable, and 10% of their marketplace profits are donated to help startups grow and small businesses bounce back from the global pandemic. The majority of their recycled packaging is sourced in the USA but where they can, they source from UK box manufacturers. The products that are sourced from abroad are transported by ship rather than aeroplane.

LimitationsLi

As a small company, we have so far been limited to purchasing semi-bespoke packaging. Currently each box comes with a black foam insert, which while looks great, is sadly non-recyclable. In June 2021 we started to remove the foam inserts and instead donate them to a local charity 'Crafting 4 good' who encourage the exploration of art and craft as a means to positive mental health and resilience.

As our sales have increased in the past year, we are now in a position where we can reach the quantities required to produce a completely customised packaging that fully aligns with our values. As part of our Climate Neutral goals for 2021, we will be doing a complete design overhaul of our packaging where we will be focussing on reducing material as much as possible and ensuring each aspect of our packaging is fully recyclable and made using recycled material.

Environment

In order to offset our carbon emissions and implement strategies to further reduce our carbon impact in the future, we committed to become Climate Neutral Certified, which we proudly completed in April 2021. Climate neutral’s innovative measuring tools have allowed us to better understand the the areas of our business that have the biggest environmental impact. We have then been able to address these areas, set goals and through their verified quality carbon credits, help reduce our emissions and fund innovative climate change solutions.

This year we also helped reduce our carbon impact through sourcing materials in a way that reduced the amount of distance travelled to our factory. This process involved creating more direct links between our factory and suppliers and finding materials that were sourced more locally to the factory.

 

Oliver Co. also became a member of 1% for the planet, a global organisation that helps us to give back 1% of our annual sales - every year, forever. So far, they have helped businesses give more than $225 million to environmental nonprofits. Today, they have a network of more than 2,000 business members, and thousands of nonprofit partners in more than 60 countries.

 

In 2020 we made sure all our home offices were powered using 100% renewable energy and as of late 2020, we started working with our suppliers to gather specific data on their energy consumption, so that we can accurately offset our emissions, which are currently estimated at 24 tCO2e.    

100%

of our home offices powered with renewable energy

1.09%

of business revenue donated to charities

24 tCO2e

measured impact of business and offset with Climate Neutral

Social Impact

For the 2020 Black Friday weekend, we donated 10% off all our sales to the Felix Project, an organisation fighting food waste and hunger in London. The Felix Project collects fresh nutritious food that cannot be sold and delivers it to charities and schools across London. They provide healthy meals to the most vulnerable in our society, that would otherwise have just been wasted. The COVID-19 outbreak hit the poorest hardest.

During the course of the weekend we were able to raise enough to feed over 1,200 less fortunate people around London.  

We are excited to continue our partnership with the Felix Project and take part in volunteer days throughout 2021.

Our 2021/22 Goals

  • Complete our B Corp certification
  • Raise our charitable giving to 2% of total revenue.
  • Set more in depth KPIs around energy, wastage, and gather quantitive data to measure and analyse our impact.
  • Work out our carbon impact on a product level in order to give transparency and understanding to our customers.
  • Reduce the impact of our packaging through a complete design overhaul. We will be focussing on reducing material as much as possible and ensuring each aspect of our packaging is fully recyclable and made using recycled material.
  • Extending the lifecycle of our products by implementing a take back / repair scheme. Repaired products will either be returned to the customer or sold as second hand products on our website. Any products that can't be repaired will be disassembled into their individual components and recycled. Throughout the year we will monitor the number of products we repair and through customer feedback understand the change in lifecycle over time.
  • Work with our suppliers to help reduce waste throughout the manufacturing process through designing and creating products that utilise fabric offcuts. 
  • We will offset all our carbon for the year and work with Climate Neutral to find new ways in which we can help reduce our carbon footprint in the business.
  • We will introduce Oliver Co.LAB - an experimental exploration of accessory design that through technology, design and collaboration, aims to advance and help shape the industry

Our 2021/22 Goals

  • Work towards our B Corp certification to become a business that balances profit and purpose.
  • Reduce the impact of our packaging through a complete design overhaul. We will be focussing on reducing material as much as possible and ensuring each aspect of our packaging is fully recyclable and made using recycled material.
  • Extending the lifecycle of our products by implementing a take back / repair scheme. Repaired products will either be returned to the customer or sold as second hand products on our website. Any products that can't be repaired will be disassembled into their individual components and recycled. Throughout the year we will monitor the number of products we repair and through customer feedback understand the change in lifecycle over time.
  • Work with our suppliers to help reduce waste throughout the manufacturing process through designing and creating products that utilise fabric offcuts. 
  • We will offset all our carbon for the year and work with Climate Neutral to find new ways in which we can help reduce our carbon footprint in the business.
  • We will introduce Oliver Co.LAB - an experimental exploration of accessory design that through technology, design and collaboration, aims to advance and help shape the industry.