Paco believes in a more sustainable world, even for those who shop online. For this reason, we have been committed for years to promoting social initiatives with cat shelters and dog shelters throughout Italy, helping people make ethical and sustainable choices. Here are some of them:
Aworld and Paco
Paco and AWorld
Download the AWorld App from here and join Paco’s team by clicking on Community at the bottom and then on Teams at the top. Together, we will achieve the team's goals and make a real impact on the planet.
AWorld is the app that guides people to live sustainably, selected by the United Nations as the official app supporting the ActNow campaign against climate change. It’s very simple:
- Download AWorld and join the Paco Happy Pets TEAM
- Start collecting good habits right away to improve your impact
- Let’s save hundreds of kg of CO2 together!
Paco for Climate Protect
Paco supports the "Climate Protect" program by GLS. This is an ambitious initiative aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. This goal will be pursued through the use of renewable energy sources, the introduction of low-impact vehicles, and the construction of sustainable infrastructure.
Additionally, the program includes CO2 emission offset projects, such as reforestation and the installation of clean energy systems. Customers who join the program contribute financially to "Climate Protect", which funds both carbon offsetting and initiatives to reduce future emissions.
To learn more, visit the dedicated page on the GLS website.
Aworld and Paco
Paco's Forest
Thanks to the partnership with Tree-Nation, Paco is a CO2 Neutral website: the emissions generated by web traffic on Paco are tracked, quantified, and offset through the planting of new trees.
Every year, a website releases several kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When a website is used, data is transferred and processed on remote servers. The electricity consumed by these servers and our computers accounts for 2% of global air pollution, as much as the aviation industry!
For this reason, Tree-Nation has developed what they call the "CO2 Neutral Label," a simple tool that allows us to make any website CO2 neutral. Come and discover Paco’s Forest
What Paco Does for the Environment
Paco has decided to reflect on what can be done, as an online store, to support the environment. In addition to launching a weekly training program called Sustainability Pet Week (see the articles HERE) and conducting sustainability surveys (on Paco's Instagram page), Paco has discovered that even packaging can be made even more eco-friendly.
1. Paco’s Packaging
Packaging serves the primary purpose of protecting the products purchased with your order to ensure they arrive undamaged.
We have selected the best packaging materials based on their strength, composition, and recyclability.
The materials we use for packaging your order are as follows:
- Corrugated cardboard boxes containing at least 70% recycled paper. They are 100% recyclable as paper.
- Kraft paper adhesive tapes made from renewable resources (brown kraft paper). They are 100% recyclable as paper.
- Film composed of 80% recycled material, of which 30% comes from post-consumer waste and 50% from industrial waste. They are 100% recyclable as plastic.
To further limit the exploitation of raw materials, we reuse, whenever possible, the same packaging in which we receive goods from our suppliers.
All our packaging materials align with the principles of the circular economy. Plastic waste is recycled, reused, and transformed into new products.
2. Product Selection
At Paco, we strive to select more and more foods, accessories, toys, and brands that actively engage in environmental protection and seek sustainable methods. Food is packaged in recyclable bags and printed without polluting inks, like Edgard & Cooper.
Among the main sources of air pollution (according to research by IRES and the European Parliament, read HERE) are chemicals, especially FIPRONIL. Fipronil is widely used as a pet antiparasitic despite being banned as an agricultural pesticide. Paco has always recommended the use of natural products to protect dogs and cats from fleas, ticks, lice, and mosquitoes, such as Neem Oil.
Made in Italy is also important, not only for the quality control of raw materials but also to reduce transport emissions caused by importing goods from abroad.
3. Initiatives
Paco is committed to supporting various initiatives: from raising awareness among pet owners to documenting new sustainable, fair, and low-impact maintenance systems.
PACO'S FOREST: Thanks to a partnership with Tree-Nation, Paco is a CO2 Neutral website: emissions generated by web traffic on Paco are tracked, quantified, and offset through tree planting. Click here to learn more and visit Paco’s Forest.
SUSTAINABILITY PET WEEK: Sustainability Pet Week is a week dedicated to sustainability, recycling, and eco-friendly living. Even small gestures, such as using biodegradable waste bags or following recycling tips, can make a difference. We have great faith in people, and we know that together we can achieve great things!
SUPPORT FOR ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES: Initiatives aimed at reducing pet abandonment, such as Almo Nature’s “A Companion Animal Is For Life,” or proper waste disposal programs like Terracycle, perfectly align with our sustainability philosophy.
FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE: Fridays for Future is an initiative involving thousands of people every Friday to raise awareness among governments and businesses about the environmental situation of our planet. Paco supports all FFF activists and will highlight this movement every Friday on its homepage, sharing tips and short videos on how to be more sustainable even when shopping online!
4. Paco’s Tips for Sustainable Shopping
Even an online order has an environmental impact due to CO2 emissions from transport. Here are some tips on how to make your online purchases more sustainable:
- Order once a month to reduce pollution
- Order together with your neighbors to reduce CO2 emissions from transport
- Always recycle packaging
- Choose stores that are committed to sustainability and use recycled packaging for their shipments
- Avoid returns: before buying a product online that requires precise measurements (beds, harnesses, coats), make sure you have done everything possible to reduce the chance of error! A return is like a double shipment, doubling the pollution!