As a business that loves the outdoors, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact.
At the time of writing this article, 88% of the ocean’s surface is polluted by plastic waste with plastic packaging being the biggest offender. Climate change, largely driven by carbon emissions, is also expected to worsen the frequency, intensity and impact of extreme weather events.
What is Honu doing to help?
The good news is that there are things we can start doing now to help improve our planet. At Honu, we have committed to:
1) producing less plastic;
2) consuming & wasting less plastic; and
3) minimising carbon emissions in our supply chain.
Producing less plastic
At Honu, our approach to minimising plastic waste is to try to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging. We have worked with our manufacturing partners to reduce the amount of plastic packaging that is used for our products. This includes using paddle carry bags instead of bubble wrap and reducing plastic and Styrofoam wrapping for our boards. Many of our products are now packaged in biodegradable packaging, which are made from all-natural plant materials. The advantage of biodegradable plastics is that no carbon is produced in the manufacturing process and they are more easily broken down by naturally occurring bacteria when disposed of appropriately. We are always looking at methods for increasing green materials in the production of our boards, and we will continue to improve where we can.
Consuming & Wasting Less Plastic
Throughout the product development process, we are also looking for ways to extend the life of our products and make them more durable. While we have achieved this through a combination of advanced materials and construction, we thought we could do more. That's when we came up with our 2 + 2 warranty. This includes a 2-year warranty to cover any manufacturing defects (much like other high-quality paddle board companies) and 4 years of free repair. If your board gets damaged within four years of purchase, we will support you to get it repaired ensuring your board stays on the water and out of landfill. We provide this guarantee because having products that are long-lasting and durable is a core part of our mission to reduce environmental impact. The longer our gear can last, the less waste we produce for our environment.
We also don’t include pumps and paddles as a standard part of our SUP packages. This is because many of our customers already own perfectly good pumps and paddles, so these “extras” were contributing to wasteful production. We want to be sure that everyone gets the right products for their needs as a commitment to reducing waste.
Minimising Carbon Waste in our Supply Chain
We recently partnered with a new international freight delivery partner, who is a carbon neutral logistics provider. This means that every unit of carbon generated by Honu shipping processes will be offset by environmental projects that remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere or prevent them from being released in the first place. While all our shipping is not yet carbon neutral, we’ve made an important first step in shrinking our carbon footprint.
At Honu, we know we still have a long way to go to minimise our environmental impact, but we are committed to striving to do better. We are always open to learning what we can improve along the way and we love hearing from our Honu community with any ideas.
We only have one Planet
As a business that loves the outdoors, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact.
At the time of writing this article, 88% of the ocean’s surface is polluted by plastic waste with plastic packaging being the biggest offender. Climate change, largely driven by carbon emissions, is also expected to worsen the frequency, intensity and impact of extreme weather events.
What is Honu doing to help?
The good news is that there are things we can start doing now to help improve our planet. At Honu, we have committed to:
1) producing less plastic;
2) consuming & wasting less plastic; and
3) minimising carbon emissions in our supply chain.
Producing less plastic
At Honu, our approach to minimising plastic waste is to try to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging. We have worked with our manufacturing partners to reduce the amount of plastic packaging that is used for our products. This includes using paddle carry bags instead of bubble wrap and reducing plastic and Styrofoam wrapping for our boards. Many of our products are now packaged in biodegradable packaging, which are made from all-natural plant materials. The advantage of biodegradable plastics is that no carbon is produced in the manufacturing process and they are more easily broken down by naturally occurring bacteria when disposed of appropriately. We are always looking at methods for increasing green materials in the production of our boards, and we will continue to improve where we can.
Consuming & Wasting Less Plastic
Throughout the product development process, we are also looking for ways to extend the life of our products and make them more durable. While we have achieved this through a combination of advanced materials and construction, we thought we could do more. That's when we came up with our 2 + 2 warranty. This includes a 2-year warranty to cover any manufacturing defects (much like other high-quality paddle board companies) and 4 years of free repair. If your board gets damaged within four years of purchase, we will support you to get it repaired ensuring your board stays on the water and out of landfill. We provide this guarantee because having products that are long-lasting and durable is a core part of our mission to reduce environmental impact. The longer our gear can last, the less waste we produce for our environment.
We also don’t include pumps and paddles as a standard part of our SUP packages. This is because many of our customers already own perfectly good pumps and paddles, so these “extras” were contributing to wasteful production. We want to be sure that everyone gets the right products for their needs as a commitment to reducing waste.
Minimising Carbon Waste in our Supply Chain
We recently partnered with a new international freight delivery partner, who is a carbon neutral logistics provider. This means that every unit of carbon generated by Honu shipping processes will be offset by environmental projects that remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere or prevent them from being released in the first place. While all our shipping is not yet carbon neutral, we’ve made an important first step in shrinking our carbon footprint.
At Honu, we know we still have a long way to go to minimise our environmental impact, but we are committed to striving to do better. We are always open to learning what we can improve along the way and we love hearing from our Honu community with any ideas.