Specialists in natural beauty, Organic Trevarno handmake sustainable skincare and soaps in the south of Cornwall. It is such a privilege working with fellow Cornish brands, so we were delighted when they decided to switch to Flexi-Hex Air for sending out their products.

As a certified organic skincare brand, how do you source your ingredients?

We are delighted to be the first and longest established skincare manufacturer to be certified by Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G). With half the climate costs of conventional agriculture, organic farming is a key component in the fight against climate change. It involves less pollution, soil erosion and energy, and it does not rely on chemical fertilisers. We’re always seeking out the best and most sustainable ingredients and our Organic Certification from OF&G involves third party checks, annual inspections, detailed production records and traceable paperwork that guarantees the ingredients we use are natural, non-GM, sustainably grown without pesticides and extracted without the use of chemical solvents.

What does ‘better’ business mean for you at Trevarno Skincare?

At Organic Trevarno we believe in responsible business and in making positive changes for each other and our planet. To us ‘better’ business means putting social responsibility, respect to animals and environmental impact first.

We are proud to say that even though our business has grown year on year we still make all of our soaps and skincare products by hand using very little in the way of mechanical methods. Our soaps are produced using a centuries old traditional technique known as the “cold process” method, a process in which plant oils and butters are carefully balanced to achieve the perfect bar of soap, without the use of synthetic detergents. Like its name suggests, cold-process soap making does not use heat for the saponification process, thereby significantly reducing its environmental impact as well as creating a longer-lasting bar!

Why did you choose Flexi-Hex® packaging over other plastic-free alternatives?

We believe it’s important to develop strong relationships with local businesses particularly ones that are aligned with our ethos. We admire the Flexi-Hex vision for a plastic-free, sustainable packaging industry and were immediately impressed with the aesthetic and innovative design structure. Our customers love that they can reuse the sleeves and we’ve saved plenty of packaging time as they easily fit each and every one of our product sizes.

Are there any sustainable brands you look to for inspiration?

Cornwall is full of inspirational businesses and projects, many leading the way in innovative sustainability. We love The Refill Hut, a family run zero-waste store in St Austell, and Helen Round, a textile designer producing eco and sustainable linen homeware who we have had the privilege of working with. Both are local brands with a passion for minimising waste, using ethically sourced materials and supporting their communities.

We are also inspired by Cornwall Wildlife Trust (who are doing amazing work with the Nature Recovery Network) and love supporting our local Climate Action Group. Recently we have collaborated with UK charity Toilet Twinning who fund sustainable solutions for community-led total sanitation in some of the world’s poorest countries, saving and transforming lives around the globe.

As a team, how do you manage to achieve a good work life balance?

• Offer flexibility and remote working
• Regularly review workloads
• Small team so great communication
• Support for parents
• Allow people’s passions into the workplace – we're all enthusiastic about the fight against climate change
• Cultivate friendships within the team – we organise plenty of after-work drinks at the Mussel Shoal!

Any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

As a Cornish company we are all too aware of the extent of the plastic pollution crisis and its long-lasting effects on our beaches, oceans and marine life. We are committed to continue reducing our use of plastics in the range. We use glass bottles for our skincare products as well as aluminium tins and recyclable card boxes for our soaps. As part of an upcoming re-design in our packaging this year we plan to remove almost all recyclable plastic pumps, except where it is essential to the use of the product. We have even sourced a fully recyclable card tube for balms!