Our General Ethos
Environmental sustainability is at the very heart of everything that we do at Fiordland Eco-Retreat.
Sustainable procurement takes into account all of the risks and impacts involved in the purchase of goods or services.
We will always try to buy from ethically conscious companies, buying in bulk wherever possible.
We also consider the item’s packaging and its potential lifecycle, and always aim to reduce plastic / waste with all purchasing decisions: what is the packaging made of? How can it be disposed of? Can the product be reused, recycled or easily repaired?
When purchasing new equipment, we give preference to energy-efficient and water-saving equipment.
Our purchasing procedures are continuously being reviewed, and we will amend our offerings at any time, should we decide that there are better options available.
We may be providing too much information below, but we firmly believe in transparancy. We’re confident in our purchasing decisions, and that they are currently the best that we can achieve, from a sustainability standing. Please do let us know if you think we could / should improve something!
Cleaning Supplies
The Ecostore refill-station at the local 4Square store is utilised for some of our toiletries / cleaning products.
We only use plant-based cleaning products.
Guest Food / Beverage Supplies
Milk
Milk comes in a 1 litre reusable glass bottle.
It is gently batch-pasteurised and non-homogenised, and comes from grass-fed cows. Its glass bottle is returned to the company (Farm Fresh South in Invercargill) and reused over and over again.
Where this milk is unavailable, we will endeavour to purchase organic, non-homogenised milk.
Tea
Tea is bought in bulk and provided in a bamboo-topped canister. Each teabag is not individually wrapped. The company’s own procurement / producing ethos is examined before we purchase from a tea brand.
Hot Chocolate & Raw Sugar
These are both provided in separate bamboo-lidded canisters, so as to minimise the requirement for any individual packaging. The companies’ own procurement / producing ethos is examined before we purchase from a hot chocolate / raw sugar brand.
Coffee
For guest satisfaction, we provide a coffee-to-bean coffee machine. This uses just coffee beans (organic and fairtrade) and water, and removes the need for coffee pods. Used coffee grounds are added to our compost bin – they’re great for the garden!
Toiletries
The supply of single-use toiletries goes against our eco-ethos of ‘minimal waste’.
We do offer a few single-use products for guest conveniece, but for these we have chosen the most-eco-conscious options available:
- cotton buds made from cotton wool and bamboo
- organic and unbleached cotton pads
- compostable bin-bags.
We supply pump bottles of high-quality body wash, shampoo and conditioner. We choose to use REAL WORLD NZ products, as they are:
- Made in New Zealand
- Refillable using bulk 2.5 litre pouches that are ordered online = less plastic waste.
- Plant-based
- Smell delicious
- Stylish bottles that look great in the shower.
Bottles and their pump tops are checked and sanitised between every booking.
Items Purchased from the Local Supermarket
- Tea / hot chocolate / raw sugar
- Organic, FairTrade coffee beans
- Toilet paper
- Kitchen paper towels
- Cleaning products (Ecostore, Earthwise, Ecostore refill station)
- Ecostore refill station: handwash & dish wash liquid.
- Milk (sourced from Farm Fresh South, a local farm in Invercargill. Comes in reusable glass bottles)
Paper and cloth bags are provided for guests’ use at the supermarket.
Items Purchased Online
REAL WORLD NZ refill pouches: shampoo, conditioner and body wash.
Hot tub chemicals (Spa Supplies, South Island NZ) .
Spa chemicals are unfortunately required in the hot tub, as we are unable to empty the 1,000 litre tub after every booking (we are on tank water supply, plus this dumping of water would go against our sustainability ethos!). We do replenish the water on a regular basis, but in the interim period, chlorine is required to maintain a safe environment. We carefully monitor and balance this chemical. We have tried using silver oxide (brand name: Simple Silver) but it just was not effective enough for our commercial requirements. Standard baking soda (sodium bicarbinate) is used to increase the water’s pH level.
Policy last updated: 14 February 2025 (version 1.3)
