Sustainability

We aim to be a global leader in sustainability. Our goals are ambitious – 100% plastic free, with minimal waste across our ecosystem. We champion sustainability and style in symbiosis.

Genuinely making a difference

Since day one, we have set out to become the world’s most sustainable and efficacious natural skincare brand – and that means living our values. Our products are made exclusively here in New Zealand, using locally sourced ingredients. They are independently certified by international organisations, and packaged in premium materials that are recyclable and biodegradable.

Of course, quality remains the pinnacle of achievement at Antipodes Skincare. We will never compromise the integrity of a formulation – but our innovative and thoughtful approach and drive to seek constant improvement, means we’ve never had to.

We’ve saved over 15 million plastic containers from polluting the planet – and counting

We’re shifting the dial on sustainable packaging with innovative solutions that achieve the highest quality, and the least impact on the planet. For any sustainable solution to work, it has to be easy to get behind, which is why we use premium glass and aluminium. More than merely recyclable and reusable, these materials have a virtually endless life – which means there is no reason for them to end up in landfill, ever. In our eyes, that makes glass and aluminium superior to plastic in every way.

Why glass is better

Our high-quality, tinted apothecary-style glass jars and bottles have been a fixture of Antipodes from the beginning. Glass maintains the potency of your formulation, ensuring the preservation of active ingredients and preventing oxidisation. Recyclable kerbside by most mainstream programmes, glass has an almost unlimited life. It can be recycled over and over again and melted down to make new glass products without losing its inherent quality.

Recyclability

Our goal is for every component of our packaging to be recyclable through local council programmes – which means all you need to do with your Antipodes Skincare packaging is place it in your recycling bin. Whilst every region, city, and even suburb has its own regulations, we’re proud that our glass, aluminium, and paper materials are already recyclable in most markets around the world.

Refillable options

Our hotel amenities are found in around 51,000 hotel rooms and in Air New Zealand airport lounges. Rather than using individual plastic containers and tubes, Antipodes amenities are dispensed from 500ml refillable containers. We do not provide product refills at a consumer level, as in our view refillable pouches do not save plastic waste and contribute to substantially more wastage.

Why glass is better

Our high-quality, tinted apothecary-style glass jars and bottles have been a fixture of Antipodes from the beginning. Glass maintains the potency of your formulation, ensuring the preservation of active ingredients and preventing oxidisation. Recyclable kerbside by most mainstream programmes, glass has an almost unlimited life. It can be recycled over and over again and melted down to make new glass products without losing its inherent quality.

Recyclability

Our goal is for every component of our packaging to be recyclable through local council programmes – which means all you need to do with your Antipodes Skincare packaging is place it in your recycling bin. Whilst every region, city, and even suburb has its own regulations, we’re proud that our glass, aluminium, and paper materials are already recyclable in most markets around the world.

Refillable options

Our hotel amenities are found in around 51,000 hotel rooms and in Air New Zealand airport lounges. Rather than using individual plastic containers and tubes, Antipodes amenities are dispensed from 500ml refillable containers. We do not provide product refills at a consumer level, as in our view refillable pouches do not save plastic waste and contribute to substantially more wastage.

Traceable ingredients from forest to formulation

Not all brands know where their ingredients come from – but we do. We are privileged to partner with local New Zealand growers and producers who share our vision of sustainability. In fact, we’ve worked with many of the same suppliers since Antipodes Skincare was founded. Thanks to these long-standing trusted relationships, we know our partners and natural skincare ingredients on a deeper level. That’s allowed us to achieve 100% traceability of ingredients, from forest to formulation. Our next goal is to make this transparent for our devotees by publishing the results.

“My vision is a simple one. To use only the most nourishing bioactives, sourced from growers and producers who care as much about our environment as we do. We pay a premium to work with companies who are sustainability innovators, producing the world’s most nutrient-rich ingredients from cleaner standards of farming.”

ELIZABETH BARBALICH, ANTIPODES FOUNDER & CEO

Learn more about our natural ingredients

Biodegradable ingredients

It’s important to us that every ingredient in our products is safe, not only to you, but to the environment. We aim to have 100% biodegradable ingredients in every formulation – this means that any product residue breaks down naturally and harmlessly in the environment over time and poses zero threat to our waterways.

Supporting responsible forestry

Forests are our lifeblood, so we consider it our duty to protect them. Our cardboard recyclable packaging is approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This mark confirms that the cardboard has come from forestry practices that are ethical, maintain biodiversity, uphold worker rights, and do not result in deforestation. We also use environmentally friendly eco-inks from vegetables, which are biodegradable.

Our sustainability goals

Sustainability is a journey that takes time, effort and passion. We’re working on some exciting initiatives for 2024 and beyond that will contribute to our ultimate goal: to be the world’s most sustainable efficacious natural skincare brand.

BCorp Certified

The highest industry benchmark identifying businesses with outstanding performance in five key areas: governance, workers’ rights, community, environment, and customers. Current status: We’ve submitted our application to BCorp and are on our way to becoming certified.

Leaping Bunny Certified

Our vegan and vegetarian status already verifies that our products are not tested on animals – but we’re chasing that bunny, too. Leaping Bunny will provide us, and you, with additional certainty that we are 100% cruelty-free. Current status: we’re working on it!

100% plastic-free packaging

That means zero plastic in our core natural skincare range. This is challenging, as some components do not yet have plastic-free alternatives. As new innovations come to market, we’re confident in a plastic-free future. Current status: Thanks to the rollout of our aluminium lid, we are currently 93% plastic-free across the Antipodes skincare range.

BCorp Certified

The highest industry benchmark identifying businesses with outstanding performance in five key areas: governance, workers’ rights, community, environment, and customers. Current status: We’ve submitted our application to BCorp and are on our way to becoming certified.

Leaping Bunny Certified

Our vegan and vegetarian status already verifies that our products are not tested on animals – but we’re chasing that bunny, too. Leaping Bunny will provide us, and you, with additional certainty that we are 100% cruelty-free. Current status: we’re working on it!

100% plastic-free packaging

That means zero plastic in our core natural skincare range. This is challenging, as some components do not yet have plastic-free alternatives. As new innovations come to market, we’re confident in a plastic-free future. Current status: Thanks to the rollout of our aluminium lid, we are currently 93% plastic-free across the Antipodes skincare range.