ProAdventure Ethics and Environmental Statement

We are proud to be accredited by the Good Business Charter.

We acknowledge current science regarding human impact on our environment. We recognise current threats to our climate and planet and wish to do as much as we can to mitigate our own impact both personally and as a business. We have been making positive changes for years but we recognise that while we have made lots of changes, there is always more to be done. The following is a picture of where we are at and a benchmark for ourselves in the future. It list some but not all of the measures we have taken. As funds allow we will continually look for ways to reduce our impact while continuing to sell the best quality product offering long term use and value for our customers.

ProAdventureis proud to be joining Business Declares and the fast-growing network of businesses who acknowledge the Climate and Ecological Emergency. We declared a climate emergency in 2019 and our aim is to be net zero by 2030 (we already are for scope 1 and 2 along with scope 3 except for goods we buy and sell) by reducing our emissions and impact on biodiversity. Concern for both people and the planet are not new to us and we look forward to continuing to share our journey and ensuring our voice is part of the collective, resounding call for change. We are certainly not claiming to be perfect, neither are we judging others, instead we are part of a coalition of the willing, looking to collaborate and accelerate action while continuing to highlight the challenges and uncomfortable truths.

1. Electricity
a. We buy 100% renewable electricity from Ecotricity.
b. We have replaced all inherited fluorescent lighting with LED panels and bulbs including emergency lighting.
c. Auto off movement sensor switch in storerooms.
d. Timers on window display lights to switch off during the night.
e. Buying energy efficient appliances, computers and electrical goods.

2. Gas
a. We use gas from Ecotricity which is around 10% biogas. Ecotricity carbon offsets all of its natural gas.
b. Heating and hot water is currently run off a combi gas boiler which we replaced for more efficient model in 2015. We will replace this in time with electric heating and hot water provision.
c. Thermal blinds in front windows help conserve heat in winter and limits solar gain in summer.
d. Changing radiators for more efficient models and removing those unnecessary ones has led to gas savings.
e. Our office is poorly insulated requiring more heating in winter. We have lowered the ceiling which has helped greatly but this is an area for further improvement. We intend to change our bathroom extractor for a heat exchanger. Our basement requires constantly running dehumidifiers which is a drain on power. Basement requires expensive work to improve to be undertaken 2021.

3. Travel
a. Driving: Business mileage totalled 1159 miles in the 18 months to end of January 2021. Have now scrapped our 13 yr old turbo diesel and replaced with a smaller hybrid car.
b. Flights: No flights in the 18 months to end of January 2021
c. We live close enough to walk to work and encourage staff to walk, cycle or use public transport. We provide a secure place for staff to store bikes and we have a bike repair stand and tools freely available.
d. Staff commute distance is currently 4395 miles per year by car. (Figure includes all mileage which would have been travelled if not for furloughed hours)

4. Our packaging, stationary and consumables.
a. We reuse packaging from goods inward and from other shops in our town. Staff, friends and neighbors donate bubble wrap and other useful recycled packaging.
b. We have stopped using plastic bubble mailers and use card mailers and paper fill instead.
c. We use paper tape unless reusing boxes when paper tape wont stick!
d. We buy custom boxes to fit our most popular products and minimize cardboard use. (Where possible the card is recycled)
e. We use recycled paper where possible and try to minimize printing
f. We recycle as much as possible
g. We use refill cleaning products from our local wholefood shop

5. Mail order shipping
a. We use DPD who are carbon neutral and working on sustainability https://www.dpdlocal.co.uk/
b. We use Royal mail who do not currently offset their deliveries https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/responsibility
c. We use Parcelforce who do not currently offset their deliveries https://www.parcelforce.com/environmental-policy
d. We use UPS who have a range of sustainability goals https://www.ups.com/gb/en/services/sustainability.page
e. Using industry measures we will carbon offset all our outgoing shipping to the customer (including that already offset by DPD). We sent 2081 parcels Sept 18 to end Aug 19. At an average of 0.5kg of CO2 per parcel this is 1041 kg co2.

