B Corporation announced Easydry as the first brand globally in its category to receive B-Corp certification. Easydry, the entrepreneurial disposable eco-towel company, also achieved a top rank certification score within their native market, Ireland. Scoring 98.7 (significantly higher than the average 50.9 scored by applicants and the 80-qualification score), Easydry now has the second highest B Corp score in Ireland and is the only company in the world within their category.
Easydry eco-towels are available globally, including in the UK – serving leading brands in the professional hair salon business and the beauty industry – as well as supporting hotels and hospitality in their drive to improve their carbon footprint. Now their towels are also available for personal, and even pet use. As more industries and individuals are turning to these super-absorbent natural wood fibre towels which are entirely biodegradable and 100% compostable in 12 weeks, a movement – that is set to change how we dry forever – gains momentum.
LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT THAN TRADITIONAL TOWELS
The carbon footprint of materials that go into creating and maintaining traditional towels far outweighs that of Easydry’s 100% biodegradable and compostable towels. Easydry towels are two to three times more absorbent than cotton towels and can absorb up to 10 times their weight in moisture. Easydry commissioned an independent ‘Life Cycle Analysis’ to compare their eco-friendly, disposable towels with cotton ones. The report includes a comparison of water and toxic chemicals usage, carbon emissions and the use of land that would otherwise be suitable for crop cultivation.
Key ‘Life Cycle Analysis’ findings include:
● Easydry fibre production uses 10 to 20 times less water than cotton production
● Easydry uses approximately 42 gallons of water to produce 1lb of fibre compared to between 1,850 and 7,660 gallons of water required per 1lb of cotton fibre for traditional towels
● No scientific evidence exists to support the belief that cotton is ecologically superior to industrially produced cellulose fibres
● Cotton has one of the greatest environmental impacts of all agricultural commodities during its processing (WWF)
● Modern man-made cellulose fibres have a clear potential in reducing the environmental impacts over cotton and petrochemical synthetic fibres (University of Utrecht)
THE B CORPORATION CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR EASYDRY
The B Corporation Certification assessment required testing Easydry on their social and environmental performance and the company’s ability to show full transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving – to supply chain practices and input materials. B Corporation companies have proven to show the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
Easydry’s B Corporation report summary concludes: “Easydry have now established themselves as the pioneers of disposable towels and reference-point for sustainable products within the hairdressing, barber, and beauty industry. Having achieved FSC Chain of Custody certification for the entire supply chain and the trio of OK Compost Industrial, OK Compost Home and Seedling certificates, Easydry continues to push the barriers of sustainability worldwide.”
PUTTING PURPOSE BEFORE PROFIT
From the outset, Easydry was a company designed around its mission to be sustainable. The brainchild of founder and CEO Anne Butterly, Easydry’s journey to achieve the ultimate green certification started almost 20 years ago. Anne Butterly’s vision was to turn the eco-credentials of ‘disposable’ on its head – showing how a sustainably manufactured non-washable towel could outperform traditional towels.
Anne Butterly, Founder and CEO, Easydry said: “We are the first and only disposable towel company in the world to have achieved this prestigious B Corporation Certification. This is a fantastic validation of everything that we have been striving for over the last two decades. B Corp is a rigorous process and I am so proud that we not only performed so well in the Environment score with 40.8 but also in the Workplace score gaining 21.8. Easydry is all about the planet – but also all about our people, without whom we wouldn’t have been able to achieve B Corp status.”