Sustainable Business - Case Studies 1
How can you design your business to be more sustainable? To be good for the planet, good for the people it interacts with and good for profit to investors.
As a follow-up to our previous blog, here are some JDW clients who adopted sustainable practices and products at the outset of their business.
Innovation - Eltom Distillery powered by Reactory Limited
Imagine a smooth, fully flavoured whiskey made in the fraction of the time? Founder Mark Eltom uses a revolutionary process to mature spirits, which shortens the processing time from decades to days, and saves natural resources. No barrels, so fewer oak trees are used, less shipping, less leakage and less space required for storage.
Despite the speed, the spirits match their rival on flavour. Mark says, “We break old rules to create flavours you won't find anywhere else.” Eltom Distillery’s Premium Dirty Gin was awarded bronze in the NZ Spirits Awards 2023 and its Sigma Rum Small Batch was awarded silver in the NZ Spirits Awards 2023. What a great start for a new distillery!
Circular Economy - Ola Home Compostable Coffee Pods from The Eco Coffee Store Limited
Founder Amanda Jackson is passionate about great tasting coffee and the environment. Globally, 114,000 coffee capsules are ending up in landfill every minute. This is because some coffee capsules cannot be recycled at all, while those that can are recycled via a long and tedious process. The un-recycled capsules can remain on our planet for up to 500 years. Her solution is Ola Home Compostable Coffee Pods subscription service. Premium quality coffee, ethically and sustainably sourced, in paper capsules that break down into fertile soil after use. To reduce your carbon footprint further you can plant a tree with every order through their partnership with One Tree Planted.
Despite rave reviews from customers, it hasn’t been easy doing business. Sales volumes, shipping costs and courier reliability are constant sources of worry. Last year, the whole business had to pause while facing a trademark challenge, which forced the business to rebrand. Despite these headwinds, Amanda is convinced that her coffee pods are the best for discerning eco-conscious coffee drinkers.
Amanda is keen to work with companies interested in helping to solve environmental issues, partnering with eco packaging, hotels and innovative thinkers. She’d also love to see her products more widely available in retail stores.
https://homecompostablecoffee.com
Advocacy and Education – My Keeper Limited
My Keeper is a fashion store and fashion rental service with a colourful, solid 1960’s retro style. Clothes are either sewn in NZ or by a
manufacturer in Bali which prides itself of its ethical labour conditions. Garments are mainly cotton and linen, and polyester is from recycled
bottles.
Founder Sera Choat uses her Instagram platform to educate her 36,000+ followers on the environmental issues surrounding fast
fashion, and to advocate for consumers to be more mindful of their purchasing behaviour.
Conclusion
Spirits, coffee and fashion are competitive industries, but these three clients are setting themselves apart from the crowd, using
innovation, zero-waste, advocacy and education. These three clients are examples of business who have sustainability at the heart of what
they do.
- Serena Irving
Serena Irving is a director in JDW Chartered Accountants Limited, Ellerslie, Auckland. JDW is
a professional team of qualified accountants, auditors, business consultants, tax advisors,
trust and business valuation specialists.
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