SproutWorld and ZENZ Organic are excited to launch our first beauty collaboration. Our collaboration is born out of shared values consisting of love, respect and responsibility for the health of our planet. Besides values we share the same mission to work and aspire towards a greener and more sustainable beauty industry, through natural, high-quality products that are good for you and our planet.

GIVEAWAY for 2 lucky winners!
@sproutworldofficial & @Zenzorganic is partnering up for the first time, two brands supporting a greener beauty industry.

You can win:

€ 35 voucher to use on SproutWorld’s EU webshop
€ 65 voucher to use on ZENZ Organic’s webshop

For a chance to WIN, simply:

1. Follow @sproutworldofficial and @zenzorganic on TikTok
2. Mention someone who deserves to win in the comments section on our TikTok giveaway video

The giveaway runs from 15th to 19th December. The winners must be based in the EU. Winners will be contacted directly by DM. The giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with TikTok.

CONSCIOUS BEAUTY
SproutWorld makeup liners are born of the desire to make the world think and be greener, one small step at a time. We’ve invented the world’s first plantable makeup liners. Once you’ve used up your liner, plant the compostable seed capsule into soil, and watch it sprout into beautiful, bee-friendly wildflowers.

KIND TO YOU
Developed using a vegan formula with only natural ingredients, our high-quality makeup liners have a rich, color intense, and easy-to-apply texture. They’re also AllergyCertified and contain no microplastics.

KIND TO THE PLANET
A member of the B-Corp Beauty Coalition, SproutWorld is committed to creating innovative cosmetics with a second life and zero waste. We’ve thought of every aspect of our makeup liners’ life cycle. Made from certified wood and compostable materials, our liners and packaging are sustainable, carbon neutral and Cradle to Cradle certified – and uniquely, plantable.

ZENZ Organic Products is a Danish beauty brand designed to give you a feeling of well-being from nature's finest ingredients.

We develop exclusive hair care, styling and skin care products made with the maximum proportion of active, natural and certified organic ingredients, without any harmful chemicals.
The majority of ZENZ Organic Products are made in Denmark in packaging from recycled plastic.

At ZENZ Organic we work for a healthier and more sustainable beauty industry. We do this by working with UN’s 17 Goals for Sustainable Development.

Sidsel Lundtang Rasmussen, Sprout’s Chief Sustainability Officer, explains how Sprout approaches transparency and traceability with the use of blockchain technology.

For Sprout, being transparent is about:

- How our products are made and distributed, and importantly what happens after our products have been used
- Showing our CO2 footprint in that process and throughout the total supply chain
- Our sustainability claims
- Showing how we live up to those sustainability claims – and how we can prove it with documentation

Achieving full transparency and traceability in business isn’t easy, but we’re using technology to document it throughout our supply chain. This ensures our products are actually sourced in line with their sustainability claims (e.g., FSC, PEFC or other contracts).

We share information and data on everything that goes into making Sprout pencils and makeup liners, including contracts, certifications, where the raw materials used originate from and the CO2 impact created through the production and distribution of Sprout products. Most importantly, our message focuses on what consumers can do with the remaining pencil stump and highlighting the benefits that are driven from reusing items instead of throwing them in the trash and buying new ones. All Sprout products are designed with a second life.

It takes time and it’s not an easy task to gather all the necessary data. You have to get all your vendors and partners on board with it, and their partners to, if it’s relevant to your supply chain. Also, you need to make sure that the information you’re sharing isn’t compromising the business. For example, if you’re a small company with not much leverage and you share who your supplier is, a competitor could choose to place a large order with your supplier and potentially meaning they’re not able to fulfil your order. Something like this is what you need to be aware of.

At Sprout, we use blockchain technology to show the process we use to make our products.

For a long time, there has been a need for a tool that can verify the green claims that companies make. Blockchain is that tool. It gives people both inside and outside of an organization a guarantee that the information and data they’re looking at is correct and trustworthy.

At its core, blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that stores data. While any conventional database can store information, blockchain is unique in that it’s totally decentralized. Rather than being maintained in one location by a centralized administrator (like an Excel spreadsheet or a bank database) with blockchain, multiple identical copies of the database held on separate computers that are spread out across a network. Data in a blockchain can’t be changed or deleted. Therefore, companies can show total transparency and authenticity through its blockchain.

