Our Enviro Ethos
We are passionate advocates for the environment, sustainability and issues that concern the longevity of our planet.
It comes naturally
You may (or may not) know, that our cute little warehouse is based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia.
This is where, since 1999, we handcraft all of our artisanal products in only the smallest batches, plant-powered ingredients, and with love. The area is a Peninsula of breathtaking natural beauty surrounded by the rich tapestry of the wild Australian coastline.
From a young age at school we are taught to be aware and mindful of the way in which we interact with the world around us, and of the fragility of our surrounding ecosystem that requires our wholehearted commitment to protect.
What we forget, however, is that this innate consideration of our environment, is not the case for everyone and certainly not the case for a number of other local businesses.
"Being environmentally ethical is natural to us (excuse the pun), there is simply no other way to be."
At MV, we proudly describe our range and our business as sustainable, and it’s a label - and a promise - we take seriously.
This doesn't mean every single aspect of our business passes the perfect ‘zero impact’ test, it means that we’ve considered the environmental implications of all aspects of our business, and chosen the least impactful, best practice we’re able to within our own particular circumstances.
Concentrated Formulations
This is one of the most important points to communicate, because it really is so rare and we consider it our point of difference.
Since inception, MV formulations were created with the intention to be CONCENTRATED and never diluted or greenwashed with organic ingredients for marketing gain.
Of course, the benefits of this are multi-factorial and ultimately result in our customers using less product, customising the dosage, and spending less money. The positive impact on the environment means that you purchase less frequently, we ship less frequently, and everyone wins.
Multi-purpose Products
Less is More. In principle and in practice.
One of the ways we promote mindful (and honest) consumerism is via the creation and promotion of multi-purpose products. You don't need a special 'eye cream', you don't need to buy a lotion for oily skin, and a rich cream for dehydrated skin. We've created formulas that are easily customisable and have the ability to be multi-functional, treating numerous skin types, conditions, and purposes.
By honouring the power of multi-purpose and by keeping things simple, you're only buying what you need, your environmental footprint is reduced, and you're avoiding soul-draining 'fad thinking' when it comes to caring for your skin!
Please feel free to reach out if you need help getting the most from your products.
Unique Recyclable & Lightweight Packaging
Opting for primarily aluminium bottles over glass was no accident.
Glass bottles are lovely - but boy are they heavy! We ship products to you so it's important to reduce the wastage from breakage, packing protection, and weight of our freight shipments.
Aluminium is perfect for us because it protects the active plant-compounds from exposure to light degradation, is safe & food grade (coated with an inert resin lining), and - while it's not only lightweight it's also 100% recyclable as a 'closed loop' product. Which means that it can be recycled infinitely!
It requires 90% less energy to recycle aluminium, than it does to recycle glass!
Additionally, the manufacture of brand new virgin glass is a very cheap practice, so many manufacturers do not see recycled glass projects as economically attractive and less glass tends to be recycled for industrial purposes.
Recycled & Recyclable Paper Boxes
We only box some of our products, and these are 100% recyclable.
While we love the look of our boxes, they do increase the packaging requirements. Some of our smaller products that require a box to display necessary legal requirements (for EU approval), and our Native Power Serum (which is breakable) are in boxes. We decided to skip boxing the entire range, as this was unecessary and wasteful.
The boxes we purchase are also made from recycled paper. Currently they are 76% recyclable but we're always researching to find ones with an even higher percentage of recycled material, whilst still maintaining the quality we need. Watch this space!
Recycling aluminium uses only 5% of the initial energy and only 5% of the greenhouse gases. It is for this reason that approximately 75% of the aluminium ever produced is still in use today!
100% Biodegradable Packaging 'Peanuts'
Have you noticed these funny 'lil peanuts in your order?
These are actually bio-fill and manufactured (in Australia) from renewable resources that are made from 100% corn and potato starch. They break down completely and are compostable too, in-fact they can actually improve the soil structure of your garden. Yipeee. Don't have a compost? That's fine, just add them to your garbage and they'll disintegrate with no residue.
Up-Cycle & Support
We aim for zero waste within our business practices and have partnered with a fantastic charity, Every Little Bit Helps.
They receive skincare donations and send care packages to the homeless, asylum seekers, victims of Domestic Violence, troubled youths through Women’s Refuge, Homeless Shelters, Youth Centres, Asylum Centres and Community Centres as well as via small Government and Community Groups.
Eco Bubble Wrap
Only where needed, we use an eco bubble manufactured from a plant based material. The breakdown process is activated by UV light (a renewable resource) and will ultimately biodegrade into CO2, H2O and biomass when discarded - whether it ends up in landfill or another part of the waste stream.
*We only use bubblewrap when shipping our larger order to our stockists and retailers. You won't find eco bubblewrap in your online orders with us :)
Reuse, Reuse, Reuse
This one is MAJOR. Waste is only waste, when it becomes.....well, waste.
We all need to reuse as MUCH AS POSSIBLE in our everyday lives, and this is something really and truly practiced around the office every.single.day.
How?
Boxes we receive goods in are repurposed for stockist orders, we reuse all of the backing from the labelling stickers as bulky packaging filler, we make notebooks from scrap paper, we up-cycle containers, we make our own cleaning products, we share recipes and leftovers.
small-batch
handcrafted
honest