Approach to product selection

Why avoid palm oil?

Palm oil in itself is not a bad thing; the problem is that it has become a ubiquitous ingredient in so many food, cleaning and toiletry products that the scale of its production is out of control. To feed the ever-growing demand for palm oil, rainforest is felled and replaced with monoculture that reduces biodiversity and displaces indigenous people. It is possible to source sustainable palm oil, but in my view we need to both produce palm oil more sustainably AND drastically reduce our consumption of it to avoid more land being given over to its cultivation. It simply doesn't need to be in every product - alternatives are available and where possible it makes sense to use them.

 

Why avoid plastics?

I probably don't have to make a case for this - Blue Planet has done it for me. But it's easier said than done. So many products are almost exclusively sold in plastic bottles and tubes - toothpaste, cosmetics, shampoo - and they are not usually suitable for re-use. Many plastics are recyclable, but most can only be downcycled - so our consumption of virgin plastic continues to increase, and much of it finds its way into our rivers and oceans.

 

Packaging choices

Many of the products sold by EcoBeagle are packed in glass or aluminium - both of these materials are 100% recyclable and can be used in closed-loop systems where they can be returned to their original use; in fact, it's claimed that 75% of all the aluminium ever made is still in use today. Paper and card are also 100% recyclable, and also have the ability to biodegrade. Other natural materials such as bamboo will degrade harmlessly too. 

 

Ingredient choices

Our suppliers use ingredients that are natural and don't contain harsh chemicals that could disrupt ecosystems. Many of them are sourced organically and the vast majority are vegan. The one non-vegan ingredient that occurs in a small number of our products is beeswax. Bees are not damaged by the extraction of wax from hives and beekeeping makes an important contribution to the protection of pollinators that are essential to food production. Indeed, we keep bees and sell the honey they produce. For those who wish to avoid beeswax, it's clearly marked where it occurs.

 

Pricing/referral fees

Products are sold at RRP and you should not be able to buy them cheaper from the original manufacturer, except for special promotions. The convenience of EcoBeagle is that you can avoid multiple delivery fees by sourcing multiple brands from a single website. In the "Faves" area there are some links for which EcoBeagle will receive a referral fee if a purchase follows, and these are marked with an asterisk. 

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