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Stephanie Barton, Frederick Warne MD and herself a mother of two, says:

Most of us know what a brilliant author and.illustrator Beatrix Potter was but she was also a passionate natural historian and an early pioneer for conservation in the Lake District where she worked with the National Trust to preserve traditional.farming methods.

The Peter RabbitTM Naturally Better initiative embraces all the special values of the Peter Rabbit brand, reflecting the importance that Beatrix Potter herself placed on the natural world and the environment. It also enables parents, family members and gift givers to able to make greener choices when making purchases for future generations.

Nicholas Durbridge, CEO of The Copyrights Group, Licensing Agents for The World of Beatrix PotterTM says:

We have been engaging in ethically responsible licensing for some time and the Peter RabbitTM Naturally Better charter has expanded on this existing philosophy and helped us to formalise our activities.

Our founding members of the Peter RabbitTM Naturally Better licensing programme are across a diverse range of product categories, and I have been encouraged by the interest of new and existing licensees who are making positive steps towards joining us in this exciting new venture.

Peter Rabbit(tm) Naturally Better Charter

Developed in conjunction with specialist consultancy Sustainability, Frederick Warne, publisher and licensor for The World of Beatrix PotterTM has drawn up a comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) charter which will underpin the initiative and to which Frederick Warne is actively encouraging licensees to sign up and thus brand their products Peter RabbitTM Naturally Better. The three main points covered by the charter will address:

Labour conditions: The products have been made by suppliers who adhere to ethical working practices. (Beatrix PotterTM licensees have been committed to adhering to ethical working practices for over ten years and the charter further expands on ethical policies.)

Formulation: Frederick Warne is committed to ensuring that all products are formulated responsibly and this will be communicated to consumers in a transparent and honest way through clearly labelled packaging. Everyday food products will contain organic ingredients, be GM free, and will contain no added salt or sugar. Organic baby toiletries are free from harmful and unnecessary chemicals such as artificial musks, parabens and phthalates, are not tested on animals and will be hypoallergenic

Environment: Peter Rabbit™ Naturally Better merchandise is produced and packaged with minimum impact on the environment.

 

Ethically Better

For over 10 years all World of Beatrix PotterTM licensees have been legally contracted to guarantee that no child, slave, forced or prison labour has been involved in the manufacture of Peter RabbitTM products, such as our organic and eco friendly baby gifts. This standard will continue. Our parent company Pearson is a signatory to the UN Global Compact covering labour standards, and we regard the International Labour Organisation standards as our benchmark. Additionally, we have also banned the use of animal testing on relevant products. We will also continue to undertake not to license unhealthy fast-food promotions or everyday confectionery.

Through The Copyrights Group, we are members of the Sedex ethical database monitoring programme. We are also corporate supporters of the National Trust, enabling them to continue the work that Beatrix Potter herself believed in passionately.

 

The Environment

With a licensing programme that includes over 500 licensees worldwide, covering a huge range of product categories, we cannot reduce the negative impact of manufacturing overnight. But these are just some examples of the steps that we’re encouraging our licensees to adopt:

Elimination of PVC from packaging

Promotion of the use of Forestry Stewardship Council accredited printers, and suppliers, in sourcing wood, paper and board products from renewable resources

Increasing the proportion of recycled and bio-degradable materials in packaging

 

Formulation

Consumers everywhere have concerns about what goes into the products they buy, especially if they are for infants and children. Childhood obesity is a major issue in the western world and beyond. We believe that we have a responsibility to promote standards which aim to go beyond national health and safety legislation, and that our licensees should offer options in a transparent and honest way such as:

Organic ingredients

GM free

No added salt or sugar

Use of EU REACH legislation as a benchmark – this addresses chemicals-related issues such as the use of artificial musks, pthalates and parabens in toiletries for example

 

Will all Peter Rabbit(tm) products be Naturally Better?

Our ultimate goal is the achievement of this target. However, we honestly cannot say how long this will take to achieve. In the short-term we have a line-up of licensees in the UK and other territories who have embraced the concept. Look for the Peter RabbitTM Naturally Better logo on the packaging.

What we do promise is that all licensees whether new or existing will have made guarantees and proved to us that they have taken genuine steps to reduce the negative ethical and/or environmental impact of their manufacturing activities and improved the formulation of their products. As the programme progresses, more and more product options will become available.

Selection of Naturally Better products

Our promise to you

We will continue to add licensees and product categories to our Naturally Better licensing programme.

We will through our approvals process check the claims made by licensees to ensure that these are honest and have credibility

We will update our standards and monitor progress made on a regular basis

 

Click here to view the full range of eco friendly gifts and organic baby gifts available in our Naturally Better Peter Rabbit range.