Blockchain is a better, safer way to record activity and keep data fresh, while maintaining a record of its history. The data can't be corrupted by anyone or accidentally deleted, and you benefit from both a historical trail of data, plus an instantly up-to-date record.

At Sprout, documenting our work within sustainability is part of our DNA, and blockchain technology gives us the opportunity to have complete traceability and transparency in our value chain. We’re able to back up our green claims with documentation.

Blockchain is an exciting technology to work with, and its possibilities are boundless. And blockchain will be the driving force that will bring an end to the ‘label-jungle’ – green claims that are unsubstantiated. I see the way forward as having a common European blockchain that holds all the necessary documentation. This will enable the removal of all the other EU initiatives, requirements, databases, and rules, which only half of companies know about and consumers even less. I believe blockchain can become the universal language for sustainability.

Blockchain technology is unlike any tool we’ve previously used, and it’s taken time to understand it. For us, it’s been a huge help being part of a blockchain network. Together with other brands who are new to this technology, we share ideas and ask questions. Additionally, we’ve brought in a skilled student to help us role out blockchain in Sprout. Working together, we’ll advance our use of blockchain, something I’m very excited about.

1. Make sure that this technology makes sense for your business. Will it have a positive influence on how you work?

2. Undertake a thorough analysis of what information and data you need to document in the blockchain, as not all of it will be relevant.

3. Before implementing blockchain technology into your business, first talk with your suppliers. Are they up for the task? If not, what is your Plan B?

4. Acquire the resources you need to work with this new technology, preferably hiring someone internally. An idea could be to hire a skilled technology student employee. The future needs them, and you’ll be giving them the opportunity to connect theory and practice in a working environment. It’s a win-win for all.

5. If you decide blockchain is the route you want to go down, before implementing it, get the buy-in of the entire company. It impacts every department so it makes sense.

At SproutWorld, working towards being entirely carbon neutral is central to everything we do. We are on our sustainability journey and we recognize that it’s a process. As part of our goal, we want to be as transparent as possible about what we are doing. We want to give our customers the ability to trace what we do throughout the value chain. And by doing these things, we hope to build trust in our sustainability credentials – and share our journey with others.

The launch of our Blockchain app is an exciting development on this journey. And we hope it’s only the start of what’s eventually possible. Put simply, blockchain is a technology that allows people who don't know each other to trust a shared record of events. Why? Because once entered into a blockchain system, that data can’t be changed or modified.

SproutWorld's Blockchain app will show key information about our pencils, complete with our certifications. We’ve incorporated a Climate Impact Calculator, which is a feature that’s unique to us. The calculator shows, in real time, how many pencils we've sold, what their carbon footprint is, and how many Carbon Dioxide Units we've used to compensate for their negative impact.

 

Our Blockchain app will, in time, help us as a brand to monitor, evaluate and strengthen our social and environmental performance. Implementing blockchain in our supply chain is an opportunity for us to rethink how we work with stakeholders and create more collaborative relationships. We believe blockchain has the opportunity to become the universal language for sustainable supply chain management. 

 

Currently, the industry is learning and preparing for blockchain implementation. At SproutWorld, we have partnered up with a first mover agency and together, we have set the foundations of our blockchain app. 

This is the first step of our blockchain journey and we hope the start of some interesting conversations. Our vision with SproutWorld Blockchain app is to:

- have our suppliers join our blockchain

- implement QR codes on all units

- learn how to use blockchain as a tool against counterfeiting

We want to invite you to take a look at SproutWorld's Blockchain app and see the work we’ve done so far. We’d also love to get your feedback and input so let us know what you think!

See our new Blockchain app here:

SproutWorld and the Polish State Forests

SproutWorld has signed an agreement with the Polish State Forests (the only company outside of Poland to do so) – to purchase a 1.4 – hectare plot of idle land (equivalent to two football fields) that’s close to the German border.

