Are you ready? hehe...

There isn't any personal information on the website, and there probably won't be. I've kept it that way on purpose. Personally, I struggle with many of the things that drive consumerism today. One of the biggest trends is creating your personal brand, using your personal brand to connect with people on a personal level, and using that personal connection to influence them.

I'm not actually trying to influence anyone. I've simply seen too many people who wanted to be more proactive about their environment, but were left feeling hopeless and confused because they didn't know how.

My intention is to reduce that confusion. I plan to provide informative and accessible starting points that make beginning the Single-Use Item Reduction journey achievable. I'm hoping to simplify an action most people already wanted, but that they weren't sure where to start.

I am tirelessly researching, looking not only for new ideas, but also practical ones that are applicable in almost every household. I want to share ideas that will have an impact, but are also easy to implement and will fit into even the busiest of lifestyles.

We are working with premium manufacturers and doing our best to improve not only the quality and functionality of our products, but also the way they are packaged and shipped (as this has been the biggest eye-opener in regards to waste 😱).

If you're buying our products, please buy them for the reasons above, or because they are something you need, or something that will help you reduce your impact on the environment, and not because we have a kid the same age or have both struggled with something similar in the past or any other details that have zero reflection on the value of the product itself (I mean this is the most positive and genuine way, so please don't take it as pessimistic).

Basically, I don't believe in relating to people on a personal level and influencing them. That feels deceptive to me, even though I completely understand that not doing so is possibly perceived as 'deceptive.' It's a bit of a catch 22, I suppose. I agree 100 percent with the phrase 'to each their own,' so if you feel differently, I completely respect your opinion. However, I can only do what feels true to me. I apologize if it doesn't sit well with anyone, but there is no malice intended at all.

So, in summary — Am I being deceptive or hiding? HECK NO!

I'll pretty much chat away with anyone who is interested and is communicating with authenticity (sometimes a little too much).

I am a human being and I'm passionate about what I'm doing, so of course I will communicate with you.

But, I will communicate as a person who has a brand — and not as a personal brand.

Cheers, and have a great day!

Dawn
Founder
Intentionally Sustainable

So I scribble down a note in all of about 3 minutes and I actually never looked at it again, the action itself was enough to clear the clutter and get my focus back.

Long story short, at a year and a half in I can definitely say that finding this again made me realise how much I liked communicating before everything I said was so finely critiqued...I  think am equally as embarrassed as I am humbled....💚

I must admit the first paragraph although I don't recall writing it, did make me a little proud 🤗

*Note: Please, please, please do not comment on the word 'beef' I am cringing so much but I have forced myself not to change it as a revised flash back doesn't hold the same authenticity does it? Ahhhh 🤦🏼‍♀️

Omg I just realised it's in there 3 times.... I'm so sorry people! 😖

Written before the brand was a brand... 

Intentionally Sustainable is about Reducing Single Use Plastic - Not Living Plastic Free.

My beef is not about plastic, or at least not all plastic, and definitely not only plastic. My beef is with the ridiculous amount going to landfill, the waste....and to be honest my personal beef is about the waste in every aspect of our lives, not just landfill....the waste of talent because of fear, the waste of time spent on things that don't make you happy, the waste of connection though judgement, the waste of trying to be instead of being, the time spent on blaming instead of acting, or the tireless worry given to things out that you can have no affect on....basically any energy flowing towards the negative that could be spent on the positive.

Buuuuuut I guess that's another tangent hehe....

So yes, I think disposable plastic is bad and it is having a massive effect on our health and our environment. But it is not plastic alone causing the overflow of waste even though it can distract from the big issue....our throwaway consumerism lifestyle!

All you need to do is look at any list of the top waste items collected anywhere in the world to see that cigarette butts are usually number one, but aluminium cans and glass bottles usually make the list with many other things.

My mission is to replace cheap, toxic, disposable items with better quality, longer lasting items.


You save money, reduce your exposure to toxins like BPA, and reduce environment pollution.

Packaging is used in excess across the board and sadly its use is more often superficial than necessary.

• By luxury brands to increase perception of grandeur and justify the price.
• Companies add bulky packaging is added solely to claim more shelf space/display space. 
• The food industry where food preservation, presentation and smaller 'convenient' sizes have overtaken commonsense.
• And of course throughout the rapidly growing e-commerce industry where over packaging is rife.

But the one that has amazed me is the packaging that you never seen...

The ridiculously excessive packaging that is used for new products sent in bulk to retail stores, distribution warehouses, e-commerce suppliers, or direct to the consumer supposedly from e-commerce stores. It is removed out in the stockroom and discarded before products go near customers.  

Before this journey I had no idea how much waste was created in the stockroom, that a large majority of this packaging is unnecessary, sadly flying under the radar and often completely unnoticed .   

You may so 'no' to a bag for that new T-Shirt at the checkout, which is great...but what packaging waste has already been discarded in that T-Shirts lifetime?  

According to China’s State Post Bureau, more than 31 billion parcels were delivered in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 51.4%. The average daily processing volume of express delivery reached 85 million pieces, the maximum daily processing capacity exceeded 250 million pieces. 

At Intentionally Sustainable we order all of our stock in bulk and special request no packaging, we then carefully check and ECO-PACK each individual item ourselves and get it ready and waiting for you to order.

This is time consuming, expensive and tedious!  We individually wrap each item that arrives ourselves, this means pinning tens of thousands of pegs onto cards, tying bows around thousands of baking liners, folding a ridiculous amount of produce bags, menstrual pads, rolling and wrapping silicone covers etc etc etc...

