Hello again and it’s so good to be back with you. I’ve had a little break over the Bank Holiday weekend and I hope that you managed to get some lovely downtime too. Today, I’m so happy to share a feature that’s all about caring. Caring for the environment, the wider world and the people in it seems more important than ever right now and gift list company Prezola, is making changes and getting it right.
As the Black Eyed Peas sang – ‘We only got one world, one world, that’s all we got’ – we all know that it’s important to take care of the environment. And when it comes to gift lists, there’s an awful lot of packaging that goes into those boxes to make sure your treasured gifts are protected and delivered safely.
Prezola is one for making sure recycling is a top priority, co-founder Ali explains:
“With so many boxes of presents being sent out daily, we wanted to make sure everything was as environmentally friendly as possible. Our new boxes are 100% recyclable and sealed with gummed tape, also 100% recyclable. The gifts within the box are packed amongst newly scrunched up “tubes” of paper which is also 100% recyclable as is the wrapping paper that we use to gift-wrap items within the boxes.”
So far, so good. They have claimed that due to really, really delicate items (think that gorgeous wedding china or super thin-stemmed glassware on your dream wish list) Prezola is using some non-recyclable bubble wrap inside wrapped gifts to protect them further. But they’re currently investigating an alternative recyclable protection that makes everyone happy.
So that’s the packaging taken care of, what about the rest that makes the world go round? I spoke to Ali and the team at Prezola to find out more…
How do you manage deliveries to cut down on carbon emissions?
“We’re committed to reducing any environmental impact of our delivery network. We have recently changed our procedures so couples edit their delivery before it’s sent to minimise multiple deliveries on the road. We’ve also made things as environmentally economic as possible by booking delivery dates once all items have arrived at our distribution centre, allowing us to send them all in one large delivery.”
“Prezola doesn’t have its own fleet of vans but uses Parcelforce, the UK‘s largest parcel delivery network to perform all of our consumer deliveries. By using an outsourced service, this enables fewer, fuller transports moving parcels around the road network leading to economies of scale and less environmental impact.”
“In the centre of Bath, where no premises have wheelie bins, we use a local family-run waste and recycling company to get rid of any waste. We have recycling bins on every floor of the office for plastic bottles, tin cans, cardboard and paper but no large general waste bins to encourage staff to recycle wherever possible. This means we only tend to put out one or two general waste bags for collection each week but at least 3 or 4 large recycling bags a week.”
What about charity? Is there anything that Prezola does to give back?
“It’s getting more and more popular to commemorate the special day by adding donations to a favourite charity to your gift list. Prezola list over 100 of the UK’s leading charities and couples can add these to their list just like physical gifts with all account types. To do this, simply choose from our list of charities on site or create your own fund so guests can donate to a charity close to your heart. When ready, we transfer the cash to you to make the donation yourself. This way, the charity will benefit even more with Gift Aid and 100% of your guest’s donation goes to charity.”
“Not only this, but if couples have credit left to spend on Prezola with nothing further they want to add to their gift list, they can donate to one of our chosen charities.”
Ali’s choice own choice of charity is Cancer Research UK:
“Sadly, cancer can impact on so many of our lives and this is by far the most popular charity donation that we see on your gift lists here at Prezola. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in her forties, but thanks to the incredible work of charities like Cancer Research UK she made a full recovery and is still here to nag me today! It’s a charity that’s very close to my heart and I know that it is for many others too.”
Dom Beaven, co-founder of Prezola (pictured above with wife and co-founder Ali) also made his choice, Diabetes UK:
“A personal one for me as I’m diabetic myself, as is my Dad. This disease is on the increase in the UK and I’ve noticed Diabetes UK featuring on more and more lists as a chosen charity over the years. While research is crucial, diabetes is also about education, self-help and support; all of which these guys do an amazing job with.”
The provenance of items is another big concern, how do you select suppliers and source products?
“Supporting smaller, artisan and handmade businesses is important to us and one of the most exciting things we do is discover up-and-coming designers and brands at design fairs. We love introducing new, British brands to the Prezola audience such as the quirky designs of JimbobArt, Jin Designs and Rosa & Clara.”
“As well as partnering with larger iconic gift list brands, we love to source products from local independent artists and ceramicists keeping travelling distances to a minimum (and therefore easier on the environment!). Ben Rothery is just down the road from Prezola HQ in Bath. Mostly of nature, his designs are quirky and fun but also very intricate and detailed with such great attention to detail. Julia Davey, a popular local ceramicist is also Bath-based.”
“Her cute designs are inspired by her travels to the coast and a great addition to any dinner table. We are very proud to have recently launched an official gift list partnership with Graham & Green. Their shop in Bath is now a real destination for interiors fanatics and their warehouse is based in Chippenham so not far for deliveries!”
What’s your impact like on the local community where your office is based?
“We’re always keen to support local charities while having fun. Whether it’s a bake-off competition, fancy dress day or Christmas jumper day, we love to get involved. We also sponsor and participate in the local Bath Boules tournament which raises money for local charities Julian House and Dorothy House Hospice (though our boules skills are appalling!) and a few of our more physically fit team members run marathons while raising money. We also like to have clothes swap evenings where we sell old clothes to other members of the team and donate the money made (and leftover clothes) to charity – plus we donated our table tennis table to a local club.”
Can you tell us a little bit about why this environmental/ethical approach is important to you?
“We want to manage our business in a way that impacts the environment in a friendly, positive, and thoughtful manner. Whether we donate our time, money or talent, our goal is to make an impact in the world around us. More and more, we expect the same from the companies we purchase from and work with. Our staff and consumers expect us to be an ethical, caring company and we are happy to oblige!”
“We also believe that if you look after your staff, they will look after your customers so we are very focused on creating a great working environment for our staff. We’ve recently invested in a new head office in Bath city centre along with a new warehouse to accommodate for product extension, both with kitchen facilities to promote healthy living for our employees. We also provide perks like our ‘Prezolafest’ parties so the team can let off some steam with fancy dress, music, food and drink plus we have signed up to Perkbox to reward our stuff with great stuff such as cinema tickets and discounts on eating out.”
“Prezola recognises the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing a working environment that is free from discrimination. We activity seek to promote the principles of equality and diversity in all its dealings with employees, workers, job applicants, clients, customers, suppliers, contractors, recruitment agencies and the public.”
There are no photos with those IDs or post 681464 does not have any attached images!“We also understand that employees are interested in reducing working hours, working from home or changing working patterns so we offer flexible working hours. Many staff start at 8am and finish at 4pm to accommodate childcare and travel to the office, our developers work from home for the majority of the time and we have several people who work part-time.”
OK, so I didn’t think I could possibly love Prezola any more but do you know what? I’m even more in love with right now than ever before.
To find out more about Prezola, their gift list options and much more, do take some time to visit their website.
Love,
Tamryn x
Tamryn Settle View all Tamryn's articles
Self-confessed wedding addict Tamryn spends her days in her Berkshire studio writing about all things beautiful and romantic with her black Labrador for company.
