Livetree Mark represents a set of positive stories designated by badges that denote a different sustainability goal, such as Equal Pay, Fair Trade, Minimal Waste Production, etc. When a brand establishes that its operational policies and actions include certain sustainability goals, they earn a relevant Livetree Story. These stories assist Livetree’s Panel of Experts to provide a final assessment of the brand’s Storymark grade. You can find the list of positive stories below:
The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) was established in 2004 and is a leading global expert on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). They work to transform the ASM sector into a socially and environmentally responsible activity, while improving the quality of life of artisanal miners, their families and communities.
Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest international human rights organisation. It works exclusively against slavery and related abuses.
Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a global not-for-profit organisation and the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. BCI exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future.
Compostable packaging is made, disposed of and breaks down in a manner that is kinder to the environment than plastic. It is made from plant-based, recycled materials and can return to earth quickly and safely as soil when disposed of in the right environmental conditions.
The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) is a professional association of key individuals and groups from government, industry and academia, which promotes the use, and recycling of biodegradable polymeric materials (via composting).
Biodynamic agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture very similar to organic farming. It treats soil fertility, plant growth, and livestock care as ecologically interrelated tasks, emphasizing spiritual and mystical perspectives.
BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognises and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction to in-use and refurbishment.
100% ethical Canadian diamonds. The Canadamark™ hallmark program is a strategic initiative of Dominion Diamond Mines to assure the integrity of the supply chain of Canadian diamonds from mine to retail, and gives the end consumers of diamond jewellery confidence in the origin and history of their polished diamonds.
Carbon Neutral is a term used to describe the state of an entity (such as a company, service, product or event), where the carbon emissions caused by them have been balanced out by funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world; or by eliminating carbon emissions entirely.
Products that do not contain animal products or by-products and that have not been tested on animals.
A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Clean Beauty is defined by products that are mindfully created and produced without any proven or suspected toxic ingredients. Clean Beauty products include ingredients ethically sourced and are not detrimental to human/animal health or the environment.
Community investing refers to direct investments into disadvantaged communities via community development banks, credit unions, loan fund, affordable housing initiatives and microfinance institutions.
Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Compostable label The Seedling is a reliable label for compostable products.
Conflict free diamonds are ethically mined and sold, meaning with no connection to terror or opposition groups.
Conscious travel considers the impact of travelling on the environment and on the local communities.
Products are assessed for environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.
Cruelty Free International is an animal protection and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal experiments. They organise certification of cruelty-free products which are marked with the symbol of a leaping bunny.
Cruelty-free is a label for products or activities that do not harm or kill animals anywhere in the world. Products tested on animals are not considered cruelty-free, since these tests are often painful and cause the suffering and death of millions of animals every year.
Brands that implement hiring policies aimed at hiring diverse employees and workplace policies to promote inclusivity, such as training on unconscious bias, prejudice, religious freedom, disability awareness training, etc.
Drinkaware is an independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK.
Ecocert assists in the implementation and promotion of sustainable practices in organic farming through certification, consulting and training services. Committed to organic farming since its creation, Ecocert has now extended its efforts to many other sectors.
Energy efficiency is the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services.
Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. A brand that employs Fair Pay policies pays minority employees the same wages for the same work as their colleagues.
The Ethical Trading Initiative is a UK-based independent body which monitors member NGOs and companies’ supply chains in accordance with an ethical code.
Paraffin candles are toxic, they are not biodegradable at the end of their life and they are made from a non-renewable resource which is environmentally (and socially) devastating to extract and commoditise.
Ceramics free from toxic glazes, lead and other harmful chemicals.
The EU Ecolabel is a label of environmental excellence that is awarded to products and services meeting high environmental standards throughout their life cycle: from raw material extraction, to production, distribution and disposal.
Fair labour includes minimum wages, requirements for overtime pay, and restrictions on child labour, sustainable working conditions and the right to unionise.
Fairtrade Gold and precious metals helps miners and their communities to work their way out of poverty in South America and Africa.
Fairtrade Mined certifies gold from empowered responsible artisanal and small-scale mining organizations who meet world leading standards.
Fair Trade is a designation developed to help consumers support products that come from farms that have been certified to provide fair wages and safe working conditions (forced child labour is prohibited).
Forest conservation is the practice of planning and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability of future generations. Forest conservation involves the upkeep of the natural resources within a forest that are beneficial for both humans and the ecosystem.
Products that do not contain chemicals that might be harmful to humans, animals or the environment.
Pesticides are not only harmful to human health, but also to the environment and local flora and fauna.
Single-use plastics are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These plastics degrade into tiny particles after many years during which they release toxic chemicals which make their way into our food and water supply; also polluting the oceans and affecting ocean life.
The GSTC manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, and acts as the international accreditation body for sustainable tourism certification.
The Golden Rules are a set of criteria for more responsible mining. The No Dirty Gold campaign developed the Golden Rules based on broadly accepted international human rights laws and basic principles of sustainable development.
Green Globe is an assessment framework of sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners.
The Green Key award is the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. The certificate is awarded to accommodations and other hospitality facilities that commit to sustainable business practices.
“Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.”
ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides a framework that an organization can follow, rather than establishing environmental performance requirements.
OHSAS 180001 Certification is an international standard which provides a framework to identify, control and decrease the risks associated with health and safety within the workplace.
The ISO 500001 Energy standard aims to help organizations continually reduce their energy use, and therefore their energy costs and their greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to be certified to the ISO 9001 standard, a company must follow the requirements set forth in the ISO 9001 Standard. The standard is used by organizations to demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements and to demonstrate continuous improvement.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme prevents “conflict diamonds” from entering the mainstream rough diamond market.
