Sustainability
In today’s industry licensed merchandise is rarely produced with sustainability in mind.
This leads to waste, unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions and labor under undesirable conditions.
We are committed to help pave the way for a more sustainable future. We integrate social as well as environmental concerns in all our processes and products as we monitor and communicate our progress. We do not look away - but search for new solutions, because sustainable and environmentally conscious thinking and action have never been more important than they are today! We are certain that the majority of our customers think likewise.
So all the way from the selection of our suppliers and the choice of raw materials to packaging, import, storage and delivery to the end user, our company follows clear values and criteria.
how do we go about it?
Products
In every company lies the potential to reduce the carbon footprint and some of the most significant opportunities lie in the products themselves. First and foremost, items must be cool, thought-through, well designed and high quality to appeal to the fans and collectors of pop-culture products. Right after that we look at how to improve the environmental footprint of each of our items.
Where possible, we use recycled instead of virgin polyester on our bags, wallets, caps plush toys etc. We use organic cotton or a mix of organic and recycled cotton instead of conventially grown cotton on all our apparel. We use recycled metal on accessories and eco-friendly, plant based inks on paints where possible.
On the respective item pages are various sustainability icons, which are described in detail in the following legend.
Legend
Recycled Polyester
Recycled polyester is made, for example, from beverage bottles or collected ocean plastic which is being sterilized, shredded into flakes, melted into pellets and then spun into new polyester fibre. Compared to producing virgin plastic, this process uses up to 50% less energy and saves up to 70% CO2 emissions. Recycled polyester conserves increasingly scarce petroleum and natural gas resources, but majorly, it prevents landfill or ending up in the ocean, so much less soil contamination, air and water pollution. Products with this icon contain a proportion of recycled polyester.
Plant-based Inks
The entire binder in plant-based and mineral oil-free inks consists of renewable raw materials. Compared with conventional paints, plant-based inks are completely without heavy metals, mineral oils and plasticizers. As a substitute, manufacturers use linseed oil, soybean oil or tree resin. Paints based on plants are basically non-toxic, environmentally friendly, easily degradable and can be easily and safely returned into the later recycling process. Products with this icon contain printed products with plant-based inks.
Recycled Metal
All metals and many metal products can almost be completely recycled. The environmental and economic benefits of recycling over traditional mining and refining are enormous. For comparison, the energy required to produce an aluminum can from aluminum ore is about six times higher than using recycled aluminum. Products with this icon contain recycled metal.
Recycled Cotton
The production of conventional cotton has a huge environmental impact. The water required for one kilogram of conventional cotton alone is around 1,200 liters on average. Added to this is the CO2 pollution that has to be emitted for cultivation, soil management and harvesting. By recycling cotton, we extend the life of the cotton fibers already produced and thus conserve valuable environmental resources. Products with this icon contain recycled cotton.
Organic Cotton
The cultivation of organic cotton is regulated according to strict guidelines. For example, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers is prohibited, as is the use of chemical defoliants during mechanical harvesting. These chemicals are usually used in the cultivation of conventional cotton. Each t-shirt made with organic cotton saves the farmer from having to apply pesticides and artificial fertilizers to about seven square meters of cultivated land. Furthermore, conventional cotton often contains genetically modified plants, while organic cotton does not. Also, the water requirement for organic cotton is up to 91% lower than for conventional cotton. You can find more information here. Products with this icon contain organic cotton.
Natural Rubber
Natural rubber, other than synthetically produced rubber, has the advantage that it does not require petroleum. Natural rubber is obtained from the milky sap of the rubber tree and is therefore a natural and, above all, renewable raw material - free of solvents, CFCs and carcinogenic plasticizers. In addition, there is a considerable saving of energy in the extraction of natural rubber. The energy requirement is only about 10% compared to chemical production! Products with this icon contain natural rubber.
Recycled Cardboard
The production of new paper cells contributes significantly to deforestation, as well as air, water and soil pollution. Recycling cardboard, paperboard and other paper materials is a very simple and effective way to to reduce the amount the environmental impact. A recycled carton pollutes about 35% less water and 74% less air than the native paper cell production, making it much more sustainable. In addition, most cardboard can be recycled around five times before it is as compost or animal bedding afterwards. Items with this icon come with packaging or hangtags made from recycled cardboard.
