Why a Sustainability Policy?

We at Zerofootprint have to be mindful of our own impacts as we pursue our mission. It’s known as walking the talk-and Zerofootprint is doing it. We believe that for sustainability, no action is insignificant. Just as we think we should all drive, fly, and consume less and smarter, we at Zerofootprint will lead the way by bringing our habits into line with our philosophy.

Policy Statements

Our team - Zerofootprint’s team members are our most important resource and we are dedicated to creating an atmosphere that supports them and their values.

  • All of our staff is covered by a healthcare benefits package.
  • The Zerofootprint team likes to loosen up with a group yoga class once a week. We believe a balanced lifestyle is a key to a happy life and we see yoga as a natural extension of this philosophy.
  • We are committed to being flexible for our employees. Because a person’s life doesn’t revolve solely around work, we recognize the value of accommodating our team with flexible schedules and time to work from home.
  • We believe in equality.

Our office - Our values extend to the way we do business. Creating an office environment that supports our values gives us a direct touch to the sometimes overwhelming and intangible world of environmental footprints. It is one of the ironies of working to reduce environmental footprints that in doing so, we find ourselves creating an impact. We choose to see this as an advantage and support those who include sustainability in their business practices too.

  • We bulk purchase our office paper, making sure that it is either Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or 100% recycled and processed without the use of chlorine or chlorine compounds.
  • Any paper that comes into our office either leaves in a useful state or goes into the recycling.
  • Zerofootprint has organic fruit and organic fair trade coffee delivered weekly.
  • We strive to reduce our footprint by using better communication technology. This means teleconferencing instead of driving or flying, and presenting virtually instead of printing.
  • At Zerofootprint we inevitably find ourselves getting information printed. Zerofootprint is committed to searching for printers that effectively manage their environmental impacts. For example, our business cards are printed on FSC-certified stock, with 100% post-consumer recycled content, using vegetable-based dyes, by a printer that uses a waterless printing process that eliminates emissions to both water and air. That’s smart design and we are committed to supporting it.

Carbon neutrality - At Zerofootprint, we view the problem of climate change as perhaps the most significant threat our world is facing. This fact has motivated us to develop programs to facilitate renewable energy projects and carbon offsetting strategies. Offsetting is central to our approach to reducing environmental footprint-after the standards of reducing, reusing, and recycling have been employed-and we make sure to practice what we preach. We take steps to make sure we are reducing our impact as much as possible before we offset. At Zerofootprint we understand that offsetting is part of a suite of environmentally-friendly actions and that offsetting should not replace actions that make it unnecessary.

Zerofootprint Offsets are sound investments into our future-our tree-planting verification protocol is ISO 14064-2 and our renewable energy credits are Green-e or EcoLogo certified. We strive to account for all of our environmental impacts and offset the ones we cannot yet eliminate. This includes:

  • Travel, including all air and car travel
  • Paper and printing, including all of our marketing collateral
  • Energy, including our electricity use
  • Shipping and courier services

Social and Environmental Responsibility - We are not going to fool ourselves into thinking that all of our activities fall neatly under the headings above. At Zerofootprint we want consideration of environment footprints to be something that is included as an element of every decision and action one makes. Zerofootprint believes our responsibility extends far beyond our own impacts.

  • We have cultivated strong relationships with other individuals, organizations, and communities that share our values. By working in this way we can improve the quality of our programs and increase the reach of our message.
  • Zerofootprint annually supports a charitable organization chosen by the team. Zerofootprint matches our team members’ contributions to this charity.
  • Zerofootprint has been active in supporting an initiative to bring high-efficiency, solar-powered LED lighting to communities in Vanuatu. This endeavor replaces the kerosene-burning lamps that are typically used with a clean, affordable option.