Living Koko

Our Sustainability Framework

• Emissions & Key Environmental Issues

  What is your company doing to reduce your emissions or combat key environmental issues (e.g. waste (packaging, end of life product strategy or recycling), biodiversity, land use, water, chemical use, energy use, and natural resource use etc.)?

  From what we take from the earth, we give back. We believe in a circular economy and employ low- and no-waste practices across our farming and manufacturing practices. We also collaborate with businesses working towards reducing their reliance on non-renewable resources and overall carbon footprint. We consider deeply the impact of every product we make, from how it is cultivated, harvested, manufactured, wrapped and delivered. At the forefront of our minds is the impact climate change has on the Pacific Islands, and the vulnerable future those communities have unless action is taken. It is why we are proud to be a member of the 350 Pacific Climate Warrior group, who advocate for environmental issues affecting the Pacific region, and why we go to great lengths to deliver our products while treading gently on the earth: We use the whole cacao bean to manufacture a variety of products – our body care range Koko Smooth uses the inedible but still highly nourishing cacao husks! All of our packaging is compostable and / or recyclable, including baskets hand woven from grass and palms Our manufacturing space in Melbourne is 100% powered by solar, with excess power fed back into the grid We seek suppliers, businesses, couriers and trans

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• Materials

  How are the products your company offers made from environmentally friendly materials (e.g. recycled, organic materials)?

  Our drinking cacao is 100% cacao bean. We are a zero waste manufacturing space so the cacao husk (the skin of the beans) have been used to create a cacao husk tea. The finer particals of the husk has been compined with organic coconut oils and other medicinal oils from the Pacific to create a chocolate body scrub. This has allowed us to create products and bulk products to the beauty industry. We have also used our non-edible clean out chocoalte waste to create chocolate candles and offered it to other businesses to make toxic free play doh for kids. We also wrap our products in home compostable packaging or the foil used for our chocolate is not paper backed. This means it is easily recycled here in Australia.

• Supply Chain

  Do you partner with ethical factories that meet international labor standards? What processes have you implemented to make your supply chain more sustainable?

  We have been certified Slave Free by Pono Certifications. We only work with small domestic plot farms that activate their custodial lands. Being a Samoan woman I want to make sure that we support our farmers and give them more then a living wage. We pay 3 times more then the market price for cacao to ensure this.

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• Community Initiatives

  How does your company give back to the community (e.g. financial donations, volunteering, partnerships etc.)?

  Community is everything at Living Koko. Our personal experiences have shown us time and time again that without community and connection, we cannot succeed and we cannot survive. We recognise and celebrate that being part of a healthy community is about being active and engaged, and contributing what you can to help others to help you. We relish all opportunities to take part in local events and to work with other businesses and groups to help them to achieve their goals, as much as we seek to achieve ours. We actively seek collaborations with other small businesses, particularly those that are Indigenous-owned and ethically, socially and community minded. We take part in promotional and activism events to advocate for underserved groups, and to bring attention to social justice issues. We regularly contribute financial or in-kind donations to charitable and not-for-profit organisations and activities, in particular for positively connected with Indigenous A contribution of support is free seedlings to intercrop with their subsistence crop of taro, taamu and banana. The Koko income will provide for their future. This program has been created by the Samoan Chamber of Commerce with the support of Savaii Koko.

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• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

  How has your company made a commitment to achieve and maintain inclusion & diversity (e.g. Gender / Race / Ethnicity / National Origin / Sexual Orientation / Religion / Disability / Age)?

  At Living Koko we 100% Locally Manufactured our cacao creations. We employ from the CALD community groups We support women returning to work We sponsor Global First nations Businesses and community events We mentor small migrant owned businesses We run inclusive and diverse work placement opportunities for youth and elders We support regenerate Farming and employment in the Pacific

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• Circular Models

  How does your circular model or circular initiative work?

  Living Koko creates no wasted by-products. Every by-product created goes into creating another products for our customers. We also re purpose all our suppliers packaging.

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• Service Offering