Sustainability PDF Print E-mail

Our definition of sustainability includes the following principles:

  • Advocate
  • Carbon neutral
  • Certified organic
  • Eco-materials
  • Made in the U.S.A.
  • Reduce
  • Support local

1. Advocate

  • What it means: Stand-up for your beliefs.
  • What we are doing to achieve it: We communicate with our customers through our Web site, blog and social media and our packaging to educate and create awareness of environmental issues, and our company’s measures to achieve our sustainability goals.
  • Benefit: We create an authentic picture of what our company is doing to help preserve our planet, and what you as a consumer can do to help.

2. Carbon-neutral

  • What it means: Determining a product's CO2 "foot-print" and off-setting it in equal measure by investing in CO2-reducing, sustainability projects.
  • What we are doing to achieve it:
    We teamed-up with Carbonfund.org to calculate the carbon footprint of Royal Hawaiian Honey’s jars and tubs. Carbonfund.org off-sets each pound of CO2 emitted in the production and shipping of our honeys by investing in projects that are dedicated to a cleaner, less-polluted environment.
    We are installing solar panels on the farm! Our goal is to be 100% solar-powered by 2011.
  • Benefit: We can all breathe cleaner air!

3. Certified organic

  • What it means: In order for honey to be certified organic, the bees which make it must not forage on any flowers that are sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. In addition, the beekeeper cannot use any chemicals or antibiotics in the production of the honey.
  • What we are doing to achieve it: We don't use chemicals or antibiotics in our hives. We keep our bees in some of the most rural parts of the Big Island, which is also one of the most isolated land-masses on Earth! This keeps our bees in pristine foraging areas where the flowers they gather nectar from are pure. Our apiary is inspected by the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA) and Royal Hawaiian Honeys are some of the only honeys produced in the entire U.S. that are certified organic.
  • Benefit: You get peace of mind knowing that the food you put in your body is free of harmful chemicals, and the bees and the environment are spared them, too.

4. Eco-materials made in the U.S.A.

  • What it means: Packaging components (like the container, lid, and label) that don’t impact the environment negatively, and are made in the U.S. to cut-down on shipping.
  • What we are doing to achieve it:
    We recognize that there is no such thing as “no-impact” packaging, because all packaging materials take energy and resources to make and transport. However, we work closely with our packaging manufacturers to achieve a balance between sustainability and functionality. For example:
    • We use Polypropylene plastic tubs because they save on energy during shipping, since they are lightweight and compact.
    • We use glass jars because they are easily recyclable in most municipalities.
    • Our metal caps are recyclable.
    • The labels on the jars are printed with soy-based ink.
    • We purchase all our packaging components from U.S. manufacturers, with the exception of our glass jars. This cuts-down on over-seas shipping to our plant.

    Finally, all of our packing components, like the box and cushioning material used in shipping orders placed on our Web site, are made from 100% biodegradable materials (except for the tape).

  • Benefit: Less waste and smarter designs will benefit all people and the planet.

5. Reduce

  • What it means: Find efficiencies in the production process and produce less waste.
  • What we are doing to achieve it:
    Typically, honey is shipped on pallets made of pine wood, with a sheet of new cardboard between the product and the pallet. Instead of buying new cardboard, we re-use boxes by cutting them to the right size for the pallet. This cuts down on waste. We don't buy new pallets. Instead, we work with a pallet exchange program, in which we effectively rent pallets. We ship our honey on them to our customer, and when the pallets arrive at their destination, they get sent back to the company which owns and manages them. This cuts down on waste, and saves trees from being milled for new pallets.
  • Benefit: Less waste means less landfill space consumed and a cleaner environment. Re-using pallets means saving trees.

6. Support domestic farmers

  • What it means: Buy your food from a farmer in the U.S.
  • What we are doing to achieve it:
    A 2008 Seattle P-I investigation has found that, in the U.S., "where bee colonies are dying off and demand for imported honey is soaring, honey traders are resorting to elaborate schemes to dodge tariffs and health safeguards in order to dump cheap honey on the U.S. market." According to their report, the honey is…”diluted with sugar water or corn syrup -- or worse, tainted with pesticides or antibiotics."
    All our honey is made by our family-run farm in Hawaii, and we control it from hive to container. We do not buy or import honey from any other source.
  • Benefit: When you buy Royal Hawaiian Honey, you are ensured a premium-quality product because it comes from a trusted source. Plus, it tastes better!

Does your neighborhood recycling program not take our #5 plastic containers? Recycle them here!
By recycling your #5s through the Gimme 5 Program, you are:
- Saving plastic from being sent to landfills
- Keeping it local by recycling it here in the USA
- Powering Preserve by helping them transform your recyclables into new Preserve toothbrushes and razors