A Sustainable Year in Review
Looking back on 2022, we're so excited to share all that our Poko community accomplished together!
Through sustainability reporting, Pokoloko communicates our performance and impacts on a wide range of sustainability topics, spanning environmental, social and transparency. Building and maintaining trust in businesses is fundamental to creating a sustainable global economy and a thriving world!
Poko x Piñan University Fund
Through the giveback initiative of our Ecuador collection, and by donating a portion of sales events like Boxing Week in 2022, we raised a total of $2,219 in support of the Piñan Scholarship Fund, donating to the Community Ascent Network.
Far removed from most civilization, these Indigenous families continue to suffer post-colonially in their isolation. Their biggest challenge they say they face is a lack of education.
Since 2018 The Community Ascent Network has been working closely with the community of Piñán in Northern Ecuador. For Piñán, the Community Ascent Network's vision is to have access to public education for all of their youth, bringing meaningful work and developments into the community.
"This year will be the first year in which the student graduates from Piñan will have the chance to enrol in and attend universities, colleges and training courses. This year we hope to support nine brave students on this big step. In future years we will work to develop a sustainable fund that can be used as a resource for all future years of students who reach this point in their education."
Read more on this ongoing initiative >
Atelier Towels in support of the Woodgreen Foundation
The Atelier Collective is an educational platform for the holistic ambitious woman in business. Every event, workshop and offering is created with the themes that drive them to inspire, create, experience, refine, grow & sustain.
Launched by WoodGreen in 2004 and unique in Canada, Homeward Bound is an award-winning comprehensive 4-year program that helps homeless or inadequately housed single mothers achieve lasting economic self-sufficiency.
We partnered with The Atelier to create a special edition Poko towel in 2021 to launch this initiative . The Atelier Towel has been brought to life via a female supply chain, by women in business, and in support of women in business. In 2022, 343 Atelier Towels found a new home or adventure, and 1,592 Atelier Towels have been sold since the launch of this initiative in 2021, donating a total of $1592.
Read more on this ongoing initiative >
The Rose Towel in support of NEDA
The Rose Towel was created in celebration of our collaborative sponsorship for the virtual Dear Body Retreat in 2021, a global getaway that is inclusive to all women, who want a safe space to learn how to feel more at home in their body, and be empowered as they navigate life. This custom towel is a collaboration with the ROSE EVENTS - founded by Mik Zazon and Gabby Male donated $351 to NEDA the National Eating Disorder Association.
This retreat is built on the foundation of restoring, overcoming, increasing self-love & empowering women to stand together and speak their truth.
In honour of our shared values, $1 from each Rose Towel sold will be directed to the NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSOCIATION to support the work they do in North America.
Cornerstone Community Housing
In support of a longtime giveback partner, Cornerstone Housing For Women and Pokoloko set a goal of donating 108 towels (a retail value of ~ $4,500!) as part of the launch of the Poko Bundles initiative in the month of December.
Cornerstone Housing supports over 600 women a year experiencing homelessness in Canada's National Capital, Ottawa, by providing safe shelter and affordable long-term housing. With the versatility in everyday use of the Poko Towel, such as for bath, wear, and the ability to store compactly or pack on the go, these daily essentials allow for residents to focus on more important issues like stability and managing mental health.
Some Poko employees also donated time in walking in support of the Coldest Day of the Year initiative in February 2022.
Climate Impact
Pokoloko is a carbon-neutral workplace, meaning we offset the carbon footprint of every employee’s lives, as well as offsetting any business travel. We offset each Pokos entire carbon footprint, including emissions from their home, personal travel, holidays, food, hobbies and more.
Through our partner Ecologi, we reduced 617 tonnes of carbon by supporting tree planting initiatives, carbon avoidance projects, renewable energy projects, nature-based projects, and community-based projects.
Learn more about this ongoing initiative >
The Eden Reforestation Project in Madagascar, focuses on planting Mangrove trees. More than 90% of Madagascar’s original forests have been destroyed, displacing entire animal species and taking away the locals' ability to farm and live on the land. To date, we have planted 45,915 trees in the Poko forest and counting!
Sea vs Air Shipping
To help reduce our carbon footprint, we prioritized sea shipping and reduced air shipping. This past year, we prioritized sea freight and shipped 62% of our import volume by sea, and 38% by air. We are happy that this is the most we've ever shipped by sea.
We are planning to increase our sea shipments in 2023, to further reduce our carbon footprint.
In 2022 we also partnered with a new courier service that offers carbon-neutral shipping for our retail delivery shipments.
1% For the Planet
We have committed to joining 1% For The Planet in 2023. The intent is to help fund diverse environmental organizations so that collectively we can be a more powerful source in solving climate change. Pokoloko will donate 1% of revenue alongside a collective of like-minded businesses and corporations that care for our planet.
Learn more about 1% For the Planet here.
Artisan Partners
We continue to work with and support a growing base of artisan partners in 6 countries worldwide. We want to share the relationships and stories we’ve collected on our travels with you. We believe knowing your makers and their stories aligns with respecting the earth we all share.
Because it’s in these stories that we find the human connections the big box destroys; where we find meaning that enhances the aesthetic beauty of an item.
God bless the wonderful missions work that you are involved in!
I am impressed and very happy to read this report.
Congratulations on doing more than just paying lip-service to “corporate responsibility”.
Your efforts to support communities and minimize your carbon footprint make your customers so pleased to shop with you. Keep up the very fine work. All the best, Marty Plaine
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