Environmental Policy
At Infectious Clothing, we are dedicated to ensuring our customers are comfortable, safe, and stylish in their uniforms. As members of the beautiful Sunshine Coast community, we also have a powerful sense of the interplay between the health of the environment and the people who live in it.
With the thought of our company having a sizeable environmental footprint due to transportation and packaging, we knew we had to make a change. Thus, our journey to minimise Infectious Clothing's environmental footprint began.
Starting in 2020, we shifted all our outgoing freight to providers that offset their carbon emissions to minimise our carbon footprint. Furthermore, new procedures have been implemented in our shop, warehouse and office to minimise waste going to landfills, and a better recycling process has been implemented.
2021 brought a new way for us to reduce our impact with our new compostable mailing satchels!
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
In 2021, Infectious Clothing partnered with Australian company Zero Waste Co to create our new compostable Infectious Clothing mailers. You may have received one and scanned its QR code already!
These mailers are made primarily of processed corn by-products and a dash of science; all ensured to be non-toxic, so it's safe for you, your pets, all the way down to the worms in your garden.
They're as tough as the soft plastic mailers you'll be used to from your previous orders with us, but with the added benefit of them being certified home compostable (AS 5810) by the Australasian Bioplastics Association!
HOW TO USE THEM
Once you've received your order from us, you must peel the postage label off the satchel and pop it in your compost bin. Over the next 3-6 months, mother nature will work, and the satchel (along with your compostable food scraps) will have broken down and become a rich source of nutrients for the rest of your garden.
If you don't yet have a composter, there are still several ways to dispose of your packaging. Firstly, did you know that you can get up to 80% off a composter for your home depending on where you live? Compost Revolution partners with local councils all over Australia to provide discounts on an extensive range of composting solutions for all home sizes.
If, for whatever reason, home composting is not an option for you, there may still be ways for you to remove your Infectious Clothing satchel and food waste from the landfill stream. ShareWaste is a fantastic resource that links people who want to compost but can't with people in their area that have spare composting capacity. Planet Ark also has a great search that can help you search for specific types of recyclers near you - enter your postcode and specify that you are looking for somewhere to recycle food scraps, and it will give you a list of options in your area.
OK, SO THAT'S EASY ENOUGH. BUT IS THERE ANYTHING NOT TO DO?
- Don't forget to peel off the shipping labels and tape before adding the satchel to your composter.
- Don't put the plastic bags used to wrap individual garments in your composter - just the outer satchel. We hope the apparel manufacturing industry continues moving toward more environmentally friendly options. Recycle garment bags in the soft plastic recycling commonly found at your local shopping centre.