Watch: Ecostore’s health and safety transformation
Industry
Manufacturing
Location
Auckland
“We’re going to be pushing forward through process and policy enhancements, constantly looking for ways we can do things better.”
– Tony Acland
“Our experience with the EU process has been highly positive. It helped us establish best practices and reframe health and safety within our organisation through a proactive culture.”
– Tony Acland
EMA member ecostore has spent more than 30 years building a globally recognised New Zealand manufacturing brand focused on sustainability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Founded in 1993, ecostore produces plant- and mineral-based home and personal care products designed to be safer for people and the planet. From laundry detergents and cleaning products to body care ranges used in homes across New Zealand and around the world, the company has grown from a small purpose-driven business into an international manufacturer with a strong reputation for sustainability, transparency, and local production.
But in 2023, a serious workplace incident became a defining turning point for the business.
During a routine manufacturing process at its Auckland facility, a pressurised hose detached from a pressure pot, causing concentrated fragrance and surfactants to spray into the air. A team member attempting to shut down the system suffered chemical burns to their eyes. While the company’s health and safety systems were documented, audited, and technically compliant, the incident revealed a harder truth: some of those systems were not working effectively in practice.
The event prompted ecostore to undertake a full review of its health and safety approach, beginning with immediate support for the injured worker and wider team