By feeding puppers Lyka, we’re contributing to a greener, healthier planet.

As Australia’s only carbon-negative dog food, we’re committed to giving our puppers the best while working towards a more sustainable future.

Simply put, we’re here for good.

We’re so proud of the impact we’ve created together since our launch in 2018, especially the impact we’ve had this year.

Here’s a wrap-up of our sustainability initiatives in 2022.

18,692 trees planted across Australia

Our collaboration with Greenfleet has helped plant more than 125 unique species of native trees and plants in our project locations across New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, which are close to existing native habitats.

By focusing on these areas, we’re helping to expand natural forests and restore ecosystems by planting trees that absorb carbon, while also improving local fauna, flora, riverbeds and communities.

Over 1,200 corals planted in French Polynesia

Through our partnership with The Coral Gardeners, over 1,200 coral fragments have been planted in French Polynesia. Coral planting ensures we help to retain reef biodiversity and density while supporting coastline communities where around half a billion people depend on coral reefs for food, income and protection.

The symbiotic relationship between coral polyps’ waste and zooxanthellae helps recycle the coral’s waste and produce the structures we see on coral reefs.

We’re now plastic-negative (yay!)

In 2022, we removed the equivalent of 840,444 plastic bottles from our operations — that’s a whopping 15,000 kg of plastic! We are also proud to support Project Laut Yang Tenang, a plastic recycling initiative in West Java, Indonesia.

By supporting this project through our partner, rePurpose, we’re working to stop ocean-bound plastic waste from leaking into Indonesia’s coasts and to protect its incredible biodiversity.

Other steps we’re taking to reduce our carbon footprint

At Lyka, we are always on the hunt for new initiatives to be a part of and inventive ways to make a difference in our planet’s wellbeing.

Our ingredients

We are proud to use veggies deemed too ‘ugly’ for supermarket shelves (our puppers definitely don’t mind!), with 85-95% of each Lyka recipe made using Australian ingredients sourced locally, sustainably and ethically where possible.

This helps supports Aussie farmers while reducing food mileage and offering the highest quality produce.

Packaging

To protect the planet and support sustainability, we have worked hard to ensure all packaging elements are recyclable or biodegradable.

Pouches

To keep soft plastics out of landfill, simply wash your Lyka pouches, dry them out and drop them off at your local soft plastic recycling service. For more detailed information on how you can recycle your soft plastics, get in touch with your local council.

Pupper Supps

Our Pupper Supps packaging uses 99% recycled plastic to maintain the longest shelf life possible, along with 99% recycled cardboard for the outer packaging — these can be popped into your home recycle bin.

Treats

Our treats packaging is completely biodegradable — you can simply pop it in your regular rubbish bin or your compost bin, and it’ll break down in about 30 weeks. That’s less time than it takes a banana peel to break down!

Boxes

Your pupper’s delivery box is designed to be tossed in your regular recycling bin with all your other boxes, bottles and paper scraps. In our Aussie kitchens, we recycle 90%+ of our cardboard and paper.

Wool insulation

One of the coolest parts of our packaging is our wool insulation. It is biodegradable but it can also be repurposed in many ways – all it takes is some creative thinking. One of our clever pack members even used it to insulate their caravan, while another insulated a bedhead!

Other ways to re-purpose your wool insulation:

• In the garden: our wool liner makes a great weed mat or coir alternative in a planter 

• For your pupper: as insulation for beds and kennels, or to pad up stuffed animal toys to give them a new lease of life 

• For your worms or bees: add it to your worm farm or use it as insulation in a beehive 

• As a cooler: to insulate shopping bags and picnic baskets 

Insulation wrapping

Our most recent innovation is the introduction of biodegradable wrapping for wool insulation, which breaks down in approximately six months. Toss it into your regular bin or organics bin. Softer than our original wrapping, the new material allows us to maintain high-quality insulation, while also doing our bit to help the planet.

Changing the game

We’re super excited to announce our brand-new recycling initiative. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and will soon be launching our new bio-based packaging that’s derived from plant material and can be recycled through soft plastic recycling.

Our key impact areas

Greenhouse gas emissions

Energy makes up around 34% of Australia’s total GHG emissions, which is why we take our choices seriously when it comes to energy consumption and the brands we purchase for our operational activities.

This year, 7% of our energy came from renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. Our supply chain is 90% domestic, which helps reduce transportation emissions.

We’ve installed solar panels with a total power of 99kWp at our Wetherill Park Facility (with plans to install more panels at other facilities very soon) — producing 73,255 kWh of electricity.

We also source our ingredients from sustainable suppliers and purchase “ugly bunch” veggies to help reduce waste and GHG emissions. Our recipes include the entire vegetable, including seeds and skins to add extra nutritional value while avoiding waste. By not ending up in landfill, these veggies are no longer producing methane and carbon dioxide gas.

Waste

We strive for zero waste and conservation of resources through responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of products, packaging and materials.

Our conscious approach to waste management touches all areas of Lyka and beyond.

We work with a waste management company to make sure the animal fat removed from our recipes is reused in the production of soap and other materials. We also recycle all metals, hard plastics and soft plastics in each of our facilities.

Our waste reduction efforts even extend to our suppliers as we work on new waste reduction strategies, so watch this space!

Water

We understand the importance of water to all living organisms and the planet. We aim to identify our main operational risks to water sources and take critical measures to reduce water usage and pollution.

Our process is not water intensive — we don’t use water for anything other than cleaning within our facilities. We’re reducing water contamination by using environmentally-friendly cleaning materials.

Biodiversity

We acknowledge the significant value biodiversity provides to healthy ecosystems and are committed to mitigating risks to biodiversity and supporting impact projects that positively affect these healthy ecosystems.

By sustainably sourcing a broad selection of ingredients that aren’t usually found in mainstream products, we’re supporting biodiversity and helping maximise the abundance and biodiversity of crops, going against the trends of monoculture.

We also support biodiversity in our carbon projects, which plant over 125 native species and support the growth of native animals and bird populations.

A greener future beyond 2022

We’re so proud to be reducing our pawprint and creating a more sustainable future alongside our pack. By being intentional about what’s going into your pupper’s bowl, you’re helping us chow down to a greener future.

Our journey is a long one, and we’re just getting started.