Stepping Up Our Sustainability

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step... and this year we stepped up our sustainability measures, taking strides in the right direction to reduce our carbon footprint (all while smelling wonderful!).  

OUR CLIMATE

In a year when so much has happened that's beyond our control, the climate crisis is something we can actively do something about. With environmental concerns of increasing urgency - the COP26 Climate Summit in progress as I write - we all need to play our part. My hope is that the fragrance and beauty world will step up and work together to protect our planet.

This year, STORIES Parfums took more steps in the right direction, relaunching our perfume packaging with sustainability at its very core - and were honoured to have this acknowledged through a Highly Commended award in the Marie Claire UK Sustainability Awards.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability has and always will be at the heart of everything we do - and we have redesigned our packaging to be even more recyclable. 

We are always looking for new ways to reduce waste and increase our sustainability measures alongside:

• New perfume caps made from 100% infinitely reusable materials
• New rock paper labels
• Reduced plastic coating on our repurposable boxes
• 10% discount on your next purchase if you return fragrance bottle, cap & neck
• All of our perfume bottles are refillable: we actively encourage refilling
• Zero cellowrap on our labels, bottles or boxes
• Online purchases packaged in cardboard and paper

RECYCLE, REDUCE & REUSE

We want to see the place we call home not simply survive, but thrive.

One of the changes we made this year was the launch of our luxurious heavy embossed perfume caps made from Zamak - an environmentally friendly zinc alloy made up of aluminium, magnesium and copper - which is both sustainable and 100% recyclable.

We want to make our packaging even more responsible and continue our commitment to recycle, reduce and reuse... we now offer a 10% discount on your next purchase if you return your fragrance bottle along with its cap and neck.

Our bottle labels were also made with sustainability in mind, using matte white calcium carbonate derived from marble mining waste, with 20% recycled HDPE, so the material is recycled in the conventional stream. Unlike wood paper labels, these don't have a grain but a luxuriously smooth, tactile finish.

Our perfume boxes are made from FSC certified paper and designed to be repurposed. The boxes are strong and rigid to protect your perfume in transit and can be repurposed for storing trinkets, memories, or in my case, makeup! We do not use cellowrap on any of our packaging.

REDUCING WASTE

To further reduce waste, we actively encourage you to discover our fragrances in a very personal way before purchasing, through...

• Eau de Parfum samples
• On-counter product testers in our retail outlets (both Eau de Parfums and Hand & Body products)
• Fragrance discovery sessions (online or in person where possible)
• Fragrance Master Classes
• Seasonal Fragrance consultations with our Founder and Creative Director
• Live chat with our team via the website
• An open door policy with our customers, who are always welcome to approach us through social media or email.

We recently offered exclusive discounts on our original packaging with an unprecedented Sustainability Sale, only accessible to those on our VIP email list. (Keep your eyes peeled for another offer coming soon!)

These are all just some of the steps we are making towards being as environmentally responsible as possible - and we will continue to find innovative ways to help protect our planet.

I would love to hear your thoughts on whether it's important to you that a luxury perfume brand supports sustainability because it is definitely important to me. I want to leave a legacy for the next generation, for my children growing up and for the world around us - in the hope that it will not simply survive, but thrive.