Recently, I announced my plans to become climate positive by 2023 as part of my ‘foundations of frank’ commitment. Since then, my babes have received a lot of questions about my sustainability initiatives.
Scroll down to read the most commonly asked questions I’ve received, answered by my mummas. If I can help answer any questions you don’t find here, feel free to slide into my DMs or email my babes via the footer at the bottom of this page.
What does climate positive actually mean?
Being climate positive means that we can comfortably call ourselves a sustainable beauty brand. Being climate positive means a business has the ability to operate and exist for the benefit of the environment. This is going one step further than offsetting our own emissions, which is commonly referred to as being carbon net-zero. We don’t just want to achieve net zero carbon emissions. Instead, we want to actually create an environmental benefit through our supply chain and production processes. This is why we are committed to becoming climate positive by 2023.
What are your sustainability accreditations?
We have always been a cruelty-free brand, but we recently received our Cruelty Free certification from PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program. This certification process is more rigorous than others as it requires auditing of a brand’s processes and was something we were very keen to get in writing.
Other accreditations we are in the process of working toward include:
- Securing our carbon footprint verification by GreenFleet. By working with GreenFleet, we will be able to offset our carbon emissions and plant native forests at the same time.
- Analysing our entire supply chain carbon impact via Carbon Trust Net Zero to ensure we have a clear picture of our impact at a global level.
- Becoming a certified B Corp business. This means that we would meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance that is currently achievable as a business.
- Securing our FSC certification (Forest Stewardship Council). This will confirm that the paper materials we use in our manufacturing processes are only supplied by managed sources that meet very particular environmental standards.
Are you a member of industry recycling programs, like TerraCycle at MECCA?
Absolutely. It is important to us to work with retail partners who are working toward better sustainability practices within their supply chain. For those who can safely head in-store, you are able to take your used frank body products with you and give to the staff or place in the TerraCycle bins in-store.
When will your coffee scrub bags be recyclable?
We have been testing a few different recyclable scrub bag options over the past 6 or so months. We are on track to introduce this option in early 2022, with production starting later this year. The reason we have a foiled bag now is because the scrubs are made from all natural ingredients, which means they require more care in order to preserve them when in the shower and around water. We need to make sure that we also get this right with our new recyclable bags, so it has been a lengthy process for us.
Our recyclable bag will be made of a new carbon negative, renewable bioplastic material called BioPE which is derived from sugarcane. The process of producing these bags is carbon negative and to give you an example of the impact of this change, for every 1kg produced of this material we are capturing 3kgs of carbon from the atmosphere, which reduces fossil fuels by 80%. We are very proud of this change because our scrubs are such a huge part of our brand and our product range. This is one of the key areas of impact for us and we are so excited for this to roll out.
What do you mean by tubes being made from 82% sustainable materials? Which materials?
All new tubes in 2022 (like the ones your face products come in) will be made from 82% sustainable materials. Broken down, this means that each tube will be made up of 41% sugarcane and 41% PIR (post industrial recycled) material. This means only 18% of the tubes will be made of virgin plastic.
Are you creating refillable products? When? Which products?
Yes. We plan to introduce refillable options of our core range in 2022. We will prioritise our best selling products to make sure we have the biggest positive impact possible. Our Perky cup was the first refillable product we created and our babes loved this product. The next step for us is introducing refill pouches for products like this, which we would then extend wider in our range.
What about your offices? Do you rely on renewable energy? If so, when did these changes take effect?
Yes we do. It’s important to us that our efforts to be more sustainable extend beyond our production processes so this was an important step for us and our team. In August 2021, our HQ in Melbourne moved to a new office which is 100% powered by solar energy. In September, our NYC office also switched to a green energy provider called Clearview Energy that uses renewable energies like wind, solar and hydro.
For more information on my sustainability initiatives, as well as where I stand in regards to diversity, body positivity and community empowerment, head to my ‘foundations of frank’ page here. This page is updated regularly and will continue to be built on as we go.