Corporate and Social Responsibility
At pranga & co we're always striving to be more conscientious of the the impact we are having on aspects of society including social, environmental and economic. We want to operate in ways that enhance society and the environment instead of contributing negatively to them. No only do we want to hold ourselves accountable, but to our stakeholders, clients and the general public. Below are our efforts to-date.
Philanthropy
We believe giving back is not just about donating money to worthy charities. We've made efforts to discover suppliers that can provide us with more than just goods. For example, we partnered with the Morca (Colombia) Coal Project for our Coal Ankers. You can read more about Daniel Feuer's trip to the project here.
Volunteering
Do Good, Give Back. Our founder, Daniel Feuer has been a strong advocate of mentoring and for many years has been a volunteer with Futurpreneur Canada. They are Canada's only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Mr. Feuer has also a volunteer with the BACD, a local program providing business mentoring for new businesses. As pranga grows we'll encourage our employees to participate in volunteer programs that reflect the values of the company.
Ethical Labor Practices
Treat others how you would want to be treated, it's quite simple. We treat our employees fairly and ethically and expect the same from our suppliers. In addition to fair treatment and ethics, employees need to be paid a living wage and not substance pay. All employers must be validated through independent third-party programs. In addition, pranga will visit all suppliers every 24-36 months to inspect factories.
Packaging
Much effort has been put on the branding for the pranga & co image and its resulting packaging. Aside from branding, our packaging must adhere to several principals:
Environmental
Wherever possible pranga chooses environmental friendly companies and solutions. This is currently reflected in our packaging and suppliers. Our packaging is recyclable (where facilities exist) and mostly compostable. Even our cardboard mailers are made from repurposed cardboard from packages delivered to our offices.
We are constantly looking out for suppliers that can work in a better, smarter and healthier way. For example, one supplier of wood used in making some of our ankers has a sustainability initiative with robust tree planting program.
Sustainability
Our production is based on respect for the natural raw materials we use in all of our ankers. We approach materials responsibly and try to avoid waste in our production and use recycled elements as we can. For example boxes used in receiving supplies or other materials gets laser cut in to our cardboard mailers for shipping product to customers or retailers. In the manufacture of wood products, design software and laser cuttng allow for maximum utility of materials. Left-over material has been used to create boxes and other containers used in our office environment.
Anker Production Materials
We use a variety of materials to make our cufflinks ankers. With each material, we do our best to ensure they are address environmental, sustainable and recycling aspects where appropriate. Click on the material to read more . . .
Acrylic and Sensitile Ankers
We source our acrylic two ways, either recycled material or reclaimed from other sources. We use ACRYLITE® acrylic products from Roehm America. The product uses an average of 20 percent and up to 75 percent pre-consumer reclaimed acrylic and is free from bisphenol A and formaldehyde. Our Sensitile acrylic ankers are made from remnant materials that would be discared or trashed. We are able to work with pieces as small as an inch square, so pranga is an excellent customer for their waste! We've also sourced materials on occassion from Habitat for Humanity.
Fabric Ankers
All fabric used for our ankers are from remnant materials that would have otherwise been thrown away. Sourced primiarly from local Toronto based design firms that use fabric for wall treatments.
Numis Banknotes
Not much to tell you here. These are mostly old banknotes which were made from a cotton base. Some of the newer Numis ankers from Canada and the UK are made from the polymer banknotes.
Leather Ankers
Leather for our ankers were made by material sourced from Simona Tanning, a gold certified member of the Leather Working Group ("LWG"). LWG has develop and maintains a protocol that assesses the environmental compliance and performance capabilities of leather manufacturers and promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry. The skins used are a by-product of food production.
Precious Metal Ankers
Because of the nature of the metal trade, most precious metals have already been recycled to some degree. The silver used by our artisans to create the few precious metal ankers are from 100% locally sourced recycled/reclaimed silver.
Wood Ankers
Wood is sources from several suppliers, however all materials used in the creation of our ankers are part of the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC 100% label means that the wood within the product comes entirely from FSC-certified, well-managed forests. We don't need a lot of wood when making our ankers and often use off-cuts in production.
