What do we do to be more sustainable?
We founded Eco Dog & Cat to create a sustainable and creative business. We set out the mission by finding the best material, environmentally friendly packaging and designing handmade eco-friendly products with sustainability. We believe that we have a social responsibility in sustainability, and we strive to operate as eco-friendly as possible.
We designed all our products in Australia. All our creations are beautifully handmade through a partnership with a team of Fair Trade female artisans in Nepal to provide income and prosperity to the local craftswomen.
Our entire product line is created out of wool, which is environmentally friendly, renewable and biodegradable. All our creations are handmade from 100% cruelty-free wool ethically sourced from New Zealand and processed under stringent farming, land management, and animal welfare standards. Wool is transported to Nepal by the sea to reduce our carbon footprint. We do not add any fillers, plastic, rubber, glue, chemicals or additives to our creations. The natural dyes used are azo-free and lead-free. Being 100% natural, these creations are compostable at the end of life.
Our beautiful creations are all made by hand. We don’t use machinery to produce our collection. The natural wool is dyed by using steam to infuse azo-free colour pigments. The steam is produced from burning rice husks used as fertilisers for the local farms after the husks are burnt. All water used is purified onsite in an ecologically mindful process. The wool is dried using only natural sunlight. By eliminating the use of machinery, we are not generating any energy consumption. We never use any glue, plastic, rubber or fillers in our products. The designs are needle felted, hand-embroidered or hand-stitched.
Like many of you, we share our customer's concerns about working conditions abroad, and we work to make sure that the partner we choose provides ethical treatment to their employees and the environment. We are audited regularly to maintain an impressively high standard of working conditions and employment benefits.
We have ISO 14001 Environmental Management and ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management certificates. We do regular video calls to ensure we're supporting happy, healthy and safe workplaces.
Our packaging is meticulously considered with sustainability in mind. We support our Australian small business community by sourcing eco-friendly packaging materials and supplies from them. Each piece of packaging, including packaging boxes, gift boxes and tissue paper, is made from 100% recyclable material to reduce plastic waste. Our mailing bags are made from corn starch and biodegradable in your own home compost. Some of our goodies come in hand-stamped cotton drawstring bags, which can be reused for storing small accessories. Our marketing materials are printed on Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certified 100% recycled paper using plant-based inks that are kinder to the environment.
We are proud to have partnered with Australia Post, committed to delivering better environmental outcomes. With every Eco Dog & Cat order sent, you're supporting carbon-offset projects with positive environmental impacts.
Most products end up in a landfill, emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere while they decompose. We take responsibility for our products throughout their entire life cycle by buying back your unwanted items through our Take Back Program. All ornaments will be upcycled as pet toys and donated to animal shelters or recycled with textile recycling.
As a small business, we admit we're not perfect, and whilst we take sustainable steps where we can, we are always trying to find more ways to reduce our impact. We are committed to building a sustainable brand and welcome any ideas or suggestions for how we can further reduce our impact by making it even more sustainable and eco-friendly. Please get in touch with us by using the contact form below or drop us an email at support@ecodogncat.com
