Tag: ethical Stories
ECOMAX Household
Natural, synthetic free cleaning for your home, making a safer environment for you, your family and our world. Handmade from vegetable fibres and sustainable timbers […]
ECOMAX Kitchen
The ECOMAX Kitchen range is your zero waste solution to throw away, plastic products in your kitchen. Our brushes are handmade with care, following Fair […]
6 Reasons to use a Rubber Wood Hair Brush
Did you know that Rubber Wood is not actually bouncy timber but comes from the tree that produces rubber? So rubber wood actually gives twice […]
ECOMAX Body Brushes
A brush for everybody, whether you are looking for a natural fibre brush for dry body brushing or one to use in the shower, we […]
Where’s MY ORDER? Why is overseas freight so damn slow?
You might have noticed that many of your favourite products have become harder to get. Some why is this happening now? Overseas freight is an interconnected spaghetti loop of containers, ships, planes, trucks and people. When one part of this loop is disrupted it has a knock on effect that sets up a chain reaction further disrupting the spaghetti bowl. We all knew that COVID was a disruptor but world freight has been one of its hidden casualties.
Herberry Bananas – a true story
Herberry Bananas, sounds like a new superfood? Well maybe that’s what they should be called. And then you have Raspfruits. A fun but true little story to put a smile on your face at we come to the end of 2020.
Meet the Makers Paper Pottery
Meet the Makers of our Waterproof Paper Pottery. By combining precision laser printing and handmade skills with sustainable practices and ethical applications they have created a very unique product.
Fair Trade a Job Keeper
Fair Trade meant that the producers of our Eco Max Brushes weren’t alone during the COVID19 crises. Just like the Job Keeper benefits provided by the Australian government, our Fair Trade principles provided wages and security to take some of the stress out of the pandemic.
Smiles at the ECOMAX Creche
The creche at our Eco Max Brushes producers factory is 6 months old now and visiting it is always a fabulous experience. See what changes have happened since we last visited as well as some DIY recipes for children’s play activities we tested while we were there.
Journals
Handmade by Maximus from recycled office waste and elephant dung paper these journals are ethical and beautiful to write on.
Cards
All these cards are handmade by Maximus from recycled office waste and elephant dung paper. They have a blank white sheet in the middle, matching […]
Paper & Envelopes
Eco-friendly Elephant Dung Paper in A4 sheets for weddings, invitations or art and craft. Matching envelopes in C6, DL and square all handmade from recycled […]
Eco Max Christmas
Dreaming of a Green Christmas, our Eco Max Christmas decorations are eco-friendly, completely handmade from natural waste products, Palmyrah fibre from the leaf base of […]
Water bottles – A breeding ground for germs?
Do I need to clean my reusable water bottle? You would be surprised at what germs lurk at the bottom of your bottle. But fear not we have made a new Premium Eco Max Bottle Brush especially to fit narrow neck water bottle and in this story of ImportAnts we show you how you can live green without drinking green.
Maximus
Maximus in Sri Lanka saw both the need for employment in rural areas and for the conservation of the endangered Sri Lankan elephant and started […]
ECOMAX Brushes supports a Crèche
Fair Trade provides many benefits to producers. For the Sri Lankan women who make our Eco Max Brushes a primary concern is the care of their children while they are working. Funding a well-resourced creche for these women was a matter of ImportAnts and something we are very proud to announce.
Thimble
Indira Tibblin created Thimble as an ethical business based on Fair Trade principles that’s sole purpose is to create job opportunities and training in new […]
Eco Supplies
perfect imperfection
“We don’t need a handful of people doing Zero Waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly” We so agree. Look at what we have achieved so far and how we can a go one step further.
10 Tips for Displays
One hidden side of Retail is Visual Merchandising. Studies have shown that customers are quick at deciding if they will stay in your store and browse or leave. In fact this decision can take as little as 10 seconds. So creating displays that grab their attention is a real matter of ImportAnts.
Most Frequently Asked Questions? – Body
What Eco Max Brush is right for my skin type? How do I care for my brush? What are the benefits of Dry Body Brushing? These questions and more are answered in this easy Q & A for our Body Brushes.
Most Frequently Asked Questions? – Kitchen
Can I put my Eco Max Brush straight in the compost bin with the wire still in it? Is coconut fibre naturally anti-bacterial? Can my brush go in the dishwasher? These questions and so many more are answer here in our Q & A Kitchen.
Our Sinamay Story – a plastic alternative
Finding a plastic free alternative to package our hand-rolled Cook’s and Gardener’s soap was a difficult task. But then we discovered Sinamay and it ticked all our boxes.
A New Year’s Resolution for the Planet
Often our New Year’s Eve resolutions are a wish list for making improvements in our own life. But isn’t it time we made a New Year’s resolution for the planet!
“Vegan” – more than just food
When you think of the word “Vegan” most people automatically think of a type of diet that excludes animal products or anything derived from an animal. But Vegan means so much more than just food, it’s a lifestyle choice.
Flaky Fur Friends
Just like people, our fur friends can suffer from dandruff too. Regular grooming is recommended to combat dandruff in pets, but using the right brush is ImportAnt.
