Sustainability Policy

The Better Health Company  Sustainability Policy.

The Better Health Company owns GO Healthy New Zealand, GO Healthy Australia, New Zealand Health Manufacturing and Egmont Honey.

As a group of businesses we are highly committed to sustainability. The products we sell originate in nature, and our products contribute to the health and wellbeing of our customers and consumers

This policy sets out our commitment to sustainability and will be used to guide our business decisions in 2021 and beyond. 2021 is a foundational year, where we will identify sustainability metrics and implement new sustainability initiatives.

Our sustainability mission is: “Better health for better people on a better planet”.

Materiality assessment

In November 2020, we undertook our first materiality assessment to determine what sustainability issues matter most to our business and our stakeholders. All of these issues shown in the graph were identified as material and we have committed to act on them.

The Better Health Company Materiality Assessment

Sustainability framework

After identifying our material issues, we developed a sustainability framework to guide the implementation of sustainability in our business.

Our mission is: “Better health for better people on a better planet”. This recognises that we are in the business of improving health and wellness, and we rely on nature to do that.

All of our work is underpinned by a commitment to transparency. We want to communicate our sustainability progress and challenges to our teams, consumers, business partners and stakeholders.

Better Health

Product Quality

We are committed to sourcing high quality ingredients for all our products and manufacturing products that are proven to improve the health and wellbeing of our customers. We have in place a high performing Quality Assurance team to oversee this. We also have our own in-house naturopaths based in New Zealand and Australia.

Innovation

Our inhouse New Product Development team works with our suppliers to be at the forefront of delivering innovative products that improve the health and wellness of our customers.

Sustainable sourcing of ingredients

To be a sustainable business, we must source our raw materials from trusted and sustainable sources. Sustainable sourcing is a priority requirement in our supplier relationships.  In 2021, we will develop a new sustainable and ethical sourcing policy and implement this with our suppliers.

Manufacturing

We are focussed on improving the productivity and efficiency of our manufacturing processes. This includes: reducing energy and water use, and minimising waste of ingredients and packaging used in the manufacturing process. We are MPI certified, TGA certified, and GMP compliant.  

Better People

Employee Satisfaction and Wellbeing

Building and growing our team is our priority. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we have in place systems to develop team members.  

Safety

Workplace health and safety, particularly in our manufacturing facility, is essential. We have a Health and Safety manager supported by external experts and strong internal governance. Safety forms part of our company values.

Healthy Communities

As a New Zealand business we want the communities that we operate in to be healthy and thriving. For example, in 2020 New Zealand Health Manufacturing introduced an in-house Op Shop, so the team can swap pre-loved goods and give them a second life. We also support Look Good and Feel Better with donations and products for fundraising. New initiatives for 2021 are currently under consideration.

Better Planet

Climate action

Acting on climate change is the responsibility of everyone. We are committed to measuring our greenhouse gas emissions as a priority and putting plans in place to reduce these. We’ll continually update our customers and stakeholders about our progress on this front.

Packaging

At GO Healthy, we work closely with our packaging supplier, Pharmapac, on the sustainability of our packaging. Packaging is critical as it not only protects our products but also ensures their efficacy is maintained.

Pharmapac is both a Toitu Environmark Diamond and Operation Clean Sweep certified manufacturer. The vast majority of the packaging used  is created from plastic “HDPE #2” or “PP#5”, which is 100% recyclable.

At Egmont Honey, we use PET #1 and rPET. PET is 100% recyclable, while rPET is made from recycled plastic and is recyclable. 

We are continually looking for sustainable packaging improvements that meet the needs of our consumers and offer the protection our products require.

Bee health

Thriving bee populations are essential for our natural ecosystems and biodiversity. The team at Egmont Honey recognise their role as custodians of the bees that produce their world renowned Mānuka Honey.

Egmont Honey leaves bees in natural forests all year round, in remote forest blocks in the South Taranaki region. Hives are not used for commercial pollination and as a result the bees are not exposed to pesticides or other chemicals known to contribute to the world's decline in bee numbers.

A percentage of sales go to protect world bee populations, through charities like: Planet Bee, Trees for Bees and Southland Bee Society.