NIC+ZOE is committed to sustainability and ensuring that we do not source from ancient and endangered forest species for our product and shipping materials. For this reason, NIC+ZOE is committed to protecting the world's forests through our approach to procurement of pulp, paper, packaging and fabrics.
As substitutions for single use plastics are sought out it is recognized that the environmental issues arising with an increase in demand for forest-based products as a substitute must be addressed. This policy looks to support the necessary shift away from single use plastics concurrent with the pressing need for conservation of ancient and endangered forests.
NIC+ZOE will support approaches and systems to build a future that does not use ancient and endangered forests in the packaging, paper or in man-made cellulosic fabrics, including rayon, viscose, lyocell, modal and other trademarked brands. We will influence these supply chains in order to protect the world's remaining ancient and endangered forests and endangered species habitat.
To do this, we will:
The reduction and reuse of paper and packaging is of paramount priority for the protection of the world's limited forest resources and has a clear and beneficial impact on reduced costs.
Therefore, over the next year, NIC+ZOE will prioritize the development of a reduction and reuse strategy with targets and timelines. Over the next 3 years NIC+ZOE will:
NIC+ZOE will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies and suppliers to encourage the development of fiber sources that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural residues and recycled fabrics. We will participate in trials where appropriate.
In 2022, NIC+ZOE will put in place a preference for purchasing man-made cellulosic products that include minimum of 50% of these innovative fiber sources and develop a 2025 procurement target for these closed-loop solutions based on viscose fiber producer innovation.
NIC+ZOE will collaborate with Canopy, innovative companies and suppliers to encourage the development of next generation solutions and packaging and paper that reduce environmental and social impacts, with a focus on agricultural fibers (particularly residues) and recycled content. We will use Canopy's Ecopaper database and The Paper Steps as a guide for paper and packaging sourcing.
To help reduce the footprint of the paper and packaging we use, NIC+ZOE will:
Where the above conditions are met (including 1-4), NIC+ZOE will request that all fabric, packaging and paper sourced from forests are from responsibly managed forests, certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system, and where FSC certified plantations are part of the solution.
NIC+ZOE will request that our suppliers respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and acknowledge indigenous and rural communities legal, customary or user rights to their territories, land, and resources. To do so, we request that our suppliers acknowledge the right of Indigenous People and rural communities to give or withhold their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) before new logging rights are allocated or plantations are developed. We request that our suppliers resolve complaints and conflicts, and remediate human rights violations through a transparent, accountable, and agreeable dispute resolution process.
NIC+ZOE recognizes the importance of forests as carbon storehouses and their role in maintaining climate stability. As part of our ongoing leadership on climate we will support initiatives that advance forest conservation to reduce the loss of high carbon stock forests, by encouraging suppliers to avoid harvest in these areas, and by giving preference to those that use effective strategies to actively reduce their greenhouse gas footprint.
NIC+ZOE recognizes that ancient and endangered forests are vitally important systems for the protection and regulation of water from the local to global level. Large areas of contiguous forest act as a biotic pump helping to move moisture from coastal areas to the interior of continents. We give preference to those suppliers that use effective strategies to actively maintain and restore forest intactness to maintain forests' function of regulating the flow and purity of water at a micro and macro scale.
NIC+ZOE requires that our man-made cellulosic suppliers use best available environmental practices for processing, such as the ‘closed-loop’ lyocell processing.
We will give purchasing preference to paper and packaging that has been processed utilizing technologies such as chlorine free bleaching . We will switch to receipts for in-store use that are non-phenol and BPA/BPS free in recognition of the health benefits this will have for our employees and customers.
We will also give preference in our North American operations to using printers ranked in the top of the Blueline Ranking.
NIC+ZOE looks to create a positive impact together with our suppliers, partners and customers. As implementation progresses, NIC+ZOE will work with suppliers, non-governmental organizations, other stakeholders and brands that work with Canopy to support the protection of ancient and endangered forests and forward solutions to reduce the demands upon forests. We will also seek opportunities to educate and inform the public on these issues and solutions through our marketing and communications.