How Lovehoney Australia is reducing waste, saving costs and preparing for the future

In a busy warehouse in Brisbane’s Eagle Farm, Lovehoney Australia has been working quietly on a transformation. What started with a few spreadsheets and a single yellow recycling bin has grown into a waste management system that’s saving money, improving efficiency and reducing their environmental impact.

“Sustainability can be so broad, and so when you want to make improvements it can be hard to know where to start,” admits Fernanda Trigo, Lovehoney’s Brisbane-based Sustainability Champion.

“ecoBiz gave us direction, resources and a network. And focusing on electricity, water and waste was a helpful starting point,” Fernanda said.

From zero recycling to a streamlined system

When the Lovehoney team embarked on embedding sustainability practices in their Australian division, they were starting from scratch.

“Lovehoney is a global leader in sexual happiness – we create and sell adult toys, lingerie and sexual wellness products. So our business generates a lot of silicon, plastics and packaging,” Fernanda said.

“But we didn’t have recycling in place in our Brisbane location,” she explained. “The intention was there, but we needed procedures and to set up a system to measure everything.”

ecoBiz helped them identify manageable steps, beginning with a waste audit that laid the foundation for a range of improvements.

“All of the waste was mixed up, and we were being charged contamination fees because we weren’t separating materials properly,” Fernanda said.

Recycling stations with clearly labelled bins for soft plastics, cardboard, and e-waste now feature prominently at their Brisbane site. Since introducing these and other measures, Lovehoney Australia has reduced their waste intensity by 17%. They’re recycling as much as possible and have low waste contamination rates.

And by introducing a cardboard baler, Lovehoney reduced inefficiencies and saved money. “We used to pay for weekly cardboard pickups, but now we rent a cardboard compressor and get paid $10 per tonne of baled cardboard. It’s not much, but it makes a difference – and the overall cost is less than before.”

With 70% of its products company-made, Lovehoney has direct influence over many of its supply chains. The team is working with specialist engineers to redesign packaging to use less materials and replace plastic and foam with more sustainable alternatives like crimped paper.

Despite these improvements, there’s still some challenges to tackle. “We still don’t have a solution for textiles and silicone recycling, but we’re working on it,” Fernanda says.

Preparing for future reporting and disclosure

Lovehoney is proactively setting up systems to prepare for future mandatory reporting and disclosure requirements.

“We’re a European-owned company, and so our sites are aligned with those requirements. I wanted to understand more about Australian legislation,” says Fernanda, an industrial engineer who grew up in Chile.

“By setting up measurement systems now, we’ve built a foundation that allows us to adapt quickly and avoid additional costs or operational disruptions if our reporting requirements change.”

ecoBiz played a crucial role in this preparation. “Waste was the hardest to measure,” Fernanda says, “but our ecoBiz coach provided tools, contacts, and ideas that made it manageable.”

These systems not only help track progress but also ensure that Lovehoney is future proofing its business to stay ahead of evolving customer and reporting expectations.

As Lovehoney continues to grow – now with 8 sites across three continents – the company remains committed to reducing its environmental impacts alongside its economic goals. Alongside their waste initiatives, they’re still working on improving their electricity and water performance.

“It can be hard to focus on multiple things during rapid growth,” Fernanda said. “I’m proud that Lovehoney still makes room for these initiatives while expanding.”