About us
Founded in 2017 as Ethical Branding, the company underwent a rename and rebrand in January 2020. The Ethical Agency is a boutique sustainable design company, consisting of a team of passionate and dedicated individuals who believe that good business can be conducted sustainably, and with care for the planet, with positive results.
We are actively seeking to forge relationships with organisations who are making a positive contribution to the planet and society, with an aim to foster relationships where our collective actions and voices can have the widest impact.
HOW ARE WE A SUSTAINABLE DESIGN BUSINESS?
We are leading by example in reducing our own footprint and making recommendations to help our clients and partners reduce theirs. In short, we undertake the following:
- We are a carbon neutral business, and offset our carbon omissions through climateneutralgroup.co.za
- We offset our electricty usage by purchasing the equivalent in renewable energy from the Darling Wind Farm.
- We plant trees every month through Green Pop.
- We follow the guidelines in our own sustainability policy
OUR DESIGN SERVIVES INCLUDE:
Why are ethical & sustainable practices important?
Good business should be about how much one can positively contribute to society and the planet whilst still making healthy profits. In addition, consumers’ expectations for their brands to be sustainable in their practices is increasing.
The keyword here is sustainable – the current lack of care (we’re being kind here) for the planet by corporations (100 to be exact!) is simply not sustainable. Mother Nature is under attack, being poisoned, suffocated and exploited. The other challenge has been education – there is so much data online now about climate change and the negative impacts of toxic business practices, we can’t escape it.
If we carry on at this rate, we will soon have poisoned all the rivers and seas, chopped down all the forests, decimated most wildlife populations, be fighting amongst ourselves for food and drinking water – all while global warming and climate change is set to make major natural disasters a common occurrence, and our planet uninhabitable.
The time to act is now and we all need to take action.
"It’s long been no secret that people are destroying the natural world all around the planet at a rapidly accelerating pace, but a landmark UN intergovernmental analysis released on Monday assessed the state of global biodiversity and finds that the devastation is proceeding at a rate that is tens to hundreds of times faster than during the past ten million years - a rate never seen before in history - and could plunge the planet into a sixth mass extinction event. "
What can be done?
It’s so unbelievably simple – all you need to be is a good human being who makes good choices.
- You are going to purchase products – buy with sustainability in mind.
- You are going to support companies, organisations and groups – support those who are contributing positively to society.
- Fine-tune your habits to contribute less to polluting the planet and efficiently manage your waste.
Below is a little list to help you on your way.
Reduce
Buy less stuff – only buy what you really need. We know it’s hard, the struggle here is real! We all like new things but excessive consumption does more harm than good.
Reuse
Fight the urge to simply throw things away and consider how you can reuse/ repurpose them. Purposefully buy items you know you can use again.
Recycle
One of the biggest tragedies of our time is that almost everything we buy comes in single-use plastic. Despite recycling efforts by some, the reality is that around 95% of every food, clothing and gadget packaging that we dispose of ends up in the ground, in water supplies, rivers, and oceans. This packaging is responsible for killing countless numbers of wildlife.
Consider the sheer volume of plastic-wrapped items in one supermarket in one suburb, in one city – multiply that by every town and city on earth and then consider that 95% of all that packaging waste ends up poisoning our planet to some degree every single day.
What is the answer?
- Buy from zero waste stores – fill your purchases with your own jars and containers.
- Consciously purchase items in glass and tin packaging or in plastics you know that can be recycled.
- Grow your own herbs and veggies.
- Avoid purchasing takeaways.
- Make eco-bricks from your non-recyclable waste.
- Recycle the rest of the waste.
Waste reduction
Whilst this is near impossible for most (including us), the goal is to produce less waste. Zero waste stores are popping up all over the place where you can fill your own vessels with all manner of items from olive oil, to nuts to sugar and even cleaning products. You can buy bamboo toothbrushes, soap without wrapping, and loose veggies; always buy loose veggies when you can.
Sign up to a local veg box delivery/ collection service – the items usually come unpackaged.
Plant based
Eating less meat is good for the planet (period) and good for you.
Give these insightful articles below a read for more information:
Why eating less meat is the best thing you can do for the planet in 2019
Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth
Go natural
Buy natural products whenever you can to help keep toxins out of municipal water systems and keep your family safe from potential carcinogens.
Buy local
Buying local means you are helping someone in your community survive whilst also reducing the carbon footprint of the products you purchase.
Sustainable clothing
Clothing pollution is a global concern, with an alarming amount of garments ending up in landfills. Thrift shopping or purchasing from sustainable brands are wonderful ways to combat this issue.
Satisfied clients
