Our Commitment

We strive for zero-waste and offset more than 100% of our estimated carbon emissions. 1% of all sales are donated to Indigenous Climate organizations in Canada, and we support local grassroots social justice organizations through our Extra Nifty Dogs program.

What does near-zero-waste mean?

Nifty Dogs products and packaging can be consumed, composted or recycled. Nothing should end up in a landfill.

We say “near-zero” instead of “zero” because:

  • We can’t guarantee that the packaging and products actually get recycled, consumed or composted. You can help by checking what goes in which bin in your region!
  • We can only see and control our own process – not what goes into every single ingredient we use. It’s important that we think about the big picture to see where we can improve.

This is what it looks like from start to finish

INGREDIENTS

 

We buy our ingredients in recyclable packaging or in bulk without packaging at all. We also use “ugly” produce to keep perfectly good fruits & veggies from going to waste.

PRODUCTS

All of our treats and poop bags are compostable in commercial facilities. We source & create gear & toys that are upcycled, recycled, recyclable, made of natural materials or put the earth first.

PACKAGING

Our treat bags (and the label) are ASTM-6400 and EN 13432 certified compostable. In general, we opt for minimal packaging to reduce our impact.

SHIPPING

The materials we use to ship are all recyclable or compostable. Unfortunately, some carriers use plastic labels so simply remove those and sort accordingly.

What does climate positive mean?

Carbon neutrality is when the same amount of carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere is also removed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

Being climate positive means that we go one step further: we aim to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit.

We offset our carbon by:
  1. Calculating our emissions through Climate Neutral
  2. Purchasing carbon offset credits through CarbonZero who invest in both local (Ontario) and global projects.
However, we cannot indefinitely “offset” our estimated emissions: we must reduce our use, replace with renewables, and prevent our negative impact in the first place. We also need a more holistic solution than simply counting up our damage and compensating with “credits”.

Beyond carbon credits: intersectional environmentalism

Per National Geographic, “comprising less than 5% of the world’s population, Indigenous people protect 80% of global biodiversity.” We support Indigenous climate activists and protectors. We believe that the approach to achieving environmental justice must be intersectional.

In Canada, some Indigenous groups have “challenged the use of international markets for carbon credits that turn nature’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide into a commodity to be bought and sold”.

That's why we also donate 1% of all sales to Indigenous climate groups in Canada including the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources, Indigenous Climate Action and RAVEN Trust.

So while we don’t love the buzzword, “climate positive” describes to our commitment to these not-so-easily-quantifiable but critically important environmental initiatives on top of offsetting our estimated carbon emissions

(Re)sources

  • Purchasing Carbon Offsets: A Guide for Canadian Consumers, Businesses, and Organizations by The David Suzuki Foundation
  • Indigenous-led Conservation and Carbon Storage in Canada by the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership
  • Indigenous-led Nature Based Greenhouse Gas Offsets: One Route Towards Reconciliation in Canada by the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership
  • Indigenous peoples hold the key to protecting the environment by the Sustainability Times
  • What is Carbon Neutral & What Does Carbon Neutral Mean? by Inspire Clean Energy
  • More companies want to be “carbon neutral.” What does that mean? by Terry Nguyen for Vox
  • What is Zero Waste? by The Recycling Council of British Columbia