Around 12,000 trees will be planted in 2023, with the work of prepping the soil starting in March 2023. The plot is designated as a mixed coniferous forest and will be afforested with species such as pine, birch, spruce, oak, and others. Additionally, biogenetic species like rowan and crab apple, will be introduced.

We are part of the “Forest Carbon Farms” project. Through this project, new forestry will be planted to absorb CO2, store water, produce oxygen, and contribute to greater biodiversity for various forest species. In the future, part of these trees will be harvested and dedicated to ecological and certified sustainable wood production.

SproutWorld can contribute to both a natural and climatic function by protecting and restoring degraded forests and promoting afforestation.

100 years ago, forests covered 40% of Poland, but after World War II, this figure stood at just 21%. Since then, the state has focused on replanting, and today, the country has reached 29% and is aiming for 33% by 2050. Today, Poland is one of the most ambitious in Europe regarding conserving forests and afforestation. It’s of great inspiration to other countries.

At SproutWorld, we’re always looking for strategic sustainability projects to support, and because the wood for our pencils comes from Poland, I had the idea to reach out to the Polish State Forests to see if we could collaborate somehow. Luckily, they came back with a positive answer.

They informed me of their Carbon Forest Farms project. This project involves inviting Polish companies to plant a certain number of trees every year.

Because we give back to the area that we take trees from. And, because we’re part of a bigger project with other companies, this proves to me what we’ve always said at SproutWorld: small things make big things grow. Together we can make a difference.

I’m also proud that we’re the only non-Polish company to participate in the project. I felt honored when I went to Poland in Autumn 2021 to receive the certificate proving our purchase of a piece of land with the sole purpose of planting trees to absorb CO2.

Imagine that all companies did something similar. If everyone made a small contribution, where would that leave the planet? In a much better place, I think!

Every newly planted tree is better than no tree. The easiest thing would be to give up and be too overwhelmed by the climate crisis, thinking that you’re too small to make an impact.
12,000 trees do have an effect on CO2 absorption, but the most important thing is that this is part of a much greater project with hundreds of thousands of new trees. Furthermore, this is not a one-off for us, it’s just the beginning, and we plan to purchase more land and plant more trees.

Sidsel Rasmussen, Sustainability Director at SproutWorld

Wir haben SproutWorld Sustainability Director Sidsel Lundtang Rasmussen gefragt, wie sie auf die B Corp-Zertifizierung für SproutWorld hingearbeitet hat, und welche Hindernisse und positive Erfahrungen sie auf diesem Weg gemacht hat.

B Corp bedeutet Benefit Corporations. Es handelt sich um eine Gemeinschaft von Unternehmen, die Profit machen (im Gegensatz zu gemeinnützigen Unternehmen), sich aber zur selben Zeit, das Ziel gesetzt haben, eine positive Auswirkung auf die Welt zu haben.

Es handelt sich um eine Zertifizierung von externer Seite, das bedeutet, dass wir uns nicht selbst mit einem Label auszeichnen. Ein neutraler Partner muss beurteilen, wie nachhaltig man in allen Bereichen arbeitet. Es ist der Nachweis dafür, dass die Handlungen der Firma dem Planeten nicht schaden.

B Corp ist ein hervorragendes Tool zur Beschreibung, Messung und Festlegung neuer Ziele für zukünftige Nachhaltigkeitsstrategien, denn diese Standards gelten für alle Unternehmen, die sich für eine B Corp-Zertifizierung bewerben.

Auf diese Weise können Sie Ihr Unternehmen zukunftssicher machen und sicherstellen, dass Sie die wachsenden Anforderungen Ihrer Kunden an die Nachhaltigkeit Ihres Unternehmens erfüllen.

Alles in allem handelt sich um eine Investition, in die Gemeinschaft der nachhaltigsten Unternehmen weltweit aufgenommen zu werden. Eine B Corp-Zertifizierung ist ein Türöffner für das Geschäft mit anderen B Corps und mit Unternehmen, die nur mit den Unternehmen zusammenarbeiten, die die höchsten Standards erfüllen.

Darüber hinaus hilft sie gegen Greenwashing. Ein B Corp-Mitglied zu sein erhöht ganz einfach Ihre Glaubwürdigkeit in Sachen Nachhaltigkeit!

