Enviroment & Sustainability

100% natural ingredients
Based primarily on organically grown plants and herbs
Locally produced: Swedish production
Most of the products are based on certified aloe vera gel, which is also Fairtrade
Environmentally adapted packaging – made of recycled plastic, easy to recycle, RS Biokosmetik AB is a member of Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen (FTI, “Packaging and Newspaper Collection”).
No animal testing on either the ingredients or the final products – one of Animal Rights Sweden’s selected skincare brands
Mild fragrance from natural perfume oils
Highly concentrated and long-lasting products, as no water is added

This last point may need some additional explanation: It is very unusual for no water to be added to products. Water is not environmentally hazardous in and of itself, but using large quantities of water has major consequences on our environment. The water in our skincare products has a significant environmental effect in terms of transport volumes, number of packages, and volumes moving through our sewage treatment systems. In addition, the more water products contain, the more preservatives are required.

To show how much water this concerns, read the excerpt below from Statistics Sweden’s report “Läkemedel samt kosmetika och hygienprodukter i Sverige” (“Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and hygiene products in Sweden”) from 2009:3:

With regard to cosmetic and hygiene products, approximately 41,000 tonnes were used in 2006, according to KTF’s sales statistics. Total sales increased by about 10 percent between 2002 and 2006. The largest product groups are liquid soap (25% of total sales), shampoo (20% of total sales) and body care, i.e. skin creams etc. (10% of total sales)).

Liquid soap and shampoo are often composed of 75–90% water. This means that in these products alone, around 15,000 tonnes of water are sold annually, leading to many unnecessary transports and packages. The best thing for skin is to drink water, and we have water at home in the faucet!

It is possible to produce concentrated and skin-friendly skincare products without adding water. This is precisely the case with Sweden Eco’s Shampoo for Hair and Body: all you need is a small dollop, which you mix with a little water before applying to hair and body. This way, the shampoo lasts longer than you might expect. Used daily, the moisturizer lasts an average of three months.

Recycling

The packaging must be sorted as plastic packaging and placed in a container marked with this symbol:

Green Salon

The products are certified Green salon, a Danish certification. Green salon is a non-profit organization under the supervision of the City of Copenhagen.

Green salon focus on avoiding chemicals that are:

Allergenic or irritating
Toxic
Carcinogenic (proven or under suspicion of being this)
Endocrine disruptors (proven or under suspicion of being this)
Teratogenic (proven or under suspicion of being this)
Harmful to the environment

Sustainability policy

Environment and Climate

Our environmental approach permeates our entire chain, from ingredients to packaging, manufacturing and end products. We only work with 100% natural ingredients and our products contain primarily ingredients from certified organic farms. The products contain no added water; instead they are concentrated, which makes them long-lasting and reduces transport volumes and the number of packages. All ingredients are easily biodegradable in nature. Sweden Eco’s products are locally produced in Sweden.

The products are crafted in Jämtland and of the highest quality. All packaging is environmentally friendly: it is made of recycled plastic and is also recyclable. RS Biokosmetik AB is affiliated with FTI for responsible recycling. The printing on the packaging is also environmentally friendly. We do not use additional cardboard around containers and bottles, which place an unnecessary burden on the environment.

The office and warehouse use paper, cardboard and brochures that are environmentally labelled. We reuse transport materials and sort all leftover packaging for recycling, and all computers and printers are environmentally certified. Our headquarters are painted with environmentally friendly paint and heated with forced air.

When employees and representatives travel, they primarily travel by train, bus and other public transport. When we use transportation companies, we require them to be environmentally certified. Environmental certification means they use eco-friendly fuel and electric cars in cities.

Social responsibility

Taking social responsibility and working in accordance with the Code of Conduct is important to RS Biokosmetik AB and Sweden Eco. We want a guarantee that no children are used in factories and that people do not work under poor conditions and/or for low wages. The Code of Conduct contains several requirements that we place on suppliers and producers from other countries. This covers everything from reasonable wages and good working conditions to not permitting discrimination and ensuring the right to form and join unions, such as trade unions. We also choose to buy ingredients that benefit local populations. For example, we support women in Morocco who work to produce our argan oil, and the aloe vera which is the base of most of our products is both Fairtrade and organic, and comes from a family-owned company in Guatemala. We actively work against discrimination, for example through our selection of models and partners.

We have chosen to locate our headquarters in a sparsely populated area in Valdemarsvik in order to offer jobs where it is hard to find work in Sweden; our factory in Föllinge also provides jobs in a sparsely populated region. We work for a thriving countryside in Sweden. Animals have always been important to RS Biokosmetik AB and neither our ingredients nor final products have ever been tested on animals. All Sweden Eco Skincare for Men’s products are approved by Animal Rights Sweden and international PETA and they are all 100% vegan.

Finances

To RS Biokosmetik AB, profitability is when everyone benefits throughout the organisation. Minimal environmental impact and ensuring that people have good wages and working conditions, and that the company has a sound financial foundation on which to stand, result in long-term profitability at many levels. RS Biokosmetik AB has the highest credit rating – AAA with Bisnode – and is considered one of Sweden’s best-run limited liability companies. To guarantee fair working conditions, RS Biokosmetik AB has chosen to locate its manufacturing in Sweden even though it is significantly more expensive than abroad. Consumers also benefit from products that support the environment and health.