We are proud to be a brand with big aspirations and a strong social and environmental conscience
Marty’s subscribes to 10 of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and as a substantially female-owned and run business, Marty’s ensures that every step taken to produce our product from ingredients to manufacture and waste disposal considers the environment and the community. And, while our product is available in both South Africa and the United Kingdom, we have chosen to manufacture our product in both of these markets to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible.
From United Nations Sustainable Development Goals website (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment) The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.
Crew For A Cause, our social responsibility partner, was started in 2017. The idea behind the organisation was that small contributions from many could make a big difference in a gifted scholar’s education by paying for their secondary schooling. One of our founders was one of the original 15 friends who founded the organisation. In 2023, the membership has grown to over 140, while supporting 22 scholars at 9 different schools in South Africa. All are promising youngsters who have been identified for having academic potential and, sometimes even more importantly, grit.
In South Africa, we work with suppliers that are no more than 120km from our production facility. Our bottling partner is a farm-based community support organisation situated in the Swartland and employs 22 families (staff members with 84 dependents) from previously disadvantage rural communities. The organisation has transformed the impoverished rural communities of the West Coast and in 2022 created 1000 new jobs in the Western Cape and 1000 jobs in the Northern Cape.
In the UK, our tomatoes are sourced from suppliers with Global G.A.P IFA and IQNet certifications which means that their responsible farming practices are audited annually by accredited, independent third-party certification bodies. We source our apple juice and apple cider vinegar from orchards that subscribe to the Agroecological regenerative farming practice of Agroforestry. This means that they work with nature and manage their orchards traditionally, without the aid of sprays, fertilisers or chemicals. They combine their fruit and animal farming, so sheep graze the orchards and then naturally nourish the soil. The apples are then picked and pressed by the farming team and the pressed pomace is fed to local farmers’ cattle about 1 mile from the orchard. The farm also captures and utilises rainwater for washing and irrigation.
For our primary packaging, we fill infinitely recyclable glass bottles, 40% of which is made from recycled glass. In the UK, as part of our bottle supplier’s commitment to achieving carbon net zero, this year alone they have planted 150,000 trees and have reduced the balance of their annual Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
In South Africa, we have also partnered with a food waste disposal company that diverts waste from landfills and creates sustainable solutions. Organic waste is collected and transformed into compost, empowering underprivileged communities to grow their own vegetables.
