You may already know that ecology is a real matter of the heart at Urtekram. However, did you know that we also work actively for a better and more sustainable world? This applies to the entire chain, from the individual grower to how we package and transport our goods.
The Urtekram journey started in 1972, selling organic spices and care products out of a small basement shop located in the heart of Copenhagen. The interest in the brand grew fast and so did the production and assortment. In 1989 Urtekram moved its headquarters to Mariager in Jutland, Denmark.
The production is located in a scenic environment with closeness to nature. In our small facilities we produce our natural and certified beauty products for all needs.
Today, our products are sold in both stores and online, throughout Europe and large parts of the rest of the world.
Less production waste
We always work to minimize our waste in production. We produce as resource-efficiently as possible, recycle most of our waste, and the waste that is inevitable we send to the local biogas plant to become renewable energy.
In some cases when labels end up wrong and the products cannot be sold, we donate the goods to aid organizations in Denmark.
Solar cells and biogas
We take several actions to reduce our energy consumption. Our production in Denmark uses 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating and cooling. We also take the opportunity to produce some of our own electricity with the help of solar panels on our roofs.
Our work to reduce energy consumption includes:
Our products
All ingredients in Urtekram Nordic Beauty products are carefully selected and from 99-100 % natural origin and the products are self -preserving. The formulas are 100% biodegradable, vegan and certified by Ecocert Cosmos Organic according to COSMOS standard.
Since all Urtekram Beauty Care products are certified by Ecocert Cosmos Organic they contain no parabens, silicons or synthetic preservatives. Instead of silicones we use broccoli seed oil, and our products are self-preserving.
We do not use artificial perfumes in our products, only herbal decoctions, and natural oils.
The formulas are 100% biodegradable which means that the nature itself can decompose the ingredients without harming the microorganisms in the process.
In our products we only use Vegan ingredients. This means that no animal material has been used in any part of the process of making the raw materials. The hyaluronic acid used in our products are naturally fermented hyaluronic acid, instead of the conventional that is produced from rooster combs.
From sugarcane to recyclable plastic
As part of our brand identity, we constantly consider and measure our products’ impact on the environment and in this process, the packaging of our products play an important role. So far, we have used plant-based material from sugarcane instead of traditional plastic packaging.
To further reduce the environmental footprint of our packaging and with the aim not to produce any new plastic material, we are happy to share that we have decided to shift from the current plant-based material to rPET bottles which are recyclable bottles made of recycled plastic material.
Recycling
Read more on the products on how to recycle the different packaging. In general, all bottles should be recycled as plastic. The packages with pumps should be separated and the pumps should be sorted as general waste. Tubes shall also be sorted as general waste.
FSC-certified paper
The FSC-certification ensures responsible forestry where no more trees are felled than the forest can produce. FSC is also a guarantee that animals and plant life are protected and that those who work in the forest have education, proper safety equipment and a reasonable salary.
All packaging paper in Urtekram production is FSC-certified, which ensures that we use paper from sustainable forests and that the forest cycle stays intact.
This includes everything from the boxes that we ship to wholesalers to the folders that you pick up in your store.
Our suppliers
We choose all our suppliers with care and always look at whether they can live up to our high standards. We do a thorough review where our suppliers must give us information about everything that is going on in their business and in the field of sustainability.
To be accepted as a supplier for Urtekram, you must sign our Code of Conduct. This is based on the UN's guiding principles and contains rules on everything from human rights to anticorruption, labor law and environmental impact.
Carbon footprint
Our work towards optimizing our production, our processes, and our way of working is never-ending. Urtekram as a part of the Midsona Group, have set targets for reducing the carbon footprints. Midsona has joined the Science Based Target initiative, a collaboration between WWF, CDP, the UN Global Compact and the World Resources Institute. Midsona has thus committed itself to setting a scientifically based target in 2021 to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in order to be in line with the UN's 1.5 degree target in the Paris Agreement.
