ECO POLICY
CLIMATE-Positive:
Going Beyond Neutral
At Gekco our focus is to work with our partners and customers to create a climate-positive future. One that halts and improves climate change, protects the future of our planet and improves people’s lives in a meaningful way.
GEKCO’S TRUE PURPOSE
Reaching carbon neutrality is an important goal. But it’s not enough. Climate change is one problem right now that is receiving most of the limelight.
Companies also must consider the unseen effects of their supply chain, the effect of their packaging such as plastics, pollution and their net effect on society. We want to follow in the footsteps of trailblazing companies like Patagonia by being role models for the companies of tomorrow. Improving on the work which these companies have done to show that planet before profit can yield some of the most successful brands and businesses, producing jobs and improving the world in which we live in and the earth which we live on.
Our core commitments
125% carbon negative as an absolute minimum. Our carbon emission figures take into account every possible source we can uncover carbon emission data for within our supply chain and business. Unlike many companies we don’t solely look at only what we directly produce but also that of our suppliers. In technical terms this means we also look at scope 3 and not just scope 1 & 2.
Operate a self-tax scheme running at 1% of sales or 10% of profit. This pool of money will be used for supporting charities and organisations such as CAC and Mountain Rescue, as well as supporting nationwide initiatives such as crag cleanups and maintenance. It is key that we reinvest into our communities.
To constantly produce and innovate towards the most environmentally friendly products possible. We’re working tirelessly on zero/low waste versions of current and future products across the climbing and outdoor industry. All of our packaging is currently 100% recyclable and we're continuously investigating ways to be as climate-positive as possible.
OUR PACKAGING
ECO-CREDENTIALS
Here’s a list of the current materials used within Gekco along with their eco-credentials:
Bottles - Plastic - Refillable and reusable - HDPE - Widely recycled at end of life (plastic)
Caps - Plastic - Refillable and reusable - PET - Widely recycled at end of life (plastic)
Product boxes - Cardboard - 80% recycled board with FSC sourced remainder - Widely recycled (paper)
Packing tape - Sustainably sourced kraft paper - Widely recycled (paper)
Chalk Bags - Paper - FSC sourced and printed with water-based inks - Widely recycled (paper) and home compostable
Chalk Balls - 100% plant based, hemp material and cord with a wooden toggle - plant them with your tatties!
Check out this blog post for the full rundown on our packaging choices!
REUSE & RECYCLE
Finished your bottle? Return them to your local stockist for reuse.
We collect, clean and refill them, ready for your next purchase in order to reduce the amount of plastic going through the waste system.
Our bottles are also 100% recyclable, so if returning them isn't possible they can be widely recycled.
OUR CHALK SOURCING
Gekco chooses to source raw materials for our chalk production from seawater processing. Compared with the most common source of mined materials from China, where mining operations have caused severe degradation to the environment, personal health of workers and living conditions of nearby towns.
The benefits of sea-water processing are:
Full or partial use of solar energy during manufacturing
Limited land scarring and environmental degradation
Regulated higher standards for workers
Production is controlled in line with environmental policies with tighter waste management and airborne particulate controls
Based wholly on research, our findings suggest this to be a more sustainable and environmentally friendly method. However we will always strive to find the most sustainable options available and with a constant R&D effort, we are able to monitor changes in the market and identify any new and potentially alternative solutions and sourcing methods that offer an improvement to the sustainability of our product.
This is a continuously evolving situation and we will keep you updated on future findings!
Additional reading:
Check out our blog on chalk use for a brief look into chalk mining in China. Use Less Chalk
Our Carbon Offsetting
At the end of 2021, we calculated our Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions as accurately as available data allowed. We then offset over 230% of our carbon through offsetting projects verified by carbon standards.
Solar Cookers for Refugees In Chad
Over 200,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Chad, sometimes staying in camps for more than 15 years. Finding firewood for cooking is one of numerous challenges facing these refugees, as firewood is scarce in this region. Women and children are forced to travel long distances to collect firewood, while facing harassment, assault and abduction. In order to tackle this issue, CooKit was launched in 2005, a cooking stove that uses solar energy, which is plentiful in Chad. This project is Gold Standard verified.
Benefits of CooKit Project:
Prevention of carbon emissions through a huge reduction in wood fires
Improvement to safety of women and children especially
Increased school attendance of children
Smokeless cooking has improved the health of refugees
Reduction of wood fires has slowed the rate of deforestation by more than 50%, ensuring carbon remains within the biomass and continued absorption of carbon
UK FOREST CREATION AND PEATLAND RESTORATION
These are Woodland Carbon Code verified projects provided by Forest Carbon of which our purchase contributes to three forest creation projects and one peatland restoration across England and Scotland.
Not only will woodlands sequester and store carbon, they also foster habitats, support biodiversity and provide natural flood prevention. Peatlands are critical in mitigating climate change and also provide natural flood protection and support biodiversity.
These credits are different and are known as ‘ex-ante’, as they invest in future carbon reductions as trees take years to reach full maturity. It was important to us to invest in the future of the UK, replacing woodland that has historically been chopped down. These cannot immediately be claimed as offset credits, but will become so in the future.
Our Shipping
All of our shipments to stockists are made through UPS Carbon Neutral. This means the unavoidable carbon emissions caused by shipping are offset through certified projects. You can read more about UPS’ carbon offsetting projects using the button below.
UPS also have ambitious carbon reduction targets and invest in alternative fuels and advanced technology to constantly improve their environmental credentials.