In recent years consumers have, with good reason, started to worry about whether the businesses they give their custom to are environmentally responsible.
As a result, businesses, as a matter of course, now make all sorts of claims about how green and ethical they are.
Often these claims are exaggerated and even untrue.
At Honey’s we take a different approach.
We are transparent about what we have and haven’t been able to achieve.
On the plus side:
- We have been conscious of our environmental impact ever since we were founded in 2009 and it is part of our DNA.
- We have achieved ISO 14001 certification every year since 2013 (see below).
- We are carbon neutral (see below).
- We are members of 1% for the Planet (see below).
- We carry out our own research and we also employ external consultants to help us.
- There hasn’t been a year when we haven’t been able to improve our carbon footprint.
On the downside, it is impossible not to have an environmental impact when you make dog food and the best one can hope for is to keep it to an absolute minimum and look for ways to reduce it all the time.
How we approach sustainability
We have an internal Ethics, Environment & Sustainability Working Party which meets regularly to consider how we could improve our carbon footprint.
We use two external resources: a specialist environmental consultancy, Ryeden, and a separate carbon expert: Dr Simon Forsythe.
Jonathan (our founder) is a trustee of the Rainforest Trust and before that served on the board of the World Land Trust for 20 years.
Our customers also frequently make great suggestions.
ISO 14001 certification
Honey’s is, so far as we know, the first raw dog food producer in the world to have achieved ISO 14001 certification – the international standard for environmental management.
We implemented our environmental management system (EMS) in 2013 and use it to ensure that we are measuring and minimising our environmental footprint.
Carbon neutral
In 2020 we became the first raw dog food producer in the UK to become carbon neutral. We confirmed this in a signed pledge that was sent to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change secretariat, in Bonn, Germany. The pledge requires us to monitor and measure our greenhouse gas emissions, reduce them and compensate any remaining emissions by offsetting, including through use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).
If you would like to know more about the process, there is lots of information on the UN Climate Change website which you can visit here.
Members of 1% for the Planet
In 2019 we joined 1% for the Planet – a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions through memberships and everyday actions. As business members we have committed to donating at least 1% of our sales to environmental causes.
Since 1% for the Planet was launched in 2002 beginning, its members have contributed more than £175 million in support to approved environmental not for profits.
You can discover more about 1% for the Planet here.
Dog Food Miles
One of the many ways in which we have reduced our carbon footprint is by finding local producers to supply us and thus keeping dog food miles to a minimum.
For example, a third of our ingredients are sourced from a farm just 17 miles from Honey’s HQ in Pewsey, Wiltshire.
All of our ingredients are British.
We are working to reduce the amount of paperwork we create at Honey’s.
All our literature is printed using vegetable based inks on FSC® approved paper and is fully recyclable.
FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council.
The least bad option
Very few businesses, in our opinion, can describe themselves as being ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly’.
We have reason to believe that of the hundred or so raw dog food producers in the UK we cause the least damage.
We plan, going forward, to cause even less damage.
But we are realistic.
Often what we are doing is trying to decide on the least harmful option.
We welcome your comments, ideas and thoughts about our environmental footprint.
Please email jonathan@honeysrealdogfood.com