The Leather Working Group (LWG) is a group of brands, retailers, product manufacturers, leather manufacturers, chemical suppliers and technical experts that have worked together to develop an environmental stewardship protocol specifically for the leather manufacturing industry.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building certification program used worldwide.
The NAJ is the UK’s leading jewellery trade association. Every NAJ member abides by the NAJ’s Code of Conduct, based on honesty, integrity and professionalism.
Products that do not use or contain the fur of Angora rabbits.
The harmful use of animals in experiments is not only cruel but also often ineffective.
Brand uses minimal packaging materials, resulting in lower waste production.
Renewables are much better for the environment than non-renewable alternatives. Solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro energy does not produce any carbon dioxide. This is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Non-renewable alternatives such as coal, oil, and natural gas are less kind to the environment.
Products that do not contain or are not made with animal fur.
Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that pollute the environment. Microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather any type of plastic fragment that is less than 5 mm in length.
Plastic bottles are harmful for human health. Plastic bottle caps take years to break down and often end up in the stomach of marine animals. The manufacturing of plastic bottles involves high amounts of fossil fuels which harm the air and the environment.
PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), because of its high chlorine content, creates toxic pollution in the form of dioxins, which accumulate in animals’ fat up through the food chain. Exposure to PVC often includes exposure to phthalates, which may have serious health effects.
Brands that have implemented policies to minimise water wastage in their production and operational practices.
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a voluntary certification scheme that evaluates a product’s impact on the environment throughout its whole life cycle.
Organic food is food produced by methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
Brand employs policies aimed at protecting local biodiversity or donates to organisations that work to protect biodiversity in different parts of the world.
Well-being is the state of being healthy, safe, comfortable and happy. Brands that consider the well-being of their employees, contractors and clients, qualify for this Positive Story.
The Rainforest Alliance Certified (RAC) green frog certification seal indicates that a farm, forest, or tourism enterprise has been audited to meet standards that require environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Recyclable packaging is made of materials that can be used again, usually after processing. Recyclable materials include glass, metal, card, paper and – increasingly – certain plastics.
Recycled or reclaimed gold is made from existing jewellery, industrial metals or electronic and is refined or re- refined to remove any impurities and the result is chemically identical material to newly mined metals.
The point of upcycling textiles and fashion is for “the reduction of landfill mass with its associated materials waste and emission burden, as well as the slowing down of unnecessary virgin textile production by the effective recovery and recycling of textile and fashion waste”.
The brand actively implements policies aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in its production process.
Reduced weight means saving resources. The significantly lower material consumption and the high proportion of recycled material used in the production of lightweight glass bottles ensure that CO2 emissions are greatly reduced.
Brands that replenish the soil after farming it. Adding organic matter in the form of compost and aged manure or using mulch or growing cover crops (green manures), is the best way to prepare soil for planting.
The Responsible Down Standard aims to ensure that down and feathers come from animals that have not been subjected to an unnecessary harm.
The Responsible Jewellery Council helps companies of all sizes, throughout the jewellery supply chain, meet the rising ethical demands of peers, consumers, financial institutions and civil society.
With more than 380 member companies, the Responsible Minerals Initiative is one of the most utilized and respected resources for companies from a range of industries addressing responsible mineral sourcing issues in their supply chains.
A voluntary commitment by companies to consider social and environmental considerations when managing their relationships with suppliers.
The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is an industry tool designed to recognize the best practices of farmers, ensuring that wool comes from farms with a progressive approach to managing their land, and from sheep that have been treated responsibly.
Refillable packaging reduces waste production without affecting consumption patterns.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was established in 2004 with the objective of promoting the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products through credible global standards and multi-stakeholder governance.
A Royal Warrant of Appointment is a mark of recognition of those who have supplied goods or services to the Households of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales for at least five years, and who have an ongoing trading arrangement.
SA 8000 is an international certification standard that encourages organisations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace.
When your food travels around the world to get to you, it uses lots of energy which means lots of greenhouse gases. Produce which is in season tends to also be local food, which means much lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Conscious design comprises both a design awareness of the potential long-term and unintended consequences of what we design and a continuous experimentation of our design process to build more sustainable products and services.
The opposition to intensive farming, the Soil Association supports local purchasing and public education on nutrition; as well as providing certification for organic food.
An unbroken chain of custody beginning with sourcing of materials, through manufacture and distribution, ending in the receipt of the product by the intended end-user. This guarantees transparency and quality of product.
Policies aimed at improving welfare standards of farmers and growers employed by or outsourced to by the brand.
A global alliance of retailers, brands, suppliers, advocacy groups, labour unions and academics. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition aims to create “an apparel, footwear and home textiles industry that produces no unnecessary environmental harm and has a positive impact on people and communities”.
A “Take Back Program” is an initiative organized by a manufacturer or retailer, to collect used products or materials from consumers and reintroduce them to the original processing and manufacturing cycle.
The USDA Certificate is given to any product that contains a minimum of 95 percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). Up to 5 percent of the ingredients may be nonorganic agricultural products and/or non-agricultural products that are on the National List.
Viticulture Durable en Champagne provides certification to support the evolution of Champagne vineyards towards sustainable practices.
Waste minimisation is a set of processes and practices intended to reduce the amount of waste produced. By reducing or eliminating the generation of harmful and persistent wastes, waste minimisation supports efforts to promote a more sustainable society.