RESPONSIBILITY
Our mission
Humdakin inspires to cleaning with a wide range of responsible and gentle household products with an emphasis on beautiful Nordic design. With products free of harsh chemicals, concentrated products and organic cotton, we aim to reduce resources and waste, as well as ensure proper working environments for local workers in the factories.
Responsibility as a key ingredient
Humdakin is built on a desire for a more sustainable everyday life. We need to feel comfortable in our everyday routines and have the opportunity to create homes that do not compromise our values. This was Camilla Schram's motivation when she started developing responsible cleaning products in 2011, with a carefully tested ingredient list that takes the environment into account without compromising efficiency.
As we have expanded our range, responsibility criteria have been thought into production, material selection, packaging and transport. We bring the idea of responsibility to the design process from the outset, with our designers selecting responsible materials with a long life. Quality and timelessness are at the heart of our designs, allowing us to offer aesthetic practice that won't go out of fashion.
Additionally, we only produce products with an ingredient list and life cycle that we can vouch for and are comfortable using. There are many demands on business, and while we can't check off the whole list yet, we hold ourselves accountable every day and we're already well on our way to a cleaner future.
Read more about how Humdakin takes social and environmental responsibility below.
Packaging
An eco-friendly ingredient list quickly loses meaning if responsibility is not part of the packaging solutions. That's why all our clear plastic packaging is made from 100% recyclable PET plastic, which can be reused for new products including clothing production, fibre filling and new packaging.
Our liquid products are concentrates that are not diluted with water. This makes them economical to use and reduces the amount of waste from packaging disposal.
We have a strong desire for all our cardboard and paper packaging to be FSC certified. We are still in the implementation phase and are pleased that several of our products have moved to being wrapped in beautiful FSC-certified paper. We will not be ready until 100% of our cardboard and paper packaging is FSC certified.
Materials and refills
All our wooden products are made from FSC-certified wood or specifically selected natural materials such as mango wood, bamboo and coconut fibres, which all are variants that grows quickly. Our accessories are carved from natural, long-lasting marble. As a lot of our products are FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), we try to find solutions that reduce waste. That's why we have 750ml refill bags for our hand soaps and refills for the fragrance sticks.
Our scented candles are made from 100% Scandinavian rapeseed wax without palm oil or beeswax content. This results in less soot emissions, more responsible production and a 100% biodegradable and non-toxic wax blend.
We have strict requirements for our textiles, which are all produced from organic cotton. This allows us to ensure that the entire production process meets high social and environmental criteria. It also ensures a high quality of cotton that means the textiles can be used again and again over many years.
Ingredients
Our cleaning and care products are known for their delicious, mild scents of Scandinavian nature. The fragrances we use are allergy-friendly, meaning they are free from the 26 fragrance ingredients that are required by EU law to be disclosed as they can be allergenic. Our products contain natural extracts from Scandinavian ingredients such as sea buckthorn and chamomile.
There are many demands from consumers for the products they use. And we celebrate the fact that consumers are critical of the products they use.
So even though there are no certifications on our products, we believe that the right combination of natural and mild ingredients together with mild chemistry ensures mild and effective cleaning products. The secret lies in the formula and not the individual ingredients. Our natural ingredients from the Nordic nature all contain properties that heal and protect the skin. Our products contain no substances banned in the EU and we do not use parabens, dyes, essential oils, endocrine disruptors or carcinogens. This is how we take better care of the aquatic environment and people.
In addition, we do not use harsh preservatives, SLS, MI and M1, which, although approved (even in certified products), can be harsh on sensitive skin. All our liquid products are dermatologically tested.
Social responsibility
We have a corporate philosophy that puts people first. That's why we only use organic cotton, so we can vouch for the ethical and environmental conditions and that our textiles are not produced with chemicals that are hazardous to our health. It also means we can be sure that none of our suppliers use child labour.
The conditions of our suppliers are always our first priority when choosing new partners. It is therefore important for us that they actively work with the UN SDGs and Global Compact or have a strategy for how they will achieve the goals in the coming years.
Grounded in our love for children, we support Danish NGO Børns Vilkår. Every time we sell one of our three products for children, DKK 5 goes to Børns Vilkår and BørneTelefonen, who work every day for better opportunities for the future of Danish children.
The foundation of our collaboration with Børns Vilkår is to help ensure that more vulnerable children and young people can get help through Børns Vilkår's work. Together with Børns Vilkår, we want to give children a life without violence, abuse and fear.
In addition, we occasionally support local organizations as well as Kræftensbekæmpelse and Danske Hospitalsklovne.
All our products, except our horsehair dishwashing brush, are vegan, so we can take good care of our ecosystem and animal rights. The horsehair, however, comes from happy and well cared for horses that have not suffered distress. In addition, our products are of course not tested on animals.
Production
We work closely with carefully selected suppliers in Europe and Asia. Through many years of cooperation, we have great insight into the conditions at the factories, so we can be sure that they meet our ethical and environmental requirements.
Inevitably, our textile production results in residues. To avoid waste, we recycle the leftovers we can into mule bags.
Warehouse
Responsibility doesn't stop at the products. In our warehouse, we use FSC-certified boxes and paper filling instead of plastic. We use the space in the boxes as much as possible to avoid unnecessary use of packaging and we also recycle packaging as much as we can. For example, by using boxes from products for smaller orders. All print material we send with orders is printed to high environmental standards.
Transport
External forwarders take care of the transport of our goods. With a few exceptions, all transport is by truck or by sea. We try to avoid transport by air as much as possible to keep our CO2 emissions and environmental impact low.
