At Hark & Zander, sustainability isn't just a value we talk about. It's something we consider in the choices we make, from the ingredients in our formulations to our packaging and the way we run our business.
That's why we were incredibly proud to be recognised as a 2025 Auckland Central Finalist in the 2degrees Auckland Business Awards for Excellence in Sustainability.
These awards celebrate local businesses making a positive impact, and for a small New Zealand skincare company, being recognised for the work we've already done was pretty special.
But sustainability isn't something you finish. As new materials become available and we learn more, we keep asking what we can do better.
Here are some of the choices we're making now, and some of the changes you'll see from Hark & Zander over the coming years.
Mindful Sourcing
Every ingredient we use is carefully chosen for its performance, suitability and source.
-
Kōakaheart™ Oil: Our hero oil is organically grown here in New Zealand. Kōaka is a crop we're particularly passionate about, not only for the beautiful oil produced from its seeds, but for its potential role in soil health and more sustainable agricultural systems.
-
New Zealand botanicals: We love showcasing ingredients from Aotearoa, including Kawakawa, Mamaku Black Fern, Mānuka, Te Puke kiwifruit and New Zealand red seaweed.
-
Locally made, proudly New Zealand owned: Hark & Zander is 100% New Zealand owned and every one of our finished skincare products is manufactured in Mt Wellington, Auckland. We're also proud to carry the FernMark.
There's another connection to the soil behind Hark & Zander too. Our founder, Kirsty, is currently undertaking postgraduate research into the use of kōaka as a cover crop in New Zealand vineyards, including its effects on soil carbon and soil health.
So when we talk about sustainability and plants, it isn't just something we put on the side of a skincare box. We're genuinely rather fascinated by what happens below ground too.
Rethinking Our Packaging
This is one of the areas where Hark & Zander has changed considerably.
For a long time, glass was seen as the obvious premium and environmentally responsible choice for skincare. But sustainability isn't always as simple as glass good, plastic bad.
Glass is heavy. And weight matters when you're manufacturing, packing and transporting products around New Zealand and overseas.
That's why you'll gradually see some Hark & Zander products moving from glass into lightweight, fully recyclable tubes and airless packaging where it makes sense.
Our new tubes contain a mixture of virgin and recycled plastic, are recyclable through normal kerbside recycling, and are considerably lighter to transport than their glass equivalents.
For products such as our day and night crèmes, we'd also love to move towards airless packaging in the future. Along with substantially reducing shipping weight, airless packaging can help protect the formulation from repeated exposure to air and fingers once it's opened.
Some things won't change. Our facial and body oils are better suited to glass, so we expect those to remain in glass.
It's about choosing the packaging that makes the most sense for the product and the planet, rather than assuming one material is always the answer.
Lighter Product Cartons
We've also redesigned our product cartons.
Our new cartons are 34% lighter than our originals, meaning we're using substantially less material for every product box.
They're made here in New Zealand and are recyclable through cardboard recycling.
We still use our biodegradable labels made from natural fibres, and we'll continue reviewing our packaging as better options become available.
These changes won't appear across every product overnight. Packaging changes happen as products are manufactured and existing packaging is used, so you'll see Hark & Zander gradually evolve over time.
We think that's far more sustainable than throwing perfectly usable packaging away simply so everything looks new at once.
Reducing Waste When We Send Your Order
We've simplified this too.
Your Hark & Zander order is now dispatched in cardboard packaging with paper packing materials, so the packaging can go into your cardboard recycling rather than arriving wrapped in layers of unnecessary plastic.
We've also stopped automatically printing packing slips for online orders. You already have your order details electronically, so printing another piece of paper simply to put it inside the box didn't make much sense.
It's a tiny change.
But sustainability is often made up of lots of tiny changes.
Simple Swaps You Can Make at Home
Reducing the footprint of your own beauty routine doesn't have to be complicated either.
-
Reduce single-use items. Swap disposable cotton pads and wipes for reusable cotton rounds or washable makeup remover cloths.
-
Be mindful of water. Turn the tap off while you're cleansing rather than leaving it running.
-
Use what you have. Finish products before replacing them rather than accumulating half-used skincare.
-
Recycle correctly. Check the packaging and your local recycling guidelines rather than automatically putting everything into general waste.
