Every action counts !
“Our existence only makes sense if it helps to improve the lives of others.”
Jean-Noël Tilman, CEO-pharmacist
Our climate commitments
Sustainable development,
environmental statement
Tilman works every day to reduce its impact on the environment
The Tilman Laboratory is concerned every day with reducing its impact on the environment and trying to contribute to the well-being of others. This implies transparency in our proactive actions for the environment.
For several years, we had been implementing environmental measures. Many actions have already been implemented :
- We have been making organic herbal teas for many years, we use FSC paper, we sort waste, we collect rainwater for the toilets (20,000 litre water tank), we have installed retention bins.
- In January 2016, the water fountains available to our employees, were replaced by ecological fountains: reduced electricity consumption, European manufacturing, recyclable + use of recyclable cups.
- Pay slips are sent electronically and we are working on sending electronic invoices to employees and customers who wish to receive them.
- As a pioneering company, Tilman participates in the development of reliable and effective tools (questionnaires, tool for the impact of the purchase of organic raw materials on biodiversity) that will help companies to take biodiversity into account. In addition to helping develop tools, we will set up one or more biodiversity actions in the company.
- Luminaires with presence detectors were installed in the new production area.
We are developing an environmental management system based on a concept of constant progress. To take into account each of the significant environmental aspects identified, measurable operational objectives and their action programs have been selected.
A vast sustainable development plan is implemented within the company. Renewed every year, it covers the main topics such as energy, water, waste management, CO2 emissions, etc,…
How to recycle our products?
As our priority is to grow in harmony with nature, we want to fight global warming drastically by limiting our carbon emissions. We have therefore decided to follow a methodology based on both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a Carbon Footprint®.
Our objectives and action plan for packaging and waste are as follows:
Improving the visibility of sorting on our site
To help consumers sort more effectively, we publish sorting information for each galenic form, even though it is not yet compulsory to indicate sorting instructions on packaging in our country.
Finding solutions for our packaging
We want to use as much recyclable packaging as possible. To this end, we have been looking at the role of packaging in our products.
Because our products are made out of plants, they are more sensitive to variations in temperature or humidity than conventional products. So, we have to combine the stability of our products with the use of recyclable materials. The first challenge is to continue to guarantee the quality of our products right up to their expiry date.
Since 2022, we have been studying the stability of our products in our climatic chambers on a case-by-case basis, using materials currently available on the market.
The following changes in packaging materials have been conclusive:
- The envelopes of our BIOLYS herbal teas: we switched from a paper/plastic complex to an envelope made entirely of paper (FSC and FEFC) EXCEPT for our herbal teas containing essential oil plants (BIOLYS Lavande/Citron, Thé vert/Agrumes, Sapin, Pomme/Rhubarbe/Séné, Thym/Eucalyptus/Miel, Sauge/Lavande).
- We have transferred all our herbal tea production to new machines in order to eliminate the need for cellophane around the box.
The following changes have been studied, but they involve technical difficulties or the instability of our products:
- Single-material blisters: the protective barrier of a single-material solution is not sufficient at the seal level. The packaging therefore does not guarantee its role. For aluminium blister packs, the investment is too high, and we would have to modify our entire packaging machinery. While we wait for more technically advanced plastics, we are obliged to keep blister packs made of a non-recyclable PVC/aluminium barrier. We are aware of the problems this represents and are working hard to find a recyclable solution that meets our specifications.
- Biodegradable BIOLYS herbal tea sachets: we looked into the possibility of switching to biodegradable sachets, but paper would cause machine jams and is therefore not an option at present.
Reducing the volume of waste
We would like to identify more precisely the origin of the waste generated by the company in order to encourage the suppliers concerned to come up with solutions and, consequently, reduce the amount of waste. We have also optimised the size of our parcels by reducing empty spaces as much as possible.
Enhancing the visibility of sorting information on our website
To help consumers with proper waste sorting, we have created a dedicated page where the sorting instructions for each dosage form of our products are explained. Although it is not yet mandatory to provide sorting guidelines on packaging in our country, we believe in taking proactive steps.
Together, we can make a difference.
