As most Dr. Bronner’s fans will know, we are far more than just a soap brand. As part of our founder Emmanuel Bronner’s vision, we are an activist company that work to help fight social injustice, advocate for animals and also help find environmentally friendly solutions to better the planet.
The All-One initiative is a global programme, that allows us to help organisations that are making waves in these areas, and we are so proud to support the hard work they do.
Here is a little update on the 2022 UK partners, who have told us what they have been up to this year, as well as hope to achieve in 2023.
Ecohustler
In 2022, environmental activist group Ecohustler has continued to engage big online audiences with it ecologically proactive news. A major focus has been rewilding in the UK with some exciting new Beaver news! The team were thrilled to win their first prize – in the Oceanic Global Short Film Festival for their original salmon film – Loch Stock and Salmon. The salmon campaign continues with a disturbing new article – The Great British Christmas Salmon Die Off.
The Ecohustler store has been trading well on the run up to Christmas, stocked with eco-friendly products and currently has a 30% off winter sale in effect. 2023 is going to see some major new marine work… so watch this space!
Emmaus
Emmaus Brighton is a organisation which helps support those who are homeless. In November it was honoured to receive a tree from the Queen’s Green Canopy, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, in honour of the work they have done for 25 years supporting the local community.
This Christmas, Emmaus launched a winter fundraising appeal called No Christmas Cards, the aim is for people to donate to Emmaus Brighton instead of spending money on Christmas cards which ultimately end up in landfill and are not great for the environment. They also had their Christmas fair where there were lots of stalls for people to pick up great Christmas presents, a tombola, and cake, tea and coffee. There was also live entertainment from local performers, and the unveiling of a beautiful Christmas angel created by the amazing volunteers.
In their ongoing work to become more sustainable, they have been growing plants in their own polytunnel which was re-covered earlier this year. As well as growing produce from seeds, which they sell in their shops, they also encourage visitors to donate cuttings from their own plants. The team has also recently got food composter and in 2023 will be composting all cooked and uncooked food that is prepared for the Companions. The compost will be used on the grounds, to grow plants in the polytunnel and potentially to sell.
Surge Activism
Surge Activism has continued to be active with their messaging around animal advocacy. Working with young people, the team’s university campus reps in the US and UK graduated in the summer, and they received more applications, so 2023’s campus rep programme will be better than ever! They also received more applications from people wanting to act as mentors for people wanting to go vegan or to become more active in the vegan activist community.
In terms of content, Surge has continued to create videos, one in particular was in collaboration with Smash. The fully animated short video Milk has been submitted to a few film festivals so they’re hoping for an award! The team also did a rebranding to their website shifting away from publishing regular blogs, and instead focusing more on videos, reels, and larger campaigns.
Another part of the Surge Activism umbrella is the Surge Sanctuary which rescues animals. You can head to their instagram account for all the daily updates of adoption stories, as well as look at their 2023 calendar!
Less Plastic
Less Plastic, a family run organisation has been sharing images of Devon beaches strewn with plastic and creating infographics with simple tips for living with less plastic since its launch in 2015.
In 2019, Amanda self-published a book, #PlasticGameChanger, to provide businesses with a strategy to reduce plastic use, and showcase organisations who were leading the way, to inspire wider action.
In 2020, they launched a #MoreNature campaign, to encourage people to go further than reducing negative impact by restoring nature to repair the damage we’ve collectively caused. Using funds raised by Less Plastic CIC to support @nurdlecoasts microplastic beach cleaning tour, and install three Eco-friendly Moorings in Studland Bay to regenerate seagrass and increase habitat for seahorses.
Since then, founders Amanda and James have recently secured new jobs with environmental charities. Amanda is now running @devon_enviro and James is heading up Business Services for @thewildlifetrusts. The team have been looking for a trusted partner to take over the reins at Less Plastic, so in 2023, City to Sea will be taking Less Plastic forward to its next chapter! They are humorous, creative, and run highly effective campaigns to turn the tide on plastic pollution. Some of their best-known initiatives include #SwitchTheStick, #TheUnflushables, #PlasticFreePeriods, and the #RefillRevolution
Dr. Bronner’s is a family business committed to honouring the vision of our founder Dr. E.H. Bronner by making socially and environmentally responsible products of the highest quality, and by dedicating our profits to helping make a better world. “All-One!”