When it comes to the environment, IMPAKTER wants to be part of the solution, not the problem. That’s why we created IMPAKTER ECO, a one-stop shop for sustainable products across a wide range of niches and needs for women, men, kids, your home, and even your pets. We think it’s important to empower eco-conscious consumers by improving access to products that align and match with their values, making it easier to #votewithyourwallet everyday.
All the products on our website conform to the highest sustainability standards as assessed by our Sustainability Index, a process that you can read all about here. Asides from passing our test, individual products may have additional information or certificates to indicate that it is recyclable, fair trade, cruelty-free, or has a low carbon footprint. We break down what these mean and why they contribute to a more environmentally safe and just world.
Sustainably produced
Sustainability applies to a product’s entire lifecycle. We look for certifications at every stage of the value chain – from suppliers, manufacturing, and distribution – to ensure they adhere to environmental laws and sustainability standards. To be precise, we rely only on primary certificates from third parties, those that are independent from their “clients” (the companies they certify) and rely on outside expertise.
Recyclable
We are committed to furthering a circular economy, a central component of sustainable consumerism. Many of the products you will find on IMPAKTER ECO are made from recycled materials and are themselves recyclable, therefore reducing the amount of virgin material that gets put into circulation.
Fairtrade
Many products on IMPAKTER ECO are Fairtrade certified, meaning that its raw inputs were sourced from producers within the Fairtrade system. Fairtrade producers are paid a minimum price, which creates a vital safety net for farmers when market prices of certain commodities drop. On top of that, producers receive a premium which they can invest in business or community projects of their choice.
Producers and traders of Fairtrade products meet high environmental and social criteria, including decent working conditions and ban on discrimination, forced and child labour, and the opportunity for small-scale producers to self-organize into cooperatives.
Cruelty-Free
In 2013, the European Union implemented a ban on all animal testing for cosmetic products and cosmetics ingredients – and this applies to all products on sale within the EU without exception. However, some products on IMPAKTER ECO may have the Leaping Bunny logo, an internationally recognized symbol guaranteeing consumers that no animal tests were conducted on the ingredients, formulations, or finished products of any item displaying it, with a pledge to maintain these standards in the future.
For the products on our marketplace that don’t carry the Leaping Bunny logo, there are no worries as we only sell European brands on IMPAKTER ECO: Therefore, you can be sure that all the beauty products on offer with us are cruelty-free, regardless of whether they carry the Leaping Bunny logo or not.
Low carbon footprint
A product’s carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere throughout its lifecycle. The companies you’ll find on IMPAKTER ECO have put in measures to analyze and minimize the carbon footprint of their products.
There are many ways a product’s carbon footprint can be reduced and we’ve checked that measures have actually been taken for the products on our marketplace, for example, by sourcing materials locally and reducing transportation emissions, or totally eliminating plastic from their supply chain.
Respecting Human Rights
We make sure that none of the products on IMPAKTER ECO were made in a way that infringes on a person’s human rights – and that includes the right to work in decent conditions for a reasonable amount of hours and for an acceptable wage that supports dignified living.
But we don’t stop there. Our IMPAKTER Index team is dedicated to tracking the behavior of brands on a 24/7 basis, so that any news of consumer or employee complaints and whistleblower reports are followed up and if credible, included in the IMPAKTER Index.
In the Featured Photo: Sustainability made easy with IMPAKTER ECO. Original Photo Credit: Vojtech Bruzek
