Our Environmental Policy
At Twinkle Twinkle we aim to keep our environmental impact to a minimum.
- All packaging is recycled and/or biodegradable.
- We print our leaflets, booklets and invoices on recycled paper or FSC accredited paper
- Our catalogues and How to nappy booklet are printed by ourselves as we need them meaning little or no waste when information changes
- We recycle all waste materials where we are able to, giving very little residual 'waste'
- We maintain an acre of bluebell woodland and two acres of grass meadow, with sufficient trees to ensure we more than offset our carbon use.
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Our waste is minimal and recycled where possible. It is significant that since starting trading in 1999 the only packaging material we have ever bought in are the grey plastic courier bags we use for shipping. Unfortunately plastic is necessary to protect your nappies as well as keep the shipping cost down (which I suppose in turn reduces the environmental impact of delivery),.
Although a little more expensive we choose Eco-poly jackets which are made of biodegradable polyethene film, offering identical performance to nondegradable bags. Traditional polyethene is made up of long-chain molecules giving strength and performance but not breaking down easily meaning they remain in the environment for a very long time - estimates from 100 years to 500 years +. The Eco-poly jacket is made with polyethene with an additive included at the start of the extrusion process which reduces the molecular weight by as much as one hundreth the size meaning it can be consumed by microorganisms.
In time, the film will degrade in any normal environment, enhanced by daylight or higher temperatures. The eventual products after degradation are water, a small amount of carbon dioxide and biomass which can be composted and used as a fertiliser, and is then safe to plants and earthworms.
The Eco-poly jackets can also be sent for recycling.
All the boxes we receive our nappies in are recycled for despatching or are available for collection locally for use in house moves or as play houses for local children - please ask if you need some. Likewise all the bubblewrap we use comes from the packaging that our toiletries arrives in plus some we recycle from a neighbouring company. All the jiffy bags are sent in by customers with returns (and are usually recycled by this point at least a couple of tiems before we reuse them), or are from our own homes or another local company.
Any paper waste is shredded. This is often used for packaging toiletries and sometimes to make paper logs for fuel, or for use by local schools for fete lucky dips or paper mache (please ask if you would like to collect some). Any plastic strapping from boxes delivered is carefully cut off to give long lengths and saved to go to a local lady who weaves baskets from it. The majority of our remaining waste paper (not a lot!), and thinner card such as holders for trainer pants is recycled. This leaves just a tiny proportion of our waste that is not recycleable - as yet we haven't found a use for the plastic film 'keepers' from the bag seals, and would be grateful for any ideas!
© 2000-2008 Miranda Stamp
Twinkle Twinkle
Unit 5 Headley Park Nine, Headley Road East, Woodley
Reading, RG5 4SQ