• It has not been easy...

• Many suppliers refuse to send without packaging as they worry about damage etc.
• We need to order huge numbers at a time to negotiate this 'special request'.
• We need to place our orders sometimes 3 months in advance to ensure we are getting the product straight off of the production line otherwise they are simply removing the packaging before they send it.  

• It has not been smooth sailing...

• We learnt that customs do not like a bunch of random items with no packaging turning up at the border.
• We learnt that product instructions are usually on the packaging.
• We learnt that we need to send continuous reminders stating no packaging.
• We learnt that no matter what we do packaging is sometimes unavoidable.
• We learnt that some suppliers will send the items without packaging but will send enough plastic bag in with the order for all of the stock grrrr!   

• It definitely has not been cost effective...

• Suppliers can often charge more for no packaging. (go figure?)
• We have to purchase all of the paper bags, raffia string, kraft card and other items to wrap everything.
• We need to hire extra staff to do this, and pay for enough space to do this.
• We are charged extra for postage because we won't use trackpacks.

We don't always get it right...but we intentionally act with integrity & authenticity  to be as sustainable as possible. 

Now guess what?

Last week we received our first order ever with 'minimal packaging please'!!!

Because we are so packaging conscious it had never crossed my mind, but with the growth of e-commerce if everyone adds this every time it could make a big difference.

In summary adding 'Minimal Packaging Please' to any order you do will go a long way guys!

 Cheers

Would You Like To:

• Save Money On Your Weekly Shopping?

• Reduce Your Exposure To Toxins Like BPA?

• Reduce Your Impact On The Environment?

• Reduce The Amount Of Rubbish Going To Landfill? 

Welcome to Intentionally Sustainable! We are about less blame and less guilt, with more solutions! We are about being proactive and living with Intention as simply as possible.

Our mission is to replace cheap, toxic, disposable items with quality, long lasting, sustainable items. We will provide informative and accessible starting steps for every home to begin the journey of Reducing Single Use Items - so we can all Live Less Out Of Habit and More Out Of Intention!

Based in the lovely Mount Maunganui, we are proud to be 100% New Zealand owned and operated with secure and simple NZ checkout.

We order our products in bulk, using only premium, verified manufacturers and specifically request they are sent without packaging. Once received we individually package each item ourselves to ensure quality control, before the your orders are carefully eco-packed to be sent to you.

We're excited to share our collection of innovative, high quality, sustainable and reusable products. Each item has been specifically selected to target the in-home Single Use Items that are the biggest contributors to the Plastic Pollution Crisis.

We aim to inspire small achievable steps that encourage every human to shop and live with more intention.

What is Drop Shipping?

Drop Shipping is the term used for online stores that don't keep stock or an inventory on hand. Instead, they wait for a customer to buy something online before they purchase the goods from a wholesaler and then have that item shipped directly to the customer. It's almost like a middle marketing man creating an online store that lists and markets products, but only purchases an item when you do.

Small Parcel Service

Drop shipping is made possible because China has a 'small parcel' service that provides free shipping around the world for small parcels. This allows drop shippers to purchase single items as they need them from anywhere in the world and have them delivered directly to the consumer. Keep in mind, this service is ONLY for small parcels. Any larger packages or bulk items don't qualify for this service and are incredibly expensive to ship. 

The Allure of Free Shipping

A while ago, I posted the video below. It's so disheartening to see that the plastic packaging weighed more than a standard plastic toothbrush. Take a second to think about the carbon footprint that getting it here left behind. It's unbelievably sad to see. There is a steep price attached to those rock-bottom prices, and you're not doing the environment any favours by purchasing that way. 

One supplier that I contacted after I ordered a bamboo toothbrush and weighed the packaging, informed me that they had shipped over 4,000 of them in three months alone. That's a lot of unnecessary packaging heading to our landfills. 

Sustainable Supply Chains

For us, finding the right suppliers is essential. The companies we work with manufacture to the highest possible standards, have validated certification, and work with us to reduce the packaging and waste that occurs both in manufacturing and in shipping.  

So the answer to your question is no, we do not drop ship. No single supplier has the quality that we require or stocks all of the items we sell. In fact, each of our suppliers specializes in their own specific field, like stainless steel, bamboo, etc. For example, if you ordered one of our starter packs, you would receive five separate parcels from five different suppliers. This would produce a lot of excess packaging and waste, and that just isn't sustainable.

Bulk Shipping

Shipping is a lot more expensive for bulk items than it is for single items. You'll find that shipping for bulk items is usually around the same price as the item itself, if not more, and it's in US dollars. Take for instance a parcel worth $300 USD. The shipping would cost around $330 USD on top of that, bringing to a grand total of $630 USD, or $950 NZ.

Whatever price you see for a single unit, costs us at least triple that amount to buy it and stock it with ethics. That's why we buy all of the items listed in bulk, with minimal packaging. Once you order them, we package them up as eco-friendly as we possibly can before we ship them off to you.

The straight up guts of this topic are:

NO - We do not drop ship

YES - Our intentions are genuine - easy sustainability and accessibility to everyone

YES - We use the very best suppliers and carry premium stock

YES - We thoroughly check to make sure all of our suppliers have valid certification

YES - We make some profit 

YES - We keep our fingers and toes crossed, hoping we can keep doing this for a little while longer

Disclaimer - All of the above mentioned is merely a reflection of my knowledge at this current point in time. I am no expert. I am also not saying that you have to listen to me. In fact, I encourage you to do your own research and think outside the box to make sure that your actions line up with your intentions. 

Ciao