-
Keep it simple. More products don't necessarily mean better skin. Buy what your skin actually needs and use it.
Small choices add up, particularly when they become everyday habits.
Commitment to Change
For us, sustainability is a continuous journey rather than a box you tick.
We're proud of the changes we've made, but we're certainly not going to claim we've solved everything.
As new packaging technology and materials become available, we'll continue asking whether there's a better option. Sometimes that may mean glass. Sometimes it may mean recyclable plastic. Sometimes it may simply mean using less.
That's the point.
Looking Beyond Packaging
Our interest in sustainability goes much further than the container your skincare arrives in.
Kōaka is a particularly interesting example.
The seeds give us the beautiful New Zealand-grown oil at the heart of Kōakaheart™, but the plant itself also has potential within agricultural systems. That's one of the reasons Kirsty's postgraduate research is investigating its use as a vineyard cover crop and what happens to measures of soil carbon and soil health when it's grown between vineyard rows.
There are a lot of environmental claims made about this crop online, including some enormous claims about carbon sequestration.
We'd rather do the research.
Understanding what actually happens in our New Zealand soils, under our conditions, is far more useful to us than repeating a big number from the internet.
What Does B Corp Certification Mean?
B Corp Certification is a globally recognised certification administered by B Lab. It assesses businesses across a broad range of social, environmental and governance criteria rather than looking at one product or one sustainability initiative in isolation.
Hark & Zander began the B Corp assessment and completed a significant part of the process. We've currently put our certification work on hold while our small team changes and grows, but the process itself has been valuable in making us examine the wider impact of the business.
What Does It Take to Become a B Corp?
The B Corp assessment looks across areas such as:
-
Supply chains and sourcing: How and where ingredients and materials are sourced.
-
Environmental impact: Areas including emissions, waste and resource use.
-
Workers and communities: How a business considers the people within it and the communities around it.
-
Governance and accountability: How social and environmental considerations are incorporated into business decisions.
Certification requires assessment and verification. It's considerably more involved than simply describing a business as sustainable.
Why Is This Important for Skincare?
The beauty industry uses ingredients, packaging, energy, freight and many other resources before a product ever reaches your bathroom.
That's why we think sustainability needs to involve more than putting a green label on a product.
Whether it's through a formal framework such as B Corp or through the everyday decisions we make about ingredients, packaging, manufacturing and waste, greater transparency and accountability matter.
Looking Ahead
Being named a finalist for Excellence in Sustainability was a lovely acknowledgement of the work we'd already done, but we certainly don't see it as the finish line.
Over the next few years, you'll continue to see Hark & Zander packaging evolve. Where recyclable lightweight packaging makes more sense than glass, we'll consider it. Where glass remains the better choice, we'll keep it.
We'll keep reducing unnecessary packaging and paper, manufacturing our skincare here in New Zealand and learning more about the ingredients and agricultural systems behind what we create.
We won't always get everything perfect.
But we'll keep asking the questions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sustainable Skincare
1. What is B Corp Certification and why is it important?
B Corp Certification assesses a company's social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency across the wider business. Hark & Zander has completed part of the assessment process, although our certification work is currently paused.
2. Are Hark & Zander products vegan and cruelty-free?
Yes. All Hark & Zander formulations are vegan and cruelty-free.
3. Why is Hark & Zander moving some products from glass to recyclable plastic?
Because sustainability isn't determined by one material alone. Glass is recyclable but considerably heavier to transport. For suitable products, lightweight recyclable packaging can substantially reduce shipping weight while still protecting the formulation. Our oils will remain in glass where that's the more appropriate packaging.
4. Is Hark & Zander packaging recyclable?
Our new tubes are fully recyclable through normal kerbside recycling and contain a mixture of virgin and recycled plastic. Our New Zealand-made product cartons and cardboard dispatch packaging can also be recycled. Always check your local recycling guidelines, as services can vary.
5. How can I make my skincare routine more sustainable at home?
Use the products you buy, choose reusable alternatives to disposable items where practical, recycle packaging correctly, conserve water and don't assume you need a bathroom cupboard overflowing with skincare. Sometimes less really is more.
Sustainability isn't about being perfect. For us, it's about continuing to learn, question and make better choices as Hark & Zander grows.
Explore our collection of New Zealand-made skincare for sensitive, reactive and changing skin.
