As part of my research for What’s the Green Deal, I’m often asked to dig deeper into the green claims of certain products. It’s a rare pleasure when the in-depth story on a company reveals an even greener picture. Such was the case when I interviewed Rob Takeuchi, spokesman for KINeSYS sunscreen.
On their web site, KINeSYS describes a few key eco-friendly advantages under a banner they call ‘EarthKind™’. These include:
- Bottles that are 100% recyclable
- Cardboard used in packaging is 40% post-consumer recycled
- KINeSYS is carbon-neutral, (more on this later)
- They are part of the Social Venture Network
- They are a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics
This is pretty good, but the story gets even better.
Let’s start with the bottles. Not only can you drop them right in the recycling box, they are actually manufactured right here in BC. (Almost unheard-of in this era of global outsourcing) The labels and cardboard shipping cartons are also manufactured locally and printed with vegetable-based inks, while the non-pressurized sprayer units (specially designed to handle the small sunscreen molecules) are made in the US, sourced through a Canadian firm. This localized supply-chain means way less carbon emissions from shipping, better support for our regional economy, improved green transparency and greater quality control.
KINeSYS purchases energy for its warehouse and head office through Bullfrog Power, a Canadian firm that adds electricity from wind generation and low-impact hydro to the grid for every kWh purchased by its customers. Last Earth Day, KINeSYS also went the extra step to purchase carbon offsets for employees’ personal vehicles, (through Offsetters, a local Vancouver company) and now claims to be the only carbon-neutral sunscreen company in the world.
So does the stuff work? KINeSYS started selling sunscreen in 1994 to performance athletes at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. Their website features testimonials from doctors and sun-sensitive individuals, and they adhere strictly to the standards set out by Health Canada. This is important to note, says Rob, as some retailers are importing ‘natural’ sunscreen products that do not have a Canadian DIN (Drug Identification Number). “Sunscreen is a drug product. If you see sunscreens without a DIN number, they may not have been tested to Canadian standards.” Says Takeuchi. “The other big implications of not submitting products for review is that they could contain ingredients not properly disclosed … or not deemed appropriate (for reasons of safety or efficacy) by Health Canada. And that’s not safe, when you’re dealing with protecting your skin from the sun.”
This all may sound like quite a lot of green effort, but apparently, it’s still not enough.
“London Drugs has always supported our efforts to reduce packaging and be more green at the retail level, so we’re very happy to be part of What’s the Green Deal. But at KINeSYS we’ll always be trying to do better. For instance, right now we’re looking at finding a more eco-friendly tape for our cartons.”
A small thing? Perhaps. But it shows their green cred is more than skin-deep.
