A Better Way
HARVEST
VOYA skincare products contain extracts of wild seaweed which is sustainably hand-harvested from the cleanest waters off the Atlantic coast of Ireland.
Fully Renewable
Seaweed is a fully renewable natural resource in Ireland. From sea to skin, we go to great lengths to maintain the unique purity of our seaweed. We do not need to use any of our precious freshwater resources for irrigation; we do not require the use of fertiliser, pesticides, or even soil. Every step in our process is natural and sustainable.
Seaweed naturally absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere acting as what to refer to carbon sinks, as its growth rate is about 30% to 60% times the rate of land-based plants. All scientific research indicates that seaweed will play a huge role in fighting climate change by absorbing carbon emissions, regenerating marine escosystems, creating biofuel and renewable plastics as well as generating marine protein for years to come.
GUARDIANS OF TRADITION
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. VOYA help to protect the biodiversity of the west coast reefs through sustainable and traditional harvesting practices.
At VOYA, our expert harvesting team check the tide levels of the Atlantic Ocean weeks in advance to strategically plan which type of seaweed to harvest based on tides and weather conditions. They only use sustainable harvesting practices, which simply means that the seaweed is selected by eye and harvested by hand. No machinery is used so as not to harm the delicate seabed or marine life.
Only a small portion of the seaweed is cut at a time to ensure it grows back within 6 - 24 months. The harvesters, like farmers, move on to the different parts of the reef to allow it to fully grow back and replenish, thus creating sustainable harvesting. This allows species of juvenile algae to flourish and regrow, the team then monitors how the reefs and species are regrowing in different locations.
OUR GREEN STANDARDS
Packaging
Our products are packaged using recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable materials. Our carton packaging board is a special blend of FSC certified pulps using our own harvested seaweed and our packing chips are 100% biodegradable and dissolve in water. VOYA use glass or 100% recycled plastics where possible.
Cruelty-Free
VOYA is proud to be a cruelty-free brand, we are totally opposed to the practice of animal testing in cosmetic research. We do not test any products on animals and have an agreement with our contract manufacturers that they do not or will never be involved in animal testing of any kind. Our current certification with PETA.
CERTIFIED ORGANIC
VOYA products contain as many organic ingredients as possible and we voluntarily submit our products to be certified by both the Soil Association COSMOS and the Irish Organic Association (IOA). For a product to be labelled organic 95% of all ingredients must be organic. VOYA is committed to using only natural and non-toxic ingredients and all our products contain a minimum of 70% certified organic ingredients.
Looking for COSMOS or Soil Association logo on your cosmetics means so much more than just using organic ingredients. It means saying
NO TO:
- Animal testing
- GM ingredients
- Controversial chemicals
- Parabens and Phthalates
- Synthetic colours, dyes, or fragrances
YES TO:
- Sustainably sourced organic ingredients
- Using natural colours and fragrances from plants and flowers
- Transparent manufacturing processes
- Biodegradable ingredients
- Minimal packaging with maximum recycled content
- Protecting wildlife and biodiversity
GIVING BACK
SEAL RESCUE IRELAND
Seals are a protected species under Irish and EU law and should not be touched or encouraged to go back into the water as it is quite normal for them to rest on land. Usually, only 10% of these are sick, injured or abandoned by their mothers, have got caught up in fishing nets, may be starving or ill or may have been bitten by dogs. Seal Rescue Irelands aim is to rehabilitate the seal pups back to full health and then return them to the wild when they are fit and ready.
The rescue centre, which relies entirely on volunteers, receives approximately 600 phone calls a year reporting mainly Harbour and Grey seals that might need rescuing from around the entire coast of Ireland.
The volunteer team at the sanctuary care for the seals, treating them for illness, feeding them and making sure they have clean water until they are ready to be released back into the sea. The centre costs approximately €100,000 a year to run. VOYA is not only proud to officially sponsor Seal Rescue Ireland, but we have also pledged to adopt one seal for every month of the year.
Carbon balanced
World land trust and carbon balanced operations
In 2013, VOYA made a commit to carbon-balance 72.60 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption associated with general operations and business travel to support the World Land Trust (WLT), an international conservation charity which protects the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats acre by acre.
Today we are proud to say that from the 1st January 2013 – 31st December 2021, 607.39043 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions associated with the general operations of VOYA has been offset and in turn over 6,098 m2 of world wildlife habitat has been protected.
