What is incognito®?
incognito® is a range of highly effective, natural insect repellents and bodycare products, created with outstanding ethical standards. Our products protect consumers from discomfort as well as mosquito-borne diseases and ticks, while protecting the planet from the impact of conventional insecticides.
Having survived both malaria and dengue fever contracted while travelling – despite using antimalarial drugs and synthetic repellents – our Founder and CEO was inspired to develop a natural product that really works to prevent insect bites, without harmful side effects to the user or the environment.
Vector-borne illnesses from insects account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, impacting the physical and economic wellbeing of millions of people, especially in low income countries. incognito® is 100% effective against mosquitoes that carry dangerous diseases like Zika, Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya.
Before we developed natural incognito®, synthetic, pesticide-based insect repellents such as DEET were considered the only effective options. Increasingly, however, research bodies such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are also now recommending PMD (our main active ingredient) along with the CDC & NHS.
Why we decided to apply for a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development
Competing for such a prestigious award inspires the incognito® team to be the best we can possibly be, challenging us to put what we believe into words, and to keep putting those words into action. It allows us to show ourselves, each other, our customers and suppliers that our commitment is real and can withstand close scrutiny.
Sustainable development is central to our business. We ensure incognito® products have the lowest environmental footprint possible in terms of formulation, production, packaging and distribution. Our range uses only 100% natural, biodegradable and even organic ingredients that do not pollute local groundwater, unlike conventional insecticides. We manufacture our flagship products in the UK, minimising transportation to key markets and all packaging is either free of plastic, or uses plastic made from sugarcane.
incognito® leads the way in its sector with innovative eco-solutions such as combining powerful sunscreen, moisturiser and repellent in one sugarcane tube, reducing the number of products and therefore the volume of packaging required by each consumer.
What winning the award has meant for our people
Everyone at incognito® has played a role in making our business sustainable – finding ways to eliminate single-use plastic packaging, communicating our values to customers, encouraging young staff to build new skills, building a supply chain in line with our ethos. This award belongs to every staff member, we all know what it means and we bear the Queens Award logo with pride.
How winning the award will benefit our business
As well as major supermarkets and pharmacies,incognito®is retailed through independent health stores and travel clinics worldwide. To them, the Queens Award attests to the high standards we apply to manufacturing and distribution processes, so that those retailers can confidently recommend us to their exacting customer base.
The award also boosts confidence in incognito®through the length of our supply chain, enabling us to work more effectively with suppliers and distributors around the UK and across the globe.
Advice for future Queen’s Award applicants
Do not underestimate the thought, genuine collaboration and hard work that goes into a successful bid. This is much more than a tick-box exercise and the more you put into it and the more you engage your staff in the process, the more it will mean if you do win.
Talk to all your people about the work they do alongside you, that makes your business worthy of this accolade, so that whether you win or not, you have plenty to celebrate!
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