Seal
We work closely with companies that make a significant contribution to sustainability and are committed to upholding social standards. If the production or material of an item is directly related to one of the companies, it is marked with appropriate seals on the product page.
The Fair Wear Fundation is a non-profit organization that advocates for the social aspects of the apparel industry and promotes the establishment of labor-social standards worldwide: Safe and dignified working conditions at decent wages. https://www.fairwear.org
STANLEY/STELLA is a certified supplier of sustainable and vegan textiles. Since 2012, the company has made it its goal to change the general perception of the textile industry. With an ethical, humane and ecological business philosophy, authentic products are made in a way that shows respect for the environment, people and animals. https://www.stanleystella.com
The GRS is an international product standard that companies can voluntarily impose on themselves. This standard is administered by the non-profit organization Textile Exchange. Its goal is to increase the amount of recycled materials in products. Products with this seal require a recycled content of at least 50%. https://textileexchange.org
Products bearing an OEKO-TEX label guarantee that they are safe for health. All components, that means also all threads, buttons and other accessories, have been tested for harmful substances. The special feature: The testing procedure takes into account both regulated and non-regulated substances that could harm human health. https://www.oeko-tex.com
Organic cotton is the raw material of many textile products, especially clothing. Unfortunately, the raw material does not provide any exclusion about how sustainable the further processing is. The GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification, as the world's leading standard, guarantees sustainable and strictly ecological production, and taking social criteria into account. The GOTS sets strict requirements for the entire textile production chain. https://global-standard.org
The Plastic Bank is an international non-profit company that builds recycling ecosystems in developing countries to fight poverty, rid the oceans of plastic and stop pollution. Plastic Bank accomplishes this by purchasing plastic from people and providing them a safe income. The purchased plastic is then returned to the recycling loop via partner companies. https://plasticbank.com/
Packaging
Packaging generates the most plastic waste of any sector. We minimize the amount of material used in our packaging, use recycled or FSC certified paper and we refrain from using plastic or use recycled plastic where possible. We use plant based and mineral oil-free inks for printing on our packaging which are eco-friendly and don´t interfere with the later recycling process.
Shipping
Another significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions lies in shipping and related processes. We use recycled grasspaper packaging where possible for shipping orders. Their sustainable advantages over conventional cardboard boxes, combined with their resilience and durability, make them environmentally friendly. Our recycled boxes are made of 30% grass paper and 70% recycled paper. The raw material from which the grass paper is obtained grows back quickly and has convincing 75% lower CO2 emission compared to classic wood pulp. In addition, the demand for water and energy during production is also much lower.
We are using paper tape with natural glue instead of plastic tape, so the whole carton including tape can go into paper recyclying without being seperated. We will offer climate neutral shipping methods for all shipment within the EU. For all export shipments, we are happy to assist you to find climate neutral shipping methods.
Co2 neutral website
The CO2 emissions caused by hosting and operating a website are often neglected, considered marginal or even forgotten. In the meantime, however, the resulting CO2 emissions are noticeably damaging the global climate. Every click and every page view requires and consumes natural electricity and this in turn generates CO2. We would like to counteract this and have therefore had ourselves certified by the CO2 neutral website as a "climate neutral website".
CO2 neutral website is a globally engaged initiative that calculates the CO2 emissions of our store based on the page views it receives. Our membership fees are derived from these figures and are then invested in global neutralization work. The investments go both to large projects that are particularly profitable for the environment, such as wind power and photovoltaic lines, and to smaller ones that mean a lot to local communities, such as various water and heating projects in Africa.
We are proud to be involved in this matter of the heart!
What's left to say:
We believe that no business, whatever industry they are in, can be successful in the future, if it doesn’t act sustainable to a notable extend.
Our ambition is to push it as far as possible and set the bar high above the standards in today’s industry of licensed products. But we know we too have yet to learn, all our offerings seek exchange, debate and consistently further development.
So please reach out to us with any feedback, concern, criticism or offer for help, we highly appreciate your involvement:
info@store.paydaythegame.com