Our Environmental Pledge
At Ohh Deer we’re on a mission. A mission to create a positive impact.
We’ve always been very conscious of keeping our impact on the environment to a minimum. We work with charitable causes close to our hearts. Created a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace where people can thrive. And felt a duty as a small business to ensure we were making decisions because it was the right thing to do, not based upon the impact to our bottom line.
Our current mission (we know, we’re not alone!) is to ensure we have a full audit history of our supply chain. We began this process in 2021 and are proud to declare that, although still a work in progress, we’re confident that we know where we’re making that impact and where improvements need to be made.
It’s very easy (surprisingly easy in fact) to simply offset the carbon you produce and therefore, become net-zero but the real change comes in reviewing your processes and making more sustainable and greener choices.
We’re currently climate positive which means we go above achieving net zero carbon emissions by realising an environmental benefit and removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
How do we do this?
We work with environmental projects around the world to ensure we’re reforesting otherwise deserted land with our partner, Tree Aid and have planted well over 100,000 trees, including 90,000 in the last 2 years alone. Reforestation helps carbon sequestration by fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the leaves, trunks and roots of the tree. The reforesting also prevents soil erosion, prevents landslides and flooding, provides habitat for over 80% of the plant’s terrestrial biodiversity, and has been shown to reduce ambient air temperature by up to 46 degrees fahrenheit.
We also offset the carbon we produce, alongside the work we do with Tree Aid reforesting large parts of Africa. The process of offsetting means that for every tonne of Co2 we create, our partner, Climate Care ensures the same volume is removed from the atmosphere. Through Climate Care, who are an award-winning certified B Corp, we are helping to fund emission avoidance activities which reduce global emissions but we also fund activities that remove or sequester carbon from the atmosphere. These projects include migrating from fossil fuels to renewable energy such as solar and wind, to helping the nearly 3 billion people in the developing world work towards a more efficient method of cooking via the Gyapa. The Gyapa requires 50% less fuel and is less smoky, meaning it not only cuts carbon emissions it also reduces exposure to toxic fumes. Climate Care ensures we have a sustainable development impact on the future of our planet.
Sustainably-Sourced Cards
All of our paper based products are sourced from sustainable, well-maintained forests, or recycled materials. The paper for our greetings cards is sourced locally, therefore reducing the potential carbon emissions required to import the paper by 117,666kg of Co2 per year. The cards are lithographically printed which results in fewer emissions and less waste. We use vegetable inks which are eco friendly and VOC free and our production house is one of the leading ethical companies in the UK, recycling all of their old pallets and food waste and using it to heat their eco hub.
Plastic-Free Greeting Card Packaging
All our cards are completely plastic-free. In September 2021, we made the decision to no longer produce cards with a clasped seal as we believe these to be unnecessary and ultimately waste producing. You may receive some cards with the clasp while we transition and clear through older stock. Following customer feedback, we decided to continue to wrap our Pin and Patch Card ranges to prevent damage and theft. Therefore, these are packaged in a biodegradable or compostable wrap which is Vincotte Certified, meaning they will disintegrate within 6 months into Co2, Water and humus - a soil nutrient when industrially composted.
Recycled Envelopes
All our envelopes are made from sustainable and/or recycled materials. Our manufacturers are audited and hold all the correct accreditations. They recycle all paper-based material waste every day, including all envelope paper and cardboard, which is then used by a recycling partner to manufacture new recycled paper-based products, such as our Fleck Kraft envelopes.
100% Recycled Gift Wrap
All our gift wrap is made from 100% recycled paper and unlike most gift wrap, it can be recycled again due to the paper and finishes we use.
Plastic-Free Packaging Pledge
All orders are shipped to you in cardboard boxes and we removed all unnecessary plastic covers from our stationery and giftware, replacing them with bio-cello alternatives where possible or sending them naked.
We have a cardboard shredder in-house where we turn all of our excess cardboard boxes into packing material to project your deliveries - ensuring that your products arrive safely while also allowing you to recycle it after receipt. But rest assured we attempt to fill the available space with product where possible.
We are also in the process of removing vinyl tape from our mailer boxes and replacing this with brown paper tape when a box isn't self-seal.
We are continuously looking for improvements to our packaging processes to make them more sustainable so if you ever have feedback on what we could do better, please send it to wholesale@ohhdeer.com
Tree Aid
Through our partnership with Tree Aid we have planted well over 100,000 trees! The trees planted provide food and generate income for people in need in the drylands of Africa, allowing them to afford better education and healthcare. They also sequester carbon, provide habitat, prevent soil erosion, contribute to a healthier terrestrial biodiversity, the list goes on! To see their most up to date report, click here
Less Than 30% Foil
We never use more than 30% foil elements on our products to ensure they are 100% recyclable.
No Glitter, Little Flitter
We don’t like to add glitter elements to our designs (we feel we are snazzy enough). However, where we do, we only use biodegradable glitter products.