In Support of WOMEN
“When you want to invest and create GDP, there is no better or more effective investment –than investing in women.” This is why we employ women in the making of our Fair Trade products.
RECYCLED V SUSTAINABLE
Which is better for the planet, recycling plastics or replacing them with more sustainable natural solutions? We look at the positives and negatives of recycling plastics.
Let’s Face It
When you want to feel pampered and look your best it’s easy to be tempted by the latest plastic packaged moisturiser, face scrub, or exfoliant. But there are simpler solutions that are better for the planet.
Good Wood
Protecting our Forests is a matter of ImportAnts, because they are more than just a collection of trees… So what is Good Wood and why should you care?
So what’s a super-freegan?
No, it’s not a Superhero dumpster diver…but it could be. It’s a little less heroic but there are many reasons why it pays to become one.
Greed V Good
Trust in our institutions is at an all-time low. Thanks to the growth of social media, it is easier than ever to know when businesses ethical claims do not match our expectations. So what do we expect from businesses today?
See the Eco Max Kitchen Scrubber in ACTION!
Nylon scourers wear out quickly and release micro-plastics into our waterways, replace yours with a natural fibre, earth friendly, plastic free Pot Scourer. Want to see how easily the Eco Max Pot Scourer cuts through grease?
A – Z of Produce Use
Getting the most from your produce is good for the planet and your purse. Whether it’s storing them or eating them, these EcoMaxHacks will make sure you get the best value and longest life out of the produce you buy.
Fairlings interview with Kim Good, Founder of Import Ants
Elephant poop. It’s not the kind of thing one often pauses to ponder. Yet for Import Ants Founder, Kim Good, elephant dung – and, more specifically, paper ingeniously made from the stuff – was the unlikely source of a major career change.
11 reasons why coconut is the new black
Renewable, sustainable, carbon neutral and 100 % natural, coconut can replace so many products that are harmful to the environment, read on to discover what you can replace with coconut.
Turmeric – Nature’s Healing Herb
The healing properties of Turmeric go beyond simply adding it to your diet, to see how else this amazing spice can be used read on.
scrub-a-dub-scrub
Cleaning does not have to be complicated. Go back to basics with these chemical free cleaning recipes and our natural household brushes. Some great tips to start your Zero Waste journey.
Spring into Summer with Fab Feet!
Four simple tricks to have your feet looking & feeling fabulous. Spring is almost here and Summer ain’t far off, so it’s a smart time […]
OMG! What will I use to line my bin?
How will I line my bin now that there are no more free shopping bags at supermarkets? Try this clever Eco Max Hack, a plastic free way to line your bin.
microbeads – they’re still out there…
Smaller than a grain of sand and designed to be disposed of down the drain. Microbeads are impossible to filter, so they easily make their way into our waterways and BILLIONS of them do so EVERY. DAY.
pretty, practical and plastic free
Plastic free household items you won’t want to hide away. When we talk about the environmental impacts of plastic, we tend to focus on the […]
3 Deadlies – synthetic V natural
We ask Corinne Sparks from Handmade Naturals what her top three deadly synthetics to avoid are and what natural alternatives she uses instead. Corinne was […]
is your kitchen scourer killing you?
How do the scourers we use everyday impact on our health and the health of our environment ? The simple objects that we use all […]
How our Kitchen Scrubber scrubs up…
As all good cooks know the proof will always be in the pudding. So Import Ants asked one of our customers, avid Thermomix user Brian […]
3 healthy reasons to be a scrubber!
Did you know you could be throwing away many health benefits by peeling your fruit and vegetables? Maybe it’s time to become a scrubber and […]
5 reasons to switch to natural fibres
Natural vegetable fibres have been used for centuries, way before plastic was even invented. They are longer lasting and have no built in obsolescence, making […]
6 tips to stop itchy dry legs!!!
Winter dryness is so not fun and it happens to all of us at some point in time. Here are some great tips to stop the scratching and bring back that healthy silky summer feel again.
How to be Chemical Free
Do you worry about the amount of chemicals in your life? Want to know how to find toxic free alternatives to everyday products? It’s important […]
The Natural Fibres in our Eco Max Brushes
With so many synthetic products in our homes, isn’t it time to go natural? Here is a list of 7 natural organic vegetable fibres that […]
Fair’s Fair
A beginner’s guide: the 3 ideals that are the basis of Fair Trade. The idea of “Trade not Aid” began way back in the early […]
See How! Dry Body Brush Video
A simple video that shows you the 5 key benefits of Dry Body Brushing and how to do it
What is a Fair Trader
A Fair Trader is a business endorsed by the Fair Trade Association of Australia as having Fair Trade at the core of everything they do. […]
5 Benefits of Dry Body Brushing
Dry body brushing is a natural yet effective way to promote soft and healthy skin, but that is not the only benefit… Here are the […]
10 Principles to Buy By
How you can truly measure if a company is acting ethically or just spinning you Fair Trade wash. Here is a list of the 10 principles […]
Meet the Makers – ECOMAX Brushes
Our ECOMAX Brushes are handmade in Sri Lanka by a small family run business that prides itself on crafting beautiful, sustainable, handmade brushes whilst […]