Return or Refill Program - Self Declared packaging may be returned to the business who sold it to you once the contents are used. Depending on the product, customers can return used packaging to be swapped for new product or a cleaning or repair service is offered for the one sold you in the first place. In other cases, you keep the container and the business sells you a contents refill for your container, usually also at a discounted rate.
This declaration has many many potential implications. By thinking more about packaging, where it comes from, how it's made and it's potential future use means that we stop assuming that packaging is both single use and its origins unimportant. By using the same packaging (containers) over and over again, we minimise the amount of materials used in packaging. This means that resource wise and manufacturing wise, new resources are not required.
When businesses take decisions to refill their own packaging, it generally means they invest in better quality packaging which they order less often. This action influences the supply chain.
Return or Refill Program - Self Declared sits in the SOURCING Family under the Environmental Standard: Packaging of Ekko Score. One set of weighted Ekko Score points are gathered from each Family.
These are the claimable declarations & certifications under the Environmental Standard: Recycle. Please note that different certifications and declarations may be relevant to each category.
Yes, where the impact of the claim is similar. This is how it works.
IMPORTANTLY, SELF DECLARATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY CONSUMER LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR BUSINESSES TO MAKE FALSE CLAIMS (INCLUDING IMPLIED CLAIMS IN A CONTEXT LIKE EKKO SCORE).
EVEN IF A PRODUCT HAS A FORMAL CERTIFICATION, THAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT'S MAKE UP.
An example might be a Handmade, Australian, Certified Organic chocolate that contains Palm Oil. Under Ekko Score, this product would claim Certified Organic and would self declare: Zero Waste Production and Australian made, but could not claim the No Palm Oil declaration. This would mean a lower score under the No Exploitation Standard, making the inclusion of Palm Oil clear to potential consumers, without detracting from its other assets.
No product is perfect, but some products are definitely better than others. Ekko Score allows you to make the best decision you can, or to put it another way, the least worst decision. And to make that decision with the confidence of not being green washed. Find out more about how Ekko Score works.