Sustainability
Guided by our mission, we are dedicated in working towards constantly improving our sustainability practices, we aim to have a positive impact on the environment. We are a small business, but we believe we can make a big difference.
Sustainability to Cat Harness Australia means acting where we can make the biggest impact today while always looking forward to tomorrow. We’re here to help our customers and their furry friends feel confident and protected while keeping people, animals and our planet at the heart of all we do. We, like many other businesses have a long journey ahead, but we believe we can make a pawsitive difference and help set an example in the pet industry.
BUILDING HEALTHIER CATS AND COMMUNITIES
Being a business born in the COVID-19 era, we know first hand the many challenges life can throw at us and taking the time for self-care has been highlighted more now than ever before. We hope to inspire and help educate people on the benefits of leash walking your cat and the joy it brings you as well is a form of self-care. For us, self-care is all about creating moments that can help preserve or improve our wellbeing and reduce stress, this extends to your fur baby too.
Providing an enriched environment for your cat can increase activity, increase mental stimulation and prevent many health issues - this especially important for indoor cats. Enrichment walks provide cats the opportunity to create their own pawsitive experiences in an enclosed space.
You can read more research on cats and their life stressors here
PACKAGING
We have recently changed our wrapping! Our tissue paper is now 100% biodegradable, compostable and acid-free tissue paper which is also FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified Managed Plantations.
If you’ve ever placed an order with us, you would have seen our amazing Hero Packaging Mailers. In our inception in 2021, we have always ensured our parcel packaging to 100% compostable materials.
HEROPACKS are made from home-compostable materials, mainly corn starch and PBAT (a compostable ingredient which bonds the renewable ingredients together).
To date, Hero Packaging have saved over 16,000,000 plastic mailers from entering the planet and we are proud to be a part of that statistic!
We also use a direct thermal printer to print all of our shipping labels, meaning no ink or toner! Our labels are also compostable (including the adhesive being non-toxic, so safe for your pets to sniff!)
We are on a mission and committed to ensuring all aspects of your packaging is eco-friendly, compostable and carbon neutral. Dispatching parcels out to all of you and your cats is such a huge part of our business, so we want to do it as environmentally friendly as possible!
We actively encourage our customers to locate your local composter via https://www.aora.org.au/find-a-composter
Learn more about Hero Packaging
WE SUPPORT WIRES
We put our money where our mouth is, meaning we donate $1 for every harness sold to WIRES for the good of the Australian native wildlife.
Every year, WIRES receives thousands of calls for advice concerning interactions between domestic pets and native animals. Sadly, this is a common cause of injury in suburban areas and if the injured native animal is not immediately taken to receive veterinary care, the consequences can be fatal. Luckily, there are some precautions that can be taken to help minimise the risks of wildlife being injured, and to avoid unpleasant situations for your family pet. WIRES strongly promotes responsible pet ownership which is key to a safer environment for wildlife and for domestic pets. You can learn more through the link here.
WIRES have many initiatives including National Grants, Emergency funding, Landcare Alliance, Specialised projects (more recently Koalas and Native Animal Disease Research), Conservation projects and the Water for Wildlife initiative.
WE USE CANVA
For every order we include a set of Instructions as well as a Thank You Card. We use Canva for our print orders, meaning every order we place with Canva, they plant a tree – it is a simple idea with a big impact.
By the end of 2022, Canva will have planted 3.5 million trees in the ground, focusing on native restoration which mimics what a native forest would do. Tree planting sites are selected based on the degree of deforestation and poverty in the region. Canva is committed to working alongside local villages and communities to achieve a successful and longstanding reforestation effort. By creating jobs such as Planters and Site Managers Canva also help to generate social benefits for the local communities.
HARNESS DONATIONS
Ever wondered when you exchange an item where does it go? We have made sure that if return shipping isn't a viable option that we put the trust in our customers to donate the incorrect size to a local cat rescue group. This recycling initiative helps make sure the barely-used cat harness is going to a good home and also encouraging future cat pawrents to walk their future fur babies. Once you have donated the harness onwards we will refund you your harness cost so you can place an order for the correct size.
If there are no local cat rescue groups near you, no worries! You can always return back to us at Cat Harness Australia HQ and we will do the donating on your behalf.
The current rescue group receiving our HQ returns are Kitten Sanctuary. If you are a rescue and would like to sign up to be apart of our harness donation program, please email us at hello@catharnessaustralia.com.au
WE SUPPORT AUSTRALIAN RESCUE GROUPS
Through social media, there is even more visibility with the reality that cat rescue groups are facing. As a charity, cat rescue groups depend on community support to cover the costs of running the rescue. The costs include professional care and advisory staff; veterinary expenses including health checks, desexing and any necessary treatments or surgery; vaccinations; microchips; kitty litter as well as costs to promote their adoptions and welfare work plus administration costs.
Cat Harness Australia makes regular donations to a variety of cat rescue groups within Australia. We also exclusively wholesale to rescue groups and small businesses. By rescue groups having being a stockist of our products, their profit allows them fund the costs of their rescue.
If you are the owner of a licensed cat rescue group within Australia and you would like to become a stockist of our products, please reach out to us via the link here.
OUR PRODUCTS
At Cat Harness Australia, we have opted using cotton as our main fabric for our harnesses. Cotton is a natural fibre, soft, breathable and can stand up against abrasion wear. It makes for an ideal fabric for a cat harness so your cat can stay super comfy all year round.
In 2022, we introduced a leash to our range, taking a step in the right direction in recycled consumer pet accessories. Our Cat Leash is made from recycled plastic bottles to create a durable, flexible, tough leash to provide an eco-friendly option.
We are always looking for new and innovative materials to introduce to our range, keep posted on what we find next!
Where are our products made?
All Cat Harness Australia products are proudly designed in-house in the Illawarra region, NSW. Our popular design kickstarted the need for a range of colours to accomodate the Aussie lifestyle.
In order to keep building a strong Aussie small business that delivers affordable, high quality products to Australians, we need to continue to improve what we do, how we do it and sometimes where we need to do it - for that reason our products are ethically and responsibly produced in China.
A third party auditor, Amfori 'Trade with Purpose', perform an annual Social Audit on the manufacturer to ensure they meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance and transparency to balance profit and purpose. Regular check ins with the factory ensures a high standard of working conditions, pay and product quality.
We absolutely know that some people don’t want products made in China, but we wanted to give you all the facts and be transparent. We are always looking for ways to improve and do better and we will always keep you in the loop, every step of the way.
At Cat Harness Australia, we’re committed to people, sustainability and preserving our natural environment. We will continue to search for alternative, cost effective manufacturing locally here in Australia.
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE
We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our small business to being more environmentally conscious. Here are some of the new initiatives in the works:
• Currently our harnesses are packaged in plastic in our warehouse, we are in the process of investigating an eco-friendly option for our next run of stock drop.
• We are looking into a new eco-friendly leash option to match our new Bone and Natural harnesses.
• We are constantly exploring local options for manufacturing, however our first priority is making sure our harnesses are affordable for the everyday Aussie. Keep an eye on this space as we hope to trial a premium range within the next 12 months.