1.5% for nature: A transparent look at our commitments.

At ZEN Market, we believe that protecting the environment is not just a box to tick on a company’s to-do list. I’m truly grateful for the people with whom we are building this project. It is a real pleasure for me to work with people who genuinely share the mission of reducing the burden we place on our planet without needing to justify or explain that decision in any way.

If we look at our business from the very beginning, it is built on importing products from Japan. We transport our products to the Czech Republic by air. That is a significant environmental burden, and we are fully aware of it. However, the mode of transport is something we cannot influence very much. Shipping by sea would shorten the shelf life of premium tea so much that it could arrive close to its expiry date and the ecological impact of this form of transport could certainly also be debated at length.

So what can we influence? Using the minimum amount of packaging materials, and no unnecessary plastics when shipping to you. For deliveries, we use an electric car, and sometimes you may receive your order in a different box than our new branded one. This is only the beginning for us starting with small steps that can gradually transform our thinking toward more environmentally friendly choices.

Last but not least, we can also influence our direct contribution to environmental protection. From our e-shop revenue, 1.5% goes toward supporting carbon removal from the atmosphere. To be clear, this is not achieved by increasing our prices by 1.5% so that it costs ZEN Market nothing. From the start, we have been committed to keeping this rule, and we voluntarily reduce our business margin because of it. Because it makes sense. And we will continue to enter each new year with the same approach.

We process our commitment to carbon-removal contributions through Stripe, our payment gateway, and we are proud members of the Stripe Climate program. You can learn more on our Stripe page, and also here.

These are our current steps toward giving back to the planet what we take from it. In the future, we would also like to become partners of other organizations, such as 1% for the Planet.

Thank you very much for your support and trust we truly appreciate it. And I hope it is clear that by purchasing our products, you are genuinely helping to restore the environment. Every purchase with us is a direct investment in cleaner air.

On behalf of the ZEN Market team,

Pavel