Sustainability Policy 2
Eco Positive Materials
A primary aspect of our design intervention was to change an existing product by changing the material used. This is why materials form an important facet of everything we create. Our final objective is to use materials that fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- 100% Recycled
- Partially Recycled
- Curbside Recyclable
- Responsibly Sourced
- Naturally Sourced
- Plastic Free
- Free of Petroleum and its byproducts.
We prioritise the use of recycled and recyclable material wherever feasible. Virgin materials, when used will be responsibly sourced with the provision of necessary certifications and supporting documents in favour of this claim.
We call this our philosophy of using only eco-positive materials, that is: materials that do not inherently cause damage to the environment during extraction, manufacturing, usage or disposal.
We consider this our philosophy of using only eco-positive materials, that is: materials that do not inherently cause damage to the environment during extraction, manufacturing, usage or disposal.
Currently, the materials we use are:
- 100% recycled and carbon neutral paper made with 100% post-consumer waste
- 100% recycled paper and kraft board for packaging material
- Uncoated, acid-free, FSC Certified paper
- 100% recycled kraft board
- Polyester & Cotton blend bookbinding thread
- Plastic notebook spine
- Bookbinding adhesive
- Petroleum-based ink
Of these, the first three meet the above criteria and make up for more than 99% of our material usage.
Material Certifications
Cover Material:
- FSC® Certified
- Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)
- Heavy Metal Free
- ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System)
- ISO 50001 (Energy Management System)
- ISO 9001 (Quality Management System)
Refill Paper:
- FSC® Recycled
- Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)
- Heavy Metal Compliant
- ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System)
- ISO 50001 (Energy Management System)
- ISO 9001 (Quality Management System)
- Gold Standard Certified Carbon Neutral
- REACH Compliant
- 100% Renewable Energy (certified by GSE, Italy)
Chain of Sourcing
We use both imported and locally sourced materials.
We purchased imported materials ONLY through authorised distributors of the brand in India to ensure the authenticity of the material as well as the environmental claims and certifications of its manufacturers.
Materials that are locally sourced are purchased in collaboration with our suppliers and printers based in New Delhi, India.
We maintain a comprehensive document recording:
- Material Used
- Quantity of Material Used
- Name of Manufacturer
- Address of Manufacturer
- Name of Distributor
- Address of Distributor
Waste Management
Waste Management Through Manufacturing Efficiency: The objective of which is to use the minimum amount of resources for the manufacture of our products.
We foremostly ensure this through our design philosophy of creating intentionally, mindfully and through minimalism. This means using a finite amount of resources to prioritise strong fundamentals in every product we create and deliver high quality and functionality.
It is only after the core objective of the product has been fulfilled that we consider adding any further design elements if needed. Our objective is to add parts that add to the product’s overall functionality, choosing to keep our product minimal and clutter-free.
The second way to ensure manufacturing efficiency is to minimise wastage during production. For this, we track the quantity of materials purchased, comparing it with the ideal and actual number of units produced in order to track wastage. We then work with our manufacturers to ensure that the proportion of waste is minimal.
Waste Management Through Multipurpose Use: The material we purchase is such that it can be utilised for a number of products. This means that wastage from one process may be utilised in another process to create another product. This is why we maintain some standard specifications such as paper weight and dimension for multiple products in a category.
Waste Management During Quality Control: Often, certain finished products having minor flaws fail our quality checks and are thus rendered ineligible for sale. These products are used in the following ways:
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Personally, in the office and for our employees, partners and collaborators.
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Sample sales: Selling the products at a discounted price after disclosing all issues and flaws in the product.
Management of Office and Administrative Waste: We manage office waste through the process of waste segregation. We segregate in three bins: paper waste, plastic waste and other waste.
Our paper waste is then segregated into things that we can reuse such as envelopes, shipping boxes, sheets of paper, cards, etc. and those that we cannot such as food boxes, certain shipping mailers, etc. Waste that we cannot use is separated and collected by our local waste collectors for recycling.
Currently, our plastic waste comes largely from administrative use. That is, when we are sent documents sealed with plastic wrap and plastic tape predominantly used during shipping and logistics of our raw materials.. We separate this plastic waste and submit it to local waste collectors for recycling.
Additionally, we track the percentage of finished goods that are rejected after every manufacturing run and work with our suppliers to reduce this number.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13: Climate Action
Goal 15: Life on Land
Sustainability Goals: Five Year Plan
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Over the coming years, we hope to find eco-friendly replacements for materials that do not fit our eco-positive criteria. This will help us replace the small amount of petroleum and polymer-based materials that we still use and enhance our credentials vis as vis post-use processing and management of our products.
These materials would fulfil at least one of the following conditions as part of our eco-positive material framework:
- 100% Recycled
- Partially Recycled
- Curbside Recyclable
- Responsibly-Sourced
- Naturally Sourced
- Plastic Free
- Free of Petroleum and its byproducts.
- We commit to donating 1% of the profit we make to charitable organisations in India. At the end of our first year in business: ie. March 2023, we will prepare a document stating our financial records and profit for the year and the amount we will be eligible to donate and the organisations we donate to, along with documents verifying the same to ensure 100% transparency regarding this claim.
- Our impact analysis is a mix of instinctive, with data collected from previously done credible research. Over the coming years, we hope to develop a comprehensive data-based framework analysing the social and environmental benefits to study the impact of our products as well as our business activities. This framework will include:
- Quantitative environmental impact of our products
- Quantitative environmental impact of our marketing activities
- Quantitative environmental impact of our administrative activities
- Quantitative assessment and classification of waste generated with a task-based action plan for waste management
This will help us determine areas that require intervention while clearly and objectively communicating the progress we make to our stakeholders.
- Arkai is in the process of developing a recycling framework and guide for our products. We’ve called this program Rθ; named after the mathematical equation for the length of an arc of a circle. Through this framework, we aim to classify all our materials as portions of a complete circle, measuring the degree to which they are recyclable. The framework is proposed to be a 4 point scale as follows:
- Less than half the parts of this product are recyclable
- Half the parts of this product are recyclable
- More than half the parts of this product are recyclable
- All parts of this product are recyclable
Our objective is for a majority of our materials and products to complete the full circle in order to promote circularity across our supply chain.
- To create an affirmative action internship plan to create financially sound learning opportunities in the field of sustainability for individuals coming from marginalised communities in India. Through this program, we hope to offer internships in:
- Research & Impact Measurement
- Marketing & Content Development
- Product Development
- Finance & Accounting
- Human Resource Management
- Website Development