Cottonsofts adds ECNZ and BBCA logos to packs
Operating in the highly competitive FMCG space, toilet tissue and paper towel manufacturer Cottonsoft is in celebration mode after receiving an award from Environmental Choice New Zealand (ECNZ). The ecolabel, which is government-owned, covers over 2,000 products and services, and Cottonsoft was judged the most innovative new environmental license holder for 2014.
Independent environmental scientists examined every new eco-label holder for innovation in environmental benefits, changes they made in order to meet the label’s stringent standards, the ingenuity of their label application and the thoroughness of their dealings with the ecolabel. “Cottonsoft scored well ahead of many other very worthy label holders,” says ECNZ General Manager Robin Taylor. “The company was especially impressive in its willingness to make changes that put it in the forefront of environmental practice.”
Meanwhile, Cottonsoft has redesigned its packaging to reflect both the ECNZ certification, earned in 2013 after a rigorous auditing process, and its support of Beat Bowel Cancer Aotearoa (BBCA), the national awareness and advocacy organization. The new packaging also emphasizes the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) Chain of Custody certification Cottonsoft has held for several years.
Cottonsoft Country Manager Kim Calvert says the ECNZ and PEFC labels are the highest accolades Cottonsoft can earn to demonstrate to customers that its products are made sustainably and responsibly from legal wood fibre.
“The process of earning the ECNZ ecolabel was a robust one, and we are proud to update our packaging to reflect this achievement. We’re also grateful for the support of our supplier APP through the process. The ecolabel is proof that we can, and do, produce high-quality goods at competitive prices using market-leading sustainability practices.”
The inclusion of the BBCA logo comes after Cottonsoft’s first-time sponsorship of the organization’s annual bowel cancer awareness campaign in 2013. With the help of a number of celebrity ambassadors, including Nigel Latta, Sam Neill and Valerie Adams, Cottonsoft produced a Christmas-themed video urging New Zealanders to ‘give a crap’ and stop letting shyness contribute to the national bowel cancer rate, which (along with Australia’s) is the highest in the OECD.
Cottonsoft will further support BBCA during June’s Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, including at the NZ National Agricultural Fieldays 2014 in Hamilton from 11 to 14 June. The company has donated 30,000 seat covers, toilet tissue packs and discount vouchers that attendees will be given in exchange for a gold coin donation to BBCA. This follows a similar fundraising round with donated goods at the St Clair Vineyard Half Marathon in May.
In another brand development, the CottonSofts brand was recently relaunched, and consumers have been introduced to ‘Ralphy’ on TV.