If you know of an interesting supplier or have any questions, please let us know!
Philanthropy
We believe giving back is not just about donating money to worthy charities. We've made efforts to discover suppliers that can provide us with more than just goods. For example, we partnered with the Morca (Colombia) Coal Project for our Coal Ankers. You can read more about Daniel Feuer's trip to the project here.
Volunteering
Do Good, Give Back. Our founder, Daniel Feuer has been a strong advocate of mentoring and for many years has been a volunteer with Futurpreneur Canada. They are Canada's only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Mr. Feuer has also a volunteer with the BACD, a local program providing business mentoring for new businesses. As pranga grows we'll encourage our employees to participate in volunteer programs that reflect the values of the company.
Ethical Labor Practices
Treat others how you would want to be treated, it's quite simple. We treat our employees fairly and ethically and expect the same from our suppliers. In addition to fair treatment and ethics, employees need to be paid a living wage and not substance pay. All employers must be validated through independent third-party programs. In addition, pranga will visit all suppliers every 24-36 months to inspect factories.
Packaging
Much effort has been put on the branding for the pranga & co image and its resulting packaging. Aside from branding, our packaging must adhere to several principals:
- Can offer post-purchase utility
- Packaging should be recyclable
- Use recycled materials where available
Environmental
Wherever possible pranga chooses environmental friendly companies and solutions. This is currently reflected in our packaging and suppliers. Our packaging is recyclable (where facilities exist) and mostly compostable. Even our cardboard mailers are made from repurposed cardboard from packages delivered to our offices.
We are constantly looking out for suppliers that can work in a better, smarter and healthier way. For example, one supplier of wood used in making some of our ankers has a sustainability initiative with robust tree planting program.
Sustainability
Our production is based on respect for the natural raw materials we use in all of our ankers. We approach materials responsibly and try to avoid waste in our production and use recycled elements as we can. For example boxes used in receiving supplies or other materials gets laser cut in to our cardboard mailers for shipping product to customers or retailers. In the manufacture of wood products, design software and laser cuttng allow for maximum utility of materials. Left-over material has been used to create boxes and other containers used in our office environment.
Anker Production Materials
We use a variety of materials to make our cufflinks ankers. With each material, we do our best to ensure they are address environmental, sustainable and recycling aspects where appropriate. Click on the material to read more . . .
Acrylic and Sensitile Ankers
We source our acrylic two ways, either recycled material or reclaimed from other sources. We use ACRYLITE® acrylic products from Roehm America. The product uses an average of 20 percent and up to 75 percent pre-consumer reclaimed acrylic and is free from bisphenol A and formaldehyde. Our Sensitile acrylic ankers are made from remnant materials that would be discared or trashed. We are able to work with pieces as small as an inch square, so pranga is an excellent customer for their waste! We've also sourced materials on occassion from Habitat for Humanity.
Fabric Ankers
All fabric used for our ankers are from remnant materials that would have otherwise been thrown away. Sourced primiarly from local Toronto based design firms that use fabric for wall treatments.
Numis Banknotes
Not much to tell you here. These are mostly old banknotes which were made from a cotton base. Some of the newer Numis ankers from Canada and the UK are made from the polymer banknotes.
Leather Ankers
Leather for our ankers were made by material sourced from Simona Tanning, a gold certified member of the Leather Working Group ("LWG"). LWG has develop and maintains a protocol that assesses the environmental compliance and performance capabilities of leather manufacturers and promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the leather industry. The skins used are a by-product of food production.
Precious Metal Ankers
Because of the nature of the metal trade, most precious metals have already been recycled to some degree. The silver used by our artisans to create the few precious metal ankers are from 100% locally sourced recycled/reclaimed silver.
Wood Ankers
Wood is sources from several suppliers, however all materials used in the creation of our ankers are part of the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC 100% label means that the wood within the product comes entirely from FSC-certified, well-managed forests. We don't need a lot of wood when making our ankers and often use off-cuts in production.
If you know of an interesting supplier or have any questions, please let us know!