Brand Story Eco-science Innovation 環保科學的創新 Ecostore has also committed to using sustainably-sourced plant and mineral-based ingredients rather than petrochemicals wherever possible and it makes sure each ingredient is safer for people’s health and for the planet. It uses the precautionary principle, which means if there is any doubt over the safety of an ingredient, it simply seeks a safer alternative. “We will pay a premium for our raw materials just so we can guarantee that we have got the most sustainable, ethicallysourced raw material in our products,” says research and development manager Huia Iti. “ecostore’s innovation really excites me and we are looking to utilise waste streams which can be turned into functional raw materials and used in our products.” Hong Kong is one of many markets ecostore sells in – including several others in Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Ecostore was recently presented with a top national award – the New Zealand Environment Ministry’s Green Ribbon Award – for the Carbon Capture Pak. The company converted from its regular plastic bottles to these new bottles made from renewable sugarcane that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows, helping people reduce their carbon footprint. The bottles are also fully recyclable in the same way as regular plastic.
39 | NATURAL PRODUCTS | Sourcing Yearbook 2017
Finding an alternative to the traditional bottles was a big priority for the company, Rands says. “Plastic is one of the world’s greatest problems. Finding a safer alternative has been a priority and with sugarcane-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE) available to ecostore, we’ve been able to manufacture plastic bottles made from sugarcane. It’s huge for ecostore and the world.” ecostore 承諾只會採用以可持續方法採購的植物和礦物性成份，盡量 避免使用石化材料，從而確保每種成份對人體健康和地球都是更安全 的。ecostore 堅守有疑勿用的預防性原則，即該公司一旦對任何成份 的安全性有懷疑，必定不會採用，並尋求更安全的替代品。 「我們會支付原材料的溢價，以確保全線產品使用的是由道德採購 方法而來的可持續原材料。」ecostore 研發部經理 Huia Iti 直言， 「ecostore 的創新真的令人振奮，我們從善用廢水入手，把它們轉化 為具功能性的原材料，並用於旗下產品之中。」 香港是 ecostore 的銷售市場之一，除此以外，還包括全球其他國家 和地區，以及澳洲和新西蘭。 最近 ecostore 獲頒新西蘭頂級殊榮 – 由環境局授予「綠絲帶獎」， 以表揚其 Carbon Capture Pak 甘蔗樽的貢獻。該公司放棄一直沿用 的膠樽，轉用可循環再生的甘蔗瓶。甘蔗能吸收大氣層的二氧化碳， 幫助人類減少碳排放。甘蔗瓶跟一般塑料一樣，可完全循環再造。 尋求可以取代傳統膠瓶是 ecostore 優先實踐的重大目標。「處理塑 膠是世界上最迫切解決的難題之一，尋求更安全的代取品一直是我們 的優先考慮，採用由甘蔗提鍊的高密度聚乙烯 (HDPE) ，讓我們可以 生產甘蔗環保瓶，這對 ecostore 和全球著實是一項重要的成就。」 Rands總結說。