Sow 'n Sow

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.)?

  As a sustainable giftware business, we are conscious of our environmental impact and strive to create products that align with our values and support our mission. As such, when creating new products key factors we prioritise include: - The use of Australian-made, sustainable materials. - Support the broader community by employing Australian suppliers and artists. - End-of-life properties: products must be recyclable, compostable, or durable to ensure they last a lifetime. - Must not contain single use plastic. - Promotes a love of gardening and connects users with nature. - Reducing excess material waste by using off-cuts to create new products. We have also implemented the below sustainable initiatives to reduce our operational environmental impacts. - We recycle all single use plastic we receive from suppliers through RedCycle. - We recycle all stationery and technology including printer cartridges, pens and highlighters, batteries, mobile phones, e-waste etc. - All orders are plastic free. We use paper fill and cardboard packaging. - Cardboard and general office waste is segmented and disposed of correctly.

• Materials

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

  We pride ourselves on offering high quality botanical gifts designed and made in Australia from environmentally friendly materials sourced from local Australian suppliers. Our Gifts of Seeds and Gift Tags are printed in Australia on 100% post-consumer waste recycled card using soy based inks. The card itself is also produced in Australia, is compostable and recyclable. We package our seeds in Australian made recycled paper envelopes, within our beautiful packaging. Our Gifts of Seeds are supplied with a brown kraft envelope for mailing. These are also produced in Australia on 100% recycled paper. Our Flower Presses are hand crafted in Australia from sustainably sourced FSC certified MDF with recycled cardboard inserts. They are then assembled with care in our Sunshine Coast studio. Our Pop Up Pots are made of 100% recycled, non-toxic, certified carbon neutral polypropylene. The material and the production itself is 100% made in Australia. The packaging is also produced entirely in Australia on 100% recycled sheet. We believe in the gifting of products which don’t end up in landfill. Our Gifts of Seeds have a purpose, which is to grow into a beautiful flower or herb to be enjoyed for many months after the initial gifting.

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• 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?

  Sow 'n Sow is proud to be an regional Australian family-owned company that carefully selects Australian suppliers to manufacture it’s products from sustainable materials. When you buy from Sow 'n Sow, you’re not only purchasing a sustainable gift that has been thoughtfully created, but you’re helping to safeguard the national economy by supporting jobs, economic development and prosperity in Australia. The small decision to buy Australian-made products creates a ripple effect that positively impacts families and communities by keeping money circulating within the local economy so that we all benefit.

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• Community Initiatives

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

  Our strong commitment to community extends beyond our environmental values to support the wider community by providing products and financial assistance to various schools, kindergartens, and charities including Sea Shepherd and Ubuntu Through Health. Gift of Thanks: In light of the 2019 bush fires that devastated Australia, we launched a program called “Gift of Thanks” as a way to thank the truly amazing individuals who have volunteered tirelessly to support those impacted by this crisis. We gave away 200 Gift of Seeds with personal messages of “Thanks” to individuals who deserved a little token of recognition and appreciation. We were overwhelmed with the response from our community and due the success of this donation drive, we relaunched it in 2021 to support those affected by the floods. Sow ‘n Grow Fundraiser: In June 2022 we launched our Sow ‘n Grow fundraising program to help organisations and schools raise funds by selling our signature product, a Gift of Seeds. Although the program is still new, we’ve already helped four organisations raise over $1300. As awareness and use of the program increases, we hope it will help more organisations reach their fundraising goals.

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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)?

  We strive to create a culture at Sow ‘n Sow that fosters a sense of belonging to ensure every employee feels safe and can bring their full, unique selves to work. All employee’s differences are valued, recognised and utilised to support the growth of Sow ‘n Sow, and are provided with equal opportunity to contribute to and influence key business decisions. We employ inclusive hiring practices that not only attracts diverse applicants but ensures every candidate is considered equally for our vacant positions. We regularly use traditional and non-traditional methods to promote employment availabilities to ensure we receive a broad range of applicants. For example, we regularly advertise job vacancies and have employed people that attend Maleny’s Flexischool – an off-campus flexible learning school that supports students who are at risk of terminating their education early. It provides them with a safe place where students can complete their studies at their own pace and engage in activities that will assist them in vocational development. We also promote employment availabilities on social media, in community print publications and online job seeking websites.

• Circular Models

  How does your circular model or circular initiative work?

  The circular model we employ for the development of every product we create is based on three key principals: 1. It must be made of eco friendly materials 2. The product must either have multiple lifecycles where the materials can be circulated at their highest value, or at the very least be 100 per cent compostable. 3. Where materials can’t be recycled, the material must be high quality and durable to withstand years of use and last a lifetime. For example: 1. A Gift of Seeds is 100% plastic free and made entirely from recycled waste card which can be recycled or composted at the end of its life. 2. Pop Up Pots are made from 100 per cent recycled non-toxic polypropylene. The material is produced via a closed-loop system that recycles post‑industrial and consumer waste that, if not recycled, would be sent to landfill. The material is 100 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable, and certified carbon neutral. 3. While the inserts for our Flower Presses are made from 100 per cent recycled waste, recycling the MDF top and bottom plates is not yet available. However, our intention is to maximise the materials used by creating a high-quality product that lasts a lifetime and will be passed down through generations.

• Service Offering