FAQ

Our products are chosen because they're all common consumable home and personal care items, and all rely on single use plastics in their design or packaging.

We believe that our habitual "autopilot" purchases are a great way to start examining our personal environmental footprint, and begin considering how small eco-minded changes can add up to big impacts!

After identifying what products would be the most impactful, we researched what eco friendly alternatives existed and started purchasing samples to test! We made sure all companies had sustainability at the heart of their businesses, used renewable materials, and had all the relevant certifications (for example, our Beeswax wraps are made from GOTS certified organic cotton, and all our bamboo is sourced from FSC certified forests).

If you're interested in learning more, we have a pretty detailed blog post on the exact process we used to identify products and source eco friendly alternatives.

Each of our products has a drop down list with information on why each of our products is Eco Friendly.

We also add a "trust badge" on each product page to highlight some of the product's eco friendly characteristics.

Here's how we break down those aspects:

Reusable: Intended to be reused for a long period of time, replacing an otherwise single use item. Our favourite reusable item is our Rejuiceable Juice Box Pouches, which has the potential to save about 200 juice boxes for each school year.

Compostable: Or more specifically, backyard compostable. When this product or wrapping has been used up and served its purpose, you can add it to your home compost bin. Examples include our Sisal Soap Saver - the material is 100% compostable and will break down into soil.

Biodegradable: We use biodegradable to mean when a product or ingredient can be safely processed by the environment, though not necessarily in your compost bin. Sometimes that means it'll wash down the drain (ex our dishwasher tablets) or it's biodegradable in specialized facilities (ex PLA like the eco dental floss picks).

Zero Waste: Products that when used correctly result in no lasting impact on the earth. Using our All Purpose Concentrated Cleaning Tablets as an example, the tablets are biodegradable, and the packaging they come in is compostable. No part of this product ends up in the landfill the recycling bin, or lingers on the Earth for an extended period of time.

Cruelty Free: No animal has been harmed in the creation of this product. You'll find that the majority of our products are cruelty free simply because companies who have sustainability at the heart of their business believe animal life and dignity is part of sustainability. As they should.

Vegan: No amount of animal by product has been used when making this product.

Canadian Company: This one can be a bit tricky, and we want to be transparent! We list companies as Canadian if they're owned and operated in Canada. This doesn't necessarily mean that their entire production line is in Canada - for example, Eco Shark is owned and operated in Canada but since Bamboo doesn't grow in Canada, we import them from ethical and certified companies in China.

Women Owned Business: This is a business that is entirely or primarily owned by a female identifying person. Why is this important? Women owned businesses have less access to funding, resources and mentorships. And still, these businesses are more likely to support their local community and champion environmental achievements as a measure of success, rather than just solely profits.

Yes! All of our products have been thoroughly tested to ensure they work as good or better then their big box store counter part.

Our mission is to help everyone replace common single-use disposable household items with the very best eco friendly alternatives. We'd be doing ourselves and the planet a disservice if we sold products that sucked.

Each of our products has a drop down list with information on the materials and ingredients each product is made with.

We receive this information from our trusted suppliers.

Eco Shark is a purveyor of all things eco friendly!

As a Canadian company, we aim to support as many high quality small Canadian businesses as possible. There are a couple reasons for this:

1. Supporting local business keeps the transportation footprint of each product as low as possible.
2. Supporting our local economy creates jobs and encourages investment in our communities.
3. Superior vender relationships.
4. Small companies are statistically more like to invest in sustainable practices and materials, and are able to adapt or pivot quickly.

Eco Shark does carry several products that are not made in Canada, which are purchased by us in bulk from overseas. Anything made of bamboo, for example, falls into this category because bamboo is sadly not native to Canada.

We make sure to vet our suppliers for their commitment to sustainability. We also make sure all our suppliers are certified with related credentials, such as FSC, GOTS, Okotex, and FDA.

Each of our products has a drop down list with information on how to properly use and care for it.

Our products generally fall into two categories - those that are meant to used up and then biodegrade (like our concentrated cleaning tablets, or our konjac facial sponges), and those that are meant to be reused forever and ever and ever (like our amazing silicone food storage bags or our beautiful safety razors).

As with all things in life, with proper care you'll be able to extend the life of all your products.

If you have any specific product inquiries - please send us an email at info@ecoshark.net. We love chatting about our products!

Ah Shipping. The enemy of small businesses everywhere.

Shipping can be complicated when it comes to shops like Eco Shark who offer many products of different sizes and weights.

To be able to offer flat rate shipping, we took our average order size and weight, with the average shipping price in each Province.

Very occasionally we come across a package that has been grossly overestimated. In these cases we send store credit to the customer for the difference, with three months to use the store credit.

Please always feel free to reach out to us for a custom shipping quote if you feel the shipping estimate is not quite right. We're happy to do the legwork because we're so passionate in our mission to help you reduce your environmental footprint!

We strive to ship all orders within 2 business days of receiving it.

Why does it take two days?

In order to reduce our transportation footprint we aim to ship as many packages in one trip as possible. We try to balance this objective with fast shipping, since we know you're as eager to get your new products as we are to get them to you!

Delivery & Free Pick Up

For customers in the general Kitchener/Waterloo or St Jacobs/Elmira area, we also offer cheap delivery (or free for orders over $75).

Our Free Pick Up is available basically 24/7. When you chose this option, we reach out and set up a date and time that works.

Each of our products has a drop down list with information on how to use and care for it. These instructions also include proper disposal methods for the product once it's been used up.

But first, Reuse!

Many of our items can be upcycled once their primary function is complete. For example, used toothbrushes can be repurposed into tiny cleaning brushes or plant markers.

Compost is best!

Many items are backyard compostable, which is the best way to return a product to the earth. Please add these items to a home composter whenever possible.

Special Cases:

Other items may be biodegradable or recyclable but only in specific settings. These include our Eco Floss picks, and silicone products. Recycling facilities vary from city to city, so check with your local waste collection to see what's recyclable in your area. Alternatively, you can check out Terra Cycle's list of Free Recycling programs!

All of our products have been chosen after a very thorough quality testing process, and each item is inspected before it's shipped.

We also take a lot of time and care in describing our products on their product pages to make sure there are no surprises in your order.

Because of this, we are very confident that you'll love your Eco Shark products.

But on the very rare chance you are not satisfied, returns are considered on a case by case basis.

We take returns seriously, not only because we're a small independent business, but also simply because returning used products is wasteful and our entire mission is about lowering our collective environmental footprint.

For more information, please check out our refund policy here, or send us an email at info@ecoshark.net with any questions.

Absolutely not! Drop shipping is bad for the environment. There are several reasons for this:

• Items are bought and shipped on an individual basis, resulting in a higher carbon footprint for shipping.
• Due to individual shipments, untold amounts of additional packaging is used.
• Drop shippers tend to sell unabashedly, focusing on quantity and sales, often resulting in poor quality products with high rates of return.
• Drop shippers have little control over how their products are packaged and shipped, so a "one size fits all" solution is used regardless of the size of the product.
• Drop shipping has a focus on fast sales with little to no customer service.
  

Every product Eco Shark sells has been thoroughly tested to ensure high quality, and is personally inspected before shipping.

We choose the perfect sized reused package to reduce waste, as well as to keep shipping costs as low as possible.

And behind the Eco Shark name, there really is a Shark. Her name is Julie.

We'd love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@ecoshark.net, or drop us note in the "Contact us" page.

We'll get back to you as soon as possible, typically within 24 hours.