Sustainability Profile: Babes In Arms

1. What is your company's brand promise, vision or statement of values, and how does it relate to sustainability?

At Babes In Arms, our mission is to provide products and services to new and expecting parents that support bonding and attachment via breastfeeding and babywearing, as well as organic and/or sustainable options for products such as toys, diapers and skincare.

Everything that we support in our business furthers the cause of raising healthy children, which contributes immeasurably to the health of our earth; specifically: organics, products that support breastfeeding (an environmental choice among other things), products that encourage living simply (eg. slings over strollers), products made from recycled or recyclable materials, cloth diapers (better for baby and the earth) and social aspects, most importantly, support for new parents.
2. How are your products or services environmentally and socially sustainable?

We make sure that any product we carry is sustainable in at least one way. Some encourage simple living, such as slings. Some are made of organic, recycled, or responsibly manufactured (unbleached, eco-grown cotton, etc.) materials, some are reusable, some are locally made, some are fair trade, and many boast a combination thereof. We are always looking for more sustainable products, especially products that are locally made or have travelled less of a distance.
3. How does your company give preference to suppliers who create positive social and environmental benefits either through their products and services or through their community partnerships?

We choose manufacturers who make their products by hand, work closely with their factories and oversee them carefully, or use fair trade labour wherever possible. Suppliers who do not employ these practices are those who will be immediately replaced as soon as a suitable replacement exists. The vast majority of our suppliers' visions and missions clearly state their goals for sustainability. We will not carry products that we do not personally feel good about.
4. How does your business minimize the environmental impact of its operations?

We recycle anything possible - paper and cardboard is dropped off at the recycling depot weekly, while plastics and metals are brought home to Lindsay's house to go out in her blue box. Lindsay reuses re-sealable plastic bags from shipments in her own home, as well as other types of packaging. We also take home anything compostable to place in Lindsay's compost.

We print inter-office documents only when necessary and when possible we print on scrap paper, or double-sided. We always ask customers if they need a plastic bag and the majority decline. We will be going plastic bag-free in spring 2009.

We use ambient light in the shop when possible, and lights are turned off when we leave a room. We wash all the day's dishes at one time to reduce water use. As of spring 2009 we will be purchasing our office supplies from www.FrogFile.com.

Lindsay's family only has one car - when it is not available, she takes the bus. Jaime telecommutes.
5. How does your business demonstrate ethical business conduct?

So far we are too small for third party accounting procedures and a formal Board of Directors, but we operate our business with integrity. We are happy to address any specific questions, inquiries or complaints individually.
6. What strategic community partnerships does your company have in place?

We are proud members of REAP Business Association.
7. What policy or guidelines exist to support charitable contributions?

We have previously supported the Lakeview Community Association, the Louise Dean School (through a sling drive), the Calgary Attachment Parenting Group and Babywearing Calgary. We also participated as a team in the Forzani Mother's Day Run and Walk in support of the Alberta Children's Hospital NICU in May 2008 and plan to make this an annual tradition. We hope to continue our sponsorship and support of the Calgary Attachment Group and Babywearing Calgary, expand our involvement with Louise Dean, and begin to work with the CHR to increase the instance of kangaroo care in Calgary hospitals.
8. How many people do you employ locally?

4, including the two owners.
9. In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee health and safety?

We do not use toxic cleaners in the store.
10. In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee development and job satisfaction?

We make sure that all workers are able to balance home and work, and we work with employees to be sure that their home life is not compromised by their work schedule. We offer a generous discount on products, allowing employees to use the eco-friendly products we sell.
11. How does your business support employees to lead balanced lives and be active participants in their communities?

In our new space, we will have a dedicated area for children of employees in the event that they need to come to work once in a while with their parent. We have found that this can be very stressful for both parent and child, so it is not something we encourage on a regular basis, but we understand that sometimes it is necessary and when it is, we want to make it as non-stressful as possible for everyone involved.

As previously mentioned, we take part annually in the Forzani's Mother's Day Run and Walk as a team. Employees are encouraged but not required to take part, and we try to make this a fun day for everyone.