Ark Wildlife Environmental Message

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

A company dedicated to the welfare of garden wildlife must take account of its impact on the environment through its own activities and on a wider basis. 

Ethics

We understand that to succeed commercially we must take into account our effects on the environment, society, our employees and the planet. So we don’t work to a strict set of rules but rather apply the ambition to do business in a more progressive way.

By individually and collectively taking responsibility, we will act with integrity, professionalism and accountability to deliver quality and value to our customers, while striving to produce sustainable positive impacts for wildlife, the environment, our community, our suppliers and our planet.

Below you will find some of our strategies to achieve these aims…

Natural food

Use only what nature gives us.

In order to create a fully sustainable business, we only use 100% natural, healthy ingredients in our food. All our seeds, mixes and even all of our extruded feeds contain only what nature provided and we make sure these come from sustainable sources. We then make certain that all our foods will have positive health benefits and that these are not spoiled by manufacturing shortcuts that make food less wholesome, or by including cheap additives such as artificial colorants, sweeteners or preservatives. This dedication to keep things natural is why we brand all the food we make under the ARK® banner.  

Sustainable Packaging

Use all renewable packaging that can be recycled at end of use.

Key aims 

·        To use 100% renewable or 100% recycled packaging

·        To use packaging with the lowest possible environmental impact

·        To use the minimum packaging required

·        To use packaging with simple recycling facilities

As a mail order company, packaging plays a central role in our activities and costs. As such, managing this part of the business with an emphasis on sustainability creates great opportunities for us, as well as the occasional difficulty. At present, in partnership with our suppliers we cannot achieve all our packaging aims but we continue to work hard towards 100% sustainability. Here are some of the things we are doing.

Cartons
We use UK based paper manufacturers with renewably sourced paper. Double-walled cartons are used to reduce the need for additional internal packaging. All cartons are recyclable through the council brown bin scheme.

Stuff packing
We re-use all received stuff packaging such as bubble wrap and space pack. We also collect used paper sacks and newspapers and re-use them as packaging. When we purchase packing it is from bio-degradable material.

Bags
We use natural kraft bags for our food range. As these bags breathe they are kinder to the food and can be simply recycled through your local brown bin scheme. Fats and suets are packaged in PE (Polyethylene) which is a basic plastic and is recyclable. We are researching bio-degradable bags with two UK companies but currently these are unsuitable for our needs but this technology is developing rapidly and we continue to test this option.

Transport Bags
Many mail order companies now pack their food directly into varnished woven polypropylene (PP) bags due to their strength and durability. However, this process only allows a single use and the bags cannot easily be recycled. We prefer to use a separate ‘outer’ polypropylene bag as this is light and durable and can be used repeatedly and we encourage customers to return them for continuous use.

Technology is now available to recycle PP but facilities are few and far between, so returning the bags to us ensures that they do get recycled. We continue to research alternative methods of transport but these have so far proved unreliable.

Planet friendly

Leave things a little bit better for our children.

The world is currently using the earth’s resources at an unsustainable rate. Our world cannot continue to give up its wealth indefinitely without going into decline, leaving it a poorer place for future generations.

We cannot reverse this trend single-handedly but we do believe we can make a difference. By questioning all our actions we strive to make continuous improvements and reduce our environmental impact. This requires us to apply creative thinking in the workplace and a refusal to accept ‘the norm’, resulting in more efficient, planet friendly processes and lower costs.

Share the Profits

Make a positive impact.

Last but not least, each year we redistribute 10% of our corporate profit back to the communities, wildlife and environment that help support us. As well as major charities we also make a fund available for individual donations from £100 to £10,000 with an emphasis on UK based charities that directly help native species. We also look to support environmental groups with learning centres including schools and colleges as part of our corporate responsibility. By putting money back and involving young people in natural history we believe we are helping create a more sustainable and improved future for all.

We already have all our waste hand sorted and separated into recycling, we offset 100% of our carbon emissions and have reduced our transport costs (carbon footprint) greatly by sourcing stock in order of preference from the UK and then Europe. We also only use wood based products sourced from sustainable forests or have Forest Stewardship Council approval.