Ecolocal Market’s business idea is based on ecology, sustainable lifestyles and circular economy. They recycle different materials and, for example, the store’s furniture and interior design have been made using old materials again. They know the manufacturers of the products on sale and try to find out the background of production and materials as accurately as possible. There is also a clothes loan company Vaatepuu branch on their premises, and as a member you can borrow clothes. It’s great that you don’t always have to buy clothes if you only need to wear them a couple of times.
Customer service promotes transparency. The website does not have any information about sustainability practices of the company. When asked about it, the customer service kindly provided an annual report, which serves as the basis for this review. Points for answering the call of a regular customer interested in sustainability.
In their report, they state that one of the company’s main corporate social responsibility goals is focused to the well-being and safety of their customers and employees and the sourcing and distribution of products. They source all their products from European suppliers, ranging from large multinational companies to smaller producers. One goal for Normal in the 2022/23 period is to gain a deeper understanding of their current situation and identify areas that need more improvement to ensure compliance with future regulations.
Regarding the report, it mentions that Normal’s aim is to offer customers a wide selection of sustainable choices. The Normal Group follows market trends and customer demands and continues to expand its range of sustainable products across all categories. They also strive to reduce energy and resource consumption in their daily operations. While this information is positive, it lacks detailed insights into how they actually achieve these goals (which is understandable as the report is a general overview, but more specific information would be helpful).
The products are categorized under several sustainability types: fragrance-free, paraben-free, organic, plastic-free, vegan, fair trade, and reusable packaging. In 2021/22, they launched an initiative to label all products with one or more sustainable attributes. As a result of their focus on these products, their share of total sales has consistently increased, and they plan to continue this trend. They emphasize the importance of delivering products in recycled or recyclable packaging whenever possible.
During the 2021/22 period, Normal transitioned away from plastic carrier bags in the Normal Group and introduced two non-woven alternatives for customers. According to the report, this initiative has been positively received by customers.
Their new logistics center in Hedensted, Denmark, was constructed in compliance with the DGNB (Green Building Council Denmark) gold medal standards. To receive the gold medal, a wide range of requirements must be met, such as installing solar panels on the roof.
Concerning human rights, all suppliers have either signed the Normal Code of Conduct or their own Code of Conduct that meets or exceeds the requirements outlined in the Normal Code of Conduct. In the 2021/22 period, no violations of the Normal Group’s Code of Conduct were detected. The risks faced by the Normal Group are limited because their suppliers are located within the EU, and most of them have a reputable multinational brand.
The company has also implemented a Code of Ethics that establishes ethical guidelines and anti-corruption policies to be followed by all employees. All new employees are required to familiarize themselves with the Code of Ethics and sign the document.
As part of their social strategy, the company dedicates two full working days each year, during which all employees at the Danish headquarters collaborate to support charitable organizations. One example is LykkeLiga, a Danish network of handball teams for mentally handicapped children. Over the past year, the company has made various donations to a total of 40 charitable organizations, primarily small-scale and local organizations.
Regarding data ethics, Normal aims to be transparent and ensure that information about their use of data is honest, genuine, and easily accessible to customers, colleagues, and business partners. Customers always have the option to receive customer service and complaint handling from a human representative. Furthermore, they do not sell personal data.
Summary
Based on the annual report, Normal Group takes sustainability into account in their operations in many forms and aims to continually invest in it. As a large company, this is practically a requirement in today’s world. However, there is still much work to be done. At least these areas could be improved:
– Lack of detailed insights: The report lacks specific information on how Normal achieves its sustainability goals. Providing more specific details would greatly enhance understanding.
– Enhancing transparency: While Normal has made positive efforts in sustainability, they can further improve transparency by sharing more information about their practices and strategies. One way to achieve this would be by publishing such information on their website.
Abel & Cole presents very comprehensive and transparent information related to sustainability issues on their website. Maybe because they state that they have taken responsibility into account since the beginnings of the company more than 30 years ago. On their website, you can find unusually good information about many different things. For example, employees’ pay for equality is told numerically. This kind of information is not available from many companies.
They also open up about what they are doing to reduce plastic. In connection with this, they have a “Plastic Pick-Up Bag” in use, with which customers can leave the plastic packaging used in delivery for recycling. In addition, plastics you collect can come from any retailer, not just from Abel & Cole. What a great idea!
They don’t take ethics into account only in environmental matters, but also in relation to the community they support: charities such as City Harvest and School Food Matters etc. Also remember that when you buy from Abel & Cole, you are supporting local producers. They have really long and comprehensive lists of producers and introductions of each one.
Abel & Cole is a member of B Corp (https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/). From the company’s website: “”A B Corp is a business that holds itself voluntarily accountable to a higher standard on social and environmental transparency”. Their B Corp result in 2021 was 103.5, which is classified as “outstanding”. This information is available in their accountability report where there is also a lot of other useful and interesting information.
It’s great that there are transparent companies like Abel & Cole. There is a lot of information available and you will certainly get answers to many of sustainability related questions. I warmly recommend the company!
Business idea based on circular economy.
