Here are the answers to our most asked questions…
If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, please get in touch so we can help.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, please get in touch so we can help.
Any small and medium sized enterprise business, club, centre or organisation or start-up that is actively working to reduce its plastic consumption and environmental impact can apply for the accreditation, whether operating inland or by the coast. This includes businesses from all sectors such as restaurants, cafes, sailing clubs, retail stores, beauticians, offices, leisure centres, training centres, hotels, event organizers, and more… The key requirements are that you are taking clear, measurable steps toward eliminating or significantly reducing your reliance on single-use plastics and adopting more sustainable practices.
To become accredited, you need to demonstrate that you have adopted sustainable practices and reduced plastic waste across your operations. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Whether you are a physical or virtual business, a sailing club or a leisure centre there are relevant sections specifically for you. Changes can be made across consumer-facing interactions, the workplace & communal member environments as well as through marketing, operations, service provision and staff actions. You can work through one section at a time and gain accreditation in specific areas (bathroom, cleaning & maintenance, marketing materials and so forth…). There’s a multitude of options to choose from and within each there is a list of questions from which we will deduce your accreditation level based upon your answers. You do not have to remove a certain number of specific items / practices, nor introduce certain items / practices…the accreditation is progress over perfection.
Once accredited, you will receive:
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is valid for one year. After this period, you will need to submit updated information or reapply and show continued progress in reducing plastic usage to maintain your accreditation.
Greenwashing refers to when a business or organization falsely portrays its products or practices as environmentally friendly or sustainable, often without making any meaningful changes behind the scenes. Greenwashing can involve vague claims, misleading marketing, or using buzzwords like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” without backing up these claims with real, actionable evidence. It’s important to distinguish between businesses genuinely reducing their environmental impact and those simply trying to capitalize on eco-conscious trends.
While there are instances where transitioning to environmentally friendly alternatives is a great step, we want to encourage businesses to make choices that go beyond just shifting the problem from one material to another. Tackling the bigger problem of excessive, wasteful consumption, throwaway behaviours, convenience and instant gratification prioritised ahead of sustainability at source through a refuse, reduce, remove, reuse, refill, repurpose, recycle approach is what we want to see demonstrated through your accreditation application. Biodegradable and compostable alternatives often present different environmental challenges, so we’d prefer this wasn’t your default approach. Our goal is to support you on your journey toward meaningful change & cheer on your progress, not to expect perfection from the outset, so we have plenty of resources to help you navigate these challenges which will help reduce waste, save money, and contribute to a more sustainable business model.
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is primarily focused on reducing plastic consumption and addressing plastic pollution. It’s tailored for businesses, clubs, centres & organisations that are making a measurable impact in this area, so their members, customers, clients and consumers can trust they are taking meaningful steps to reduce plastic waste. The accreditation evolves based on the challenges, questions and areas accredited businesses, clubs, centres and organisations can tackle when they want to do even more and go beyond plastic, also taking into consideration legislative changes.
If you don’t meet the requirements for accreditation, the Final Straw Foundation will provide feedback and recommendations on how to improve your practices. You can then reapply once you’ve made the necessary changes to meet the criteria.
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is free.
Absolutely, yes. Once accredited, you can use the certification badge and mention your accreditation in your marketing materials, website, social media, and press releases. This can help you connect with customers who value sustainability and want to support you making a real difference in reducing plastic pollution.
Any small and medium sized enterprise business, club, centre or organisation or start-up that is actively working to reduce its plastic consumption and environmental impact can apply for the accreditation, whether operating inland or by the coast. This includes businesses from all sectors such as restaurants, cafes, sailing clubs, retail stores, beauticians, offices, leisure centres, training centres, hotels, event organizers, and more… The key requirements are that you are taking clear, measurable steps toward eliminating or significantly reducing your reliance on single-use plastics and adopting more sustainable practices.
To become accredited, you need to demonstrate that you have adopted sustainable practices and reduced plastic waste across your operations. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Whether you are a physical or virtual business, a sailing club or a leisure centre there are relevant sections specifically for you. Changes can be made across consumer-facing interactions, the workplace & communal member environments as well as through marketing, operations, service provision and staff actions. You can work through one section at a time and gain accreditation in specific areas (bathroom, cleaning & maintenance, marketing materials and so forth…). There’s a multitude of options to choose from and within each there is a list of questions from which we will deduce your accreditation level based upon your answers. You do not have to remove a certain number of specific items / practices, nor introduce certain items / practices…the accreditation is progress over perfection.
Once accredited, you will receive:
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is valid for one year. After this period, you will need to submit updated information or reapply and show continued progress in reducing plastic usage to maintain your accreditation.
Greenwashing refers to when a business or organization falsely portrays its products or practices as environmentally friendly or sustainable, often without making any meaningful changes behind the scenes. Greenwashing can involve vague claims, misleading marketing, or using buzzwords like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” without backing up these claims with real, actionable evidence. It’s important to distinguish between businesses genuinely reducing their environmental impact and those simply trying to capitalize on eco-conscious trends.
While there are instances where transitioning to environmentally friendly alternatives is a great step, we want to encourage businesses to make choices that go beyond just shifting the problem from one material to another. Tackling the bigger problem of excessive, wasteful consumption, throwaway behaviours, convenience and instant gratification prioritised ahead of sustainability at source through a refuse, reduce, remove, reuse, refill, repurpose, recycle approach is what we want to see demonstrated through your accreditation application. Biodegradable and compostable alternatives often present different environmental challenges, so we’d prefer this wasn’t your default approach. Our goal is to support you on your journey toward meaningful change & cheer on your progress, not to expect perfection from the outset, so we have plenty of resources to help you navigate these challenges which will help reduce waste, save money, and contribute to a more sustainable business model.
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is primarily focused on reducing plastic consumption and addressing plastic pollution. It’s tailored for businesses, clubs, centres & organisations that are making a measurable impact in this area, so their members, customers, clients and consumers can trust they are taking meaningful steps to reduce plastic waste. The accreditation evolves based on the challenges, questions and areas accredited businesses, clubs, centres and organisations can tackle when they want to do even more and go beyond plastic, also taking into consideration legislative changes.
If you don’t meet the requirements for accreditation, the Final Straw Foundation will provide feedback and recommendations on how to improve your practices. You can then reapply once you’ve made the necessary changes to meet the criteria.
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is free.
Absolutely, yes. Once accredited, you can use the certification badge and mention your accreditation in your marketing materials, website, social media, and press releases. This can help you connect with customers who value sustainability and want to support you making a real difference in reducing plastic pollution.
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