6. Carbon offsetting.
It is always difficult to calculate and contentious as to what to include, we have made our best guess at our footprint based on electricity, gas, business travel, staff commuting, shipping to customers, getting goods to us and other consumables. We initially planted 20 trees in October 2019 to offset our 2019 carbon (4 trees per tonne) These are in our corporate grove at Treesforlife.org https://treesforlife.org.uk/groves/84967/ We are now adding 3 trees to our grove every month and invite you to click on the link to have a look and plant your own tree.
We have done our best to do this ourselves and included external factors not normally included in a standard carbon footprint for a retail business. We are not externally verified as Carbon Neutral, but we think we are more than offsetting the carbon we produce in running the business. You as a consumer may choose to offset the carbon in manufacturing the products you buy and shipping them to the manufacturers and distributors that we buy the goods from. If you want to offset some of the carbon produced for your products why not help rewild Scotland and plant a tree or two in our Trees for Life grove.

Carbon to offset for 2020 calculate using carbonfootprint.com calculator
Electricity 100% Renewable but allow 3 tonnes for 12000KWh
Gas Offset by Ecotricity but allow 1.5 tonnes for 6000KWh
Flights: none
Business mileage 1159 miles 0.25 tonnes (small petrol hybrid)
Staff commute 4395 miles 1.25 tonnes (average petrol car)
Shipping to customers xxxx parcels 2 tonnes
Shipping from suppliers 600 consignments 0.6 tonne
Other consumables packaging materials, office supplies etc guesstimate 0.4 tonnes
Total 9 tonnes

7. Stocking and Product Choices
Our buying choices are increasingly made with the environment at heart. We try to stock quality, made to last products from ethical companies who manufacture with the environment in mind. Over the years we have seen many companies begin to make changes and we recognise that these changes cannot be made overnight but we ask questions of our suppliers along the following lines and informally. It is our intention, going forward, to formalise this process with a written questionnaire for all our suppliers

a. Have they done any Environmental audits and what steps are they taking to minimise their ecological impact and carbon footprint.
b. Do they use green energy.
c. Do they have a policy on water use, minimising input and cleaning output primarily
d. What materials do they use. Are they manufacturing using recycled materials eg plastic bottles, steel,
e. Are they using environmentally friendly materials and production methods.
f. What Packaging do they use, with particular questions on plastic bags and plastic point of sale (for on the wall presentation and information).
g. Shipping method - do they ship by air, land or sea
h. Length of warranty / longevity of product
i. Are the product and packaging recyclable.
j. Do they offer a repair service, especially for footwear.
k. Do they operate a recycling service (ideally with voucher saving on replacements).
l. Do they monitor fair working conditions and human rights for all employees and contractors
m. Can they make a declaration on animal rights and protection relating to any animal products and materials used in production

8. External Verifications we look for from our suppliers include
RDS (Responsible Down Standard)
Oeko Tex fabric standard
1% for the Planet
B-Corp
Organic Cotton and other materials
Fair Trade
Vegan friendly
Bluesign

9. Animal Welfare
a. We favour products which use the best available materials for long performance and for the environment. This means we do make choices to stock products which may contain materials such as leather and wool which come from animals. We make every effort to make sure these products are produced by reputable suppliers using the highest standards of animal welfare. We try to stock animal free versions of these products where possible (Scarpa boots spring 2020, Horizon Coolmax socks, current season, Rab Cirrus, synthetic down replacement insulation, current season, etc) and will help customers to identify vegan products should they wish to make that choice.
b. Mulesing free merino wool. We check that all the Merino wool we use has not come from flocks where mulesing is used.
c. We insist any down in clothing we supply is certified to the RDS Responsible Down Standard or is recycled down which cannot be certified.
d. We offer synthetic alternatives to down, such as wadding insulation and blown synthetic insulation, both of which perform better in typical wet British Conditions.
e. We can't find any info on animal testing on our current insect repellents and sun block so we have identified a supply of cruelty free options for 2020.
f. As of January 2024 we have decided to no longer buy silk products. Other than the cruelty aspect they have a very large carbon impact.

