Hi everyone,
By now you may have heard a lot about climate and the climate emergency we are facing. As we finish COP26 in Glasgow it is clear we are not only unlikely to meet the world commitment to not go beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius warming but projections now are above 2.4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century or before. A few days ago UN chief, Antonio Guterres warned us that "The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7-degrees of heating"
I, Juan Andres, founder and CEO of Fair Business Alliance Ltd, the company that represents Pacari Chocolate in the UK and Republic of Ireland, would like to share with you my view on this climate crisis and emergency and what I have decided the company has to do to contribute to saving life on our planet.
Reducing our carbon footprint is entirely necessary, but the transition of change is far slower than the time we have left. We have a collective responsibility to make all the necessary changes to save our only Planet Earth. Yes we are a small business but we are also committed to contributing to the reduction of our carbon footprint as quickly as possible.
We all need to become empowered to make these changes and I invite you to think about and act now, there is no time to waste. We believe in the Business Ambition for 1.5 Celsius as a necessity.
Below I set out more about our plans to reach Net Zero by 2030 and reduce our carbon footprint impact every day and further communication will follow:
These are 12 first steps we have been taking:
1. We have already eliminated all plastics from our postal packaging and we are using boxes of recycled materials, certified FSC and compostable, so we can reduce the waste and the use of products made from fossil fuels like plastic.
2. At Fair Business Alliance Ltd (Pacari Chocolates UK), we also offset over 65 tons of CO2 in 7 months with Ecologi, with this we have so far offset all the carbon emission generated by the shipments of chocolates from Ecuador we have done during last year and this first semester of 2021. plus all local trips and energy used to warehouse the chocolates during this same period.
3. We plant 1 tree for every chocolate bar bought on our online shop. We have planted over 4,100 trees in the first 7 months, with the Ecologi tool and we invite you do the same, just click here. This adds to the over 2,500 trees we planted with One Tree Planted in the previous years.
4. Pacari Chocolate Ecuador are changing all their inner as well as outer packaging to be fully compostable. All our 50g bars already have this packaging whichmeans that after you eat your chocolate you can compost the inner package and it will be completely composted in 180 days eliminating waste and reducing the carbon foot print.
5. Our Fair Business Alliance website is hosted with a company that uses only renewable green energy. In addition, all energy in the offices is powered by Green Energy UK which provides us only with renewable energy, including electricity and 100% green gas. All our bulbs are LED base and we are trying to reduce the energy use on other areas of the business.
6. We offset the carbon footprint of the workforce at Fair Business Alliance Ltd, by becoming a Climate Positive Workforce with Ecologi. We are now working from home and have stopped using an office, when needed we will use co-working space so we reduce our carbon foot print.
7. Fair Business Alliance Ltd is moving the pension scheme used to an ethical scheme. We have been working with experts from The Path financial, experts in ethical investments, to help us to find the best solution and most ethical solution for us. They can guarantee that our pension scheme does not invest in fossil fuel, coal, pesticides, GMO, arms and other unethical industries.
8. Pacari Chocolates UK has been trialling a new tool that you will see soon on each of your orders, inviting you to offset the CO2 that will be generated on the delivery of your order from the warehouse to your destination. It is a voluntary option but I invite you to start using it when you see it. We apologise if during the trail period you experimented some difficulties, we hope they will be fixed and you will have a good experience using it.
9. All Pacari chocolates and ingredients are certified 100% organic which means that there is no use of petroleum made chemicals like; pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides. Working with small farmers in organic production, we support local families, livelihoods and the biodiversity that surrounds them.
10. Every trip undertaken by staff within the UK is now made by train rather than internal flights and in electric powered transports when available.
11. In order to replace international trips to facilitate face to face meetings, we are replacing meetings with remote online meetings where possible. We are asking our suppliers to look into using remote online communications if available and we will support them to find ways that make this possible if needs be.
12. With regards to stationery use, when we have to print we use recycled FSC paper, we print on both sides and we do it only in black and white. We are reducing our printed materials, for example we are stopping to print business cards and reduce the use of leaflets. When necessary these should be always printed in recycled paper.
I can asure you that our plan doesn't finish with these steps, but we are developing a plan of action to reach Net-Zero by 2030, we are part of Net Zero Scotland. We have also signed The SME Climate Commitment and we intend to go faster than that.
Yes, it is a big goal for a small business like ours, but there are no excuses not to be serious and ambitious about it. If all individuals, small business enterprises (SME's), large corporate organisations and international governments did the same then we have a chance to meet our target after all.
Scotland's Government target is to get to Net-Zero by 2045 and the UK Government plans not to be Net-Zero until 2050. We think this lacks ambition and are aiming to do it faster. We invite you to join us on this journey.
I am proud of the decisions taken by my company and having been involved in working for a more sustainable and ethical way of doing business for more than 25 years. I believe I have to lead by example in my business. I have also asked Pacari Chocolate in Ecuador to continue with their commitment to sustainability and communicate with us what they are doing on different areas that will allow us to reach our goals so we can share these with you.
Remember that Pacari Chocolate was ranked the most ethical chocolate in the UK by Ethical Consumer Magazine out of 110 brands. It reaching a score that no other chocolate brand has reached before and was also nominated as their No1 most ethical Best Buy preference. We need your help to raise the profile of this ethical brand in the UK and urge you to share it with as many people, businesses and organisations as you can. We want to change the face of the chocolate industry and your favourite snack to one that cares about both people and the planet.
Thank you for your time and support,
Juan Andres Santelices, founder of Fair Business Alliance Ltd.