The full picture, with the bad bits left in.

We’re proud of these numbers and we’re honest about the gap to where we want to be. The 6% of packaging still containing plastic is the seal liner on our soap-bar wraps — replacement is on our 2027 roadmap, pending a supplier trial.

• Measure first. Anything we can't measure, we don't claim.
• Honesty over greenwash. If a step makes the product less sustainable, we say so.
• Local before global. We choose Australian suppliers when the carbon trade-off favours it.
• Permanence over fashion. Better packaging stays in a product's life cycle for years, not seasons.

Our botanicals come from a small group of growers we’ve worked with since 2020. We sign multi-year contracts and pay a 12% premium over market rate, in exchange for traceability and harvest priority.

• Calendula & rosemary: Daylesford, VIC — organically grown, hand-harvested.
• Eucalyptus oil: Tasmanian Highlands cooperative, steam-distilled on-site.
• Cocoa butter: Fairtrade-certified, sourced from a Cote d'Ivoire cooperative through our Sydney importer.
• Glycerin: vegetable-derived, Australian-refined, GMO-free verified.

• Glass primary containers: 100% recyclable, average 38% post-consumer recycled content.
• Aluminium pump components: 100% recyclable, 50% PCR.
• Outer cartons: FSC-certified, plant-based inks, no laminates.
• Shipping mailers: home-compostable plant starch (TUV OK Compost HOME certified).
• Void fill: shredded paper recovered from local Brunswick offices.
• The 6% gap: thin plastic seal liner on soap-bar wraps. Active alternative trial scheduled Q3 2026.

We measured our 2025 emissions with the help of Climate Active and third-party verifier Pangolin Associates. Total emissions: 17.3 tCO₂e across Scope 1, 2, and 3 (excluding consumer use & end-of-life).

Breakdown by source:

• Inbound freight & raw materials: 41%
• Packaging production: 24%
• Outbound shipping (Aus Post & DHL): 18%
• Workshop operations & utilities: 11%
• Office, travel, professional services: 6%

The Brunswick workshop produced 142kg of operational waste in 2025, of which 91% was diverted from landfill via recycling, composting, and material reuse.

We launched our Empty Returns program in March 2026: send any 5 empty Melano containers back using our pre-paid label and receive a A$10 credit. Collected containers are washed, refilled where possible, or sent to our glass-recycling partner in Dandenong.

• All staff paid at or above the Manufacturing & Associated Industries Award, with a workshop minimum of A$32/hr.
• Four-day work week (32 hours, full pay) since January 2024.
• Annual independent salary review against industry benchmarks.
• All overseas suppliers screened against Modern Slavery Act 2018 requirements; full statement filed annually.

• 100% plastic-free packaging by Q4 2027 (currently 94%).
• 30% reduction in inbound freight emissions by 2028 — consolidate Tasmania route, shift cocoa butter to local refiner.
• Empty Returns program: 25% of bottles returned by 2028 (currently 8%).
• Publish supplier list with full ingredient origin map by Q1 2027.
• B Corp certification target: submission Q2 2027, achieved by 2028.

Emissions calculated using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard. Verified annually by Pangolin Associates, an independent Australian carbon-accounting firm. Methodology and underlying data are available on request to sustainability@melano.au.