Ecolocal Market’s business idea is based on ecology, sustainable lifestyles and circular economy. They recycle different materials and, for example, the store’s furniture and interior design have been made using old materials again. They know the manufacturers of the products on sale and try to find out the background of production and materials as accurately as possible. There is also a clothes loan company Vaatepuu branch on their premises, and as a member you can borrow clothes. It’s great that you don’t always have to buy clothes if you only need to wear them a couple of times.
Customer service promotes transparency. The website does not have any information about sustainability practices of the company. When asked about it, the customer service kindly provided an annual report, which serves as the basis for this review. Points for answering the call of a regular customer interested in sustainability.
In their report, they state that one of the company’s main corporate social responsibility goals is focused to the well-being and safety of their customers and employees and the sourcing and distribution of products. They source all their products from European suppliers, ranging from large multinational companies to smaller producers. One goal for Normal in the 2022/23 period is to gain a deeper understanding of their current situation and identify areas that need more improvement to ensure compliance with future regulations.
Regarding the report, it mentions that Normal’s aim is to offer customers a wide selection of sustainable choices. The Normal Group follows market trends and customer demands and continues to expand its range of sustainable products across all categories. They also strive to reduce energy and resource consumption in their daily operations. While this information is positive, it lacks detailed insights into how they actually achieve these goals (which is understandable as the report is a general overview, but more specific information would be helpful).
The products are categorized under several sustainability types: fragrance-free, paraben-free, organic, plastic-free, vegan, fair trade, and reusable packaging. In 2021/22, they launched an initiative to label all products with one or more sustainable attributes. As a result of their focus on these products, their share of total sales has consistently increased, and they plan to continue this trend. They emphasize the importance of delivering products in recycled or recyclable packaging whenever possible.
During the 2021/22 period, Normal transitioned away from plastic carrier bags in the Normal Group and introduced two non-woven alternatives for customers. According to the report, this initiative has been positively received by customers.
Their new logistics center in Hedensted, Denmark, was constructed in compliance with the DGNB (Green Building Council Denmark) gold medal standards. To receive the gold medal, a wide range of requirements must be met, such as installing solar panels on the roof.
Concerning human rights, all suppliers have either signed the Normal Code of Conduct or their own Code of Conduct that meets or exceeds the requirements outlined in the Normal Code of Conduct. In the 2021/22 period, no violations of the Normal Group’s Code of Conduct were detected. The risks faced by the Normal Group are limited because their suppliers are located within the EU, and most of them have a reputable multinational brand.
The company has also implemented a Code of Ethics that establishes ethical guidelines and anti-corruption policies to be followed by all employees. All new employees are required to familiarize themselves with the Code of Ethics and sign the document.
As part of their social strategy, the company dedicates two full working days each year, during which all employees at the Danish headquarters collaborate to support charitable organizations. One example is LykkeLiga, a Danish network of handball teams for mentally handicapped children. Over the past year, the company has made various donations to a total of 40 charitable organizations, primarily small-scale and local organizations.
Regarding data ethics, Normal aims to be transparent and ensure that information about their use of data is honest, genuine, and easily accessible to customers, colleagues, and business partners. Customers always have the option to receive customer service and complaint handling from a human representative. Furthermore, they do not sell personal data.
Summary
Based on the annual report, Normal Group takes sustainability into account in their operations in many forms and aims to continually invest in it. As a large company, this is practically a requirement in today’s world. However, there is still much work to be done. At least these areas could be improved:
– Lack of detailed insights: The report lacks specific information on how Normal achieves its sustainability goals. Providing more specific details would greatly enhance understanding.
– Enhancing transparency: While Normal has made positive efforts in sustainability, they can further improve transparency by sharing more information about their practices and strategies. One way to achieve this would be by publishing such information on their website.
Sustainable since 1988
Abel & Cole presents very comprehensive and transparent information related to sustainability issues on their website. Maybe because they state that they have taken responsibility into account since the beginnings of the company more than 30 years ago. On their website, you can find unusually good information about many different things. For example, employees’ pay for equality is told numerically. This kind of information is not available from many companies.
They also open up about what they are doing to reduce plastic. In connection with this, they have a “Plastic Pick-Up Bag” in use, with which customers can leave the plastic packaging used in delivery for recycling. In addition, plastics you collect can come from any retailer, not just from Abel & Cole. What a great idea!
They don’t take ethics into account only in environmental matters, but also in relation to the community they support: charities such as City Harvest and School Food Matters etc. Also remember that when you buy from Abel & Cole, you are supporting local producers. They have really long and comprehensive lists of producers and introductions of each one.
Abel & Cole is a member of B Corp (https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/). From the company’s website: “”A B Corp is a business that holds itself voluntarily accountable to a higher standard on social and environmental transparency”. Their B Corp result in 2021 was 103.5, which is classified as “outstanding”. This information is available in their accountability report where there is also a lot of other useful and interesting information.
It’s great that there are transparent companies like Abel & Cole. There is a lot of information available and you will certainly get answers to many of sustainability related questions. I warmly recommend the company!