10. Nasty Chemicals
a. PFC's. Lots of outdoor clothing has a water repellent coating made with PFC's. PFC's keep clothing water and stain repellent, however they are environmentally suspect and most outdoor brands are trying to eliminate them. Paramo and Fjallraven are PFC free, as are Mac in a Sac and most of our Sprayway offering. Rab (like Patagonia) have moved to 6 chain rather than 8 chain PFC's (6 chain break down more quickly) and aim to eliminate PFC's in the next couple of years. They are currently concerned (perhaps correctly) that the alternatives currently available compromise on performance. Goretex are this year (2019) producing the first PFC free materials with their Guaranteed to Keep You Dry product and we have some of those in stock in Sprayway jackets. We are trying to stock as little clothing as possible containing PFC's and our entire summer range in 2019 was PFC free.
b. Organic Cotton - our aim is not to buy any cotton unless it is organic, as non organic cotton is very heavily polluting and uses ridiculous amounts of water and creates droughts, much more than most synthetics.
c. We are selling through all batteries except for those supplied with torches and will only sell rechargeable batteries to customers in future.
d. We use eco friendlier cleaning products throughout the shop and workplace.
e. We have done our best to eliminate products containing PVC from our .
f. We avoid Neoprene due to the high impact

11. Greener Gear and Brands
a. We signpost all gear and gifts we deem to be a greener option on our website.
b. We have a web section highlighting our most ethical brands and suppliers.

12. Charitable Work
a. We were formerly a 1% For The Planet member, giving 1% of our turnover to environmental causes. Unfortunately, at the time, we struggled to find the cash each year. Under this scheme we supported a local carbon reduction charity, Llangollen and Dee Valley Low Carbon Trust. Our donations paid for a feasibility scheme for a local hydro electric generation project and a carbon reduction scheme for small businesses in rural Denbighshire. We have also supported tree planting projects in Asia which has offset many years worth of our emissions. To plant some yourself please go to https://treesforlife.org.uk
b. We make efforts to support local environmental and trade organisations and their initiatives including Plastic Free Llangollen, Friends of the Earth and the local climate strikes.
c. Our founder was previously a town councilor for Llangollen Town Council and led on declaring a climate and ecological emergency and changing policy to make a difference.
13. Plastic Free Llangollen
a. We were a lead business in this campaign to make our town a Surfers Against Sewage certified Plastic Free Town. We had already moved a long way in single use plastic reduction. We do not buy in any carrier bags.
b.We re-use shipping bags that goods come from suppliers in. Research by Patagonia showed that without bagging lots of clothing was not saleable as first quality on reaching stores. Some suppliers have moved to cornstarch bags, some customers have refused goods that are not shipped with manufacturer packaging.
c. We have stopped restocking single use hand warmer sachets.
d. We sell a variety of reuseable products to help customers cut down on waste and single use items
i. Pint cups
ii. Wine glasses
iii. Take away coffee cups
iv. Water bottles and flasks
v. Lunchboxes and meal kits
vi. Steel Straws
vii. Sporks and cutlery
viii. LED light sticks
ix. Rechargeable torches
x. Solar lanterns and chargers

14. People
a. We are a certified Real Living Wage Employer, paying an independently set real living wage for all of our staff. https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage
b. We issue staff terms and conditions, a staff handbook with various policies which we comply with, along with a comprehensive set of staff training resources.
c. All our current staff have some first aid training, and we have our first staff member trained in mental health first aid.

15. Banking
a. Currently our current account is with HSBC who have poor ethical standards for their investments. In 2020 we moved our savings account to Triodos Bank, probably the greenest bank account available to UK businesses.
b. We are in the process of moving our current account to the Co-op bank.

16. Web Hosting
a. We are currently trialling sustainably powered hosting with Kualo and are encouraging our current hosting provider to convert.

17. Repairs
a. We buy and stock good kit that lasts. But when it needs fixing we carry what you need to get your kit working again. Including glue, tape, patches, original spares and buckles. If you are using any kind of glue remember that cleaning is essential for long term repair success.
b. We recommend customers get repairable items repaired and recycle them when this is not possible.
c. We do our best to choose repairable and recyclable items that don’t need to end up in landfill at their end of life and that can be part of a circular economy.