Internet Fusion’s customers want to experience natural areas free from plastic pollution and enjoy functional weather systems that are not disrupted by climate change, all whilst wearing the best gear for their adventures manufactured in a process that is not detrimental to the very environment they enjoy using it in. The team at Internet Fusion want to work for a company that they’re proud of and therefore sustainability, rightly so, is at the very core of the company.
Internally
Surfdome’s widely regarded plastic reduction strategy has been in operation since 2015 and has gained high positive acclaim across various media channels and sustainability led groups. In 2017, Internet Fusions packaging was 91% plastic free by weight, which is set to improve in 2018 as all businesses within the Internet Fusion Group revert to the same packaging type and eliminate further plastic packaging.
Suppliers
Internet Fusion is working closely with the 750+ brands that are used across the Group to tackle the plastic they send. IFG’s ‘Delivery Policy’ provides stipulations that reduce non-recyclable and non-biodegradable packaging. The policy acts as a best practice guide for packaging, using a traffic light system for each packaging element by outlining what won’t be accepted (Red), the minimum accepted standard (Amber), and preferred (Green).
The purpose of the delivery policy is to limit and ultimately eliminate non-recyclable and non-biodegradable packaging from the company’s processes. This is a unique approach and there’s hope that this will encourage sweeping changes.
Customers and Audience
Internet Fusion Group, has been supporting the 2 Minute Organisation from the very start of their journey. Their mission is to change attitudes towards plastic pollution with simple solutions that just take two minutes at a time. Their message is communicated effectively to their customers by empowering them with the tools they need to tackle plastic pollution head-on with a #2MinuteBeachClean, a #2MinuteLitterPick, a #2MinuteStreetClean and with simple #2MinuteSolutions.
In 2017, Internet Fusions packaging was 91% plastic free by weight
Internally
A new warehouse that the company moved into at the start of 2018 sits just outside the top 1% most sustainable buildings in the UK (using the BREEAM standard). It already boasts a wide range of environmental accolades, a list which the group is building on, mostly addressing C02 emissions.
Internet Fusion has committed to 100% ‘natural’ renewable energy, only generated by the sun, wind and hydro, in all but one of the buildings that they operate from (the final building is a shared building) by October 2018.
Suppliers
The company’s ‘Delivery Policy’ sets out that the suppliers building that they directly deal with must be run on 100% renewable energy when the current electricity contract runs out. The company also set out guidelines for using renewable energy and have suggested that all buildings that they operate should follow suit and aim to operate using renewable energy only with onsite generation too.
Customers and Audience
Surfdome, as part of the Internet Fusion Group, are proud to support ‘Protect Our Winter UK’ (POW), a positive climate change advocacy charity, that encourages the outdoor sports community and industry to take action against the damaging effects our C02 emissions are having on our weather patterns and essentially our way of life. Surfdome communicates POW’s message and action plan to their audience by empowering them to push for change and to protect what they love through highly practical and tangible actions throughout their own sphere of influence.
Internally
The company’s Buying Team fully understand that their customers desire more sustainable products and are actively searching for this offering from brands. Internet Fusion is setting targets for the number of sustainable products in their overall offering with the view to help influence manufacturing, materials, processes and social responsibility in a positive direction.
Internet Fusion actively sources and supports sustainable product innovation having previously helped startups and businesses in the early stages who create products that the Group feel are important – often these products break the mould and accelerate the sustainability agenda.
Internet Fusion’s websites curate a unique range of products that they manufacture and retail for organisations that they support such as their ‘2 Minute Organisation’ and ‘Protect Our Winters UK’ line, along with their own brands. All of these lines are set at a stringent sustainability standard, considering materials, the factory where they are produced and of course the packaging.
Suppliers
The Group are working closely with their highly-valued brands communicating the research that they carried out to capture their customers’ views on sustainability whilst also providing any feedback and insight into any marketing campaigns which are strongly focused on sustainability. Sharing this message to brands helps to highlight the importance, from their customers’ perspective, the need to produce and provide sustainable products in their next season’s range. Opening up clear lines of communication between the Group’s customers and the brands essentially drives the sustainability agenda forward.
Customers and Audience
Internet Fusion understands their customers’ desire to have the best and most sustainable kit, with the understanding that they also don’t always want to pay a premium to go green (and certainly don’t want to spend a lifetime deliberating on how to make the most sustainable choices). To make things easier, the Group have created sustainably focused gear listings across their websites to enable their customers to browse for more conscientious products with ease. The listings will help guide customers towards more sustainable options which in turn will push forward the sustainability product agenda.
In providing their customers with unique sustainable innovations that they support, Internet Fusion hope this will encourage their customers to understand what is achievable and begin to ask the questions of other businesses that they deal with in their daily lives, and potentially go out to actively source businesses that provide products or services that serve the sustainability of the planet.
Roadmap
2015
In 2015 we eliminated 14 tonnes of plastic from our own packaging, the equivalent of 650,000 plastic bottles.
2015-2018
We have continued reducing plastic across the business ever since and in 2018 we began gaining rebates for our waste, making our sustainability efforts Net positive.
2018
In 2018 we moved into our new warehouse which is rated BREEAM Excellent for its sustainability credentials, which we have built on.
2018
In mid 2018 the group invested in two CVP-500 automated packaging machines, reducing the packaging material needed and reducing CO2 by minimising packaging sizes.
2018
2018 we released our new ‘Delivery Policy’ to our brand suppliers, which outlines limits on packaging designed to eliminate plastic waste and pollution from our operations.
2018
In autumn 2018 all businesses in the Internet Fusion Group used a common reduced plastic packaging type, in 2017 the groups packaging was 91% plastic free (by weight) 2018 annual figures will be released at the end of the year.
In 2015 we eliminated 14 tonnes of plastic from our own packaging, the equivalent of 650,000 plastic bottles.
of our buildings running on 100% renewable energy
of our buildings running on 100% biogas
of electricity in our warehouse generated onsite with renewable solar pv
plastic free packaging across group
Internet Fusion has committed to 100% ‘natural’ renewable energy, only generated by the sun, wind and hydro