Nein, überhaupt nicht!

Es handelt sich um einen langen, kostspieligen und sehr zeitaufwändigen Prozess. Ich habe an der Bewerbung monatelang gearbeitet und im Januar 2021 die Bewerbung abgeschickt. Von da an waren wir in der Phase „zukünftiges B-Corp" und wir mussten weiterhin viele weitere Unterlagen hin und her schicken. Man benötigt viel Geduld, da die Anzahl der Unternehmen, die sich bewerben, in den letzten Jahren beträchtlich gestiegen ist, wir müssen also durch einen Flaschenhals.

Es war eine gute Sache, alle Aspekte des Unternehmens zu bewerten und sicherzustellen, dass wir nichts Wichtiges übersehen haben. Dadurch erkennt man außerdem, worin man gut ist und wo Verbesserungspotenzial vorhanden ist.

B Corp ist eine bei Verbrauchern bekannte und anerkannte Zertifizierung, insbesondere in den USA und Großbritannien. Viele Kund*innen kaufen lieber bei B Corps ein. In den letzten Jahren haben wir zudem die Erfahrung gemacht, dass immer mehr Geschäftskund*innen nach Dokumentationen fragen, wenn es um Nachhaltigkeit geht.

Darüber hinaus zieht man neue Mitarbeiter an, besonders junge Leute, denn die B Corp-Zertifizierung verleiht der Marke und dem Arbeitsplatz Glaubwürdigkeit.

Wappnen Sie sich mit Geduld:

Es braucht Zeit, um all die internen Informationen und Dokumente zu finden. Sie werden mit vielen Abteilungen Ihres Unternehmens zusammenarbeiten müssen, um alle erforderlichen Informationen zusammenzutragen.

Darüber hinaus dauert auch die Analyse von B Lab sehr lange, da sich auch viele andere Unternehmen in der Bewerbungsphase befinden und B Lab nur eine begrenzte Anzahl von angestellten Analytikern hat. Insgesamt hat es 1,5 Jahre gedauert, bis wir unsere Zertifizierung erhalten haben.

Ihre Geduld wird dabei sehr auf die Probe gestellt. Und wenn Sie dann jeden Tag auf LinkedIn lesen, dass andere Unternehmen gerade die B Corp-Zertifizierung erhalten haben, fragen Sie sich „wann ist es bei uns endlich soweit?“ Bewahren Sie sich Ihre Motivation, denken Sie daran, wie cool es ist für ein zukünftiges B Corp zu arbeiten und erinnern Sie sich, bald ist es soooooooweit ....

Sie müssen über sechs Dinge nachdenken:

Es macht immer Sinn ein „Best-of-the-world“-Unternehmen zu sein, das so wenig negative Auswirkungen wie möglich auf Natur, Klima, Mitarbeitende, Tiere und Mitmenschen hat. Und denken Sie nicht zuletzt an all die Türen, die sich öffnen werden, wenn es darum geht mit anderen B Corps-Unternehmen Geschäfte zu machen.

Abgesehen davon:

• Bedenken Sie, wer Ihre Zielgruppe ist. Kennt sie B Corp? Gibt es einen Erstanbietervorteil?

• Gibt es Alternativen? Gibt es andere Gemeinschaften, die besser zu Ihrem Unternehmen passen oder in Ihrer Branche anerkannt sind? Letztendlich müssen Sie
einen Unterschied im Leben Ihrer Kund*innen machen und ihre Wünsche und Erwartungen an Ihr Produkt/Unternehmen erfüllen.

• Stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie die volle Unterstützung des Inhabers und des Managements haben. Um die B Corp-Zertifizierung zu erhalten, muss das Unternehmen seine
Satzung ändern und eine Rechtsform annehmen, die bei seinen Entscheidungsfindungen alle Interessengruppen berücksichtigt (z. B. eine gemeinnützige Organisation).

• Haben Sie die internen Kompetenzen, um das Projekt zu initiieren und abzuschließen? Oder verfügen Sie über ein Budget, um das Projekt outzusourcen?

• Planen Sie das Vorgehen nach der B Corp-Zertifizierung: Wie wollen Sie das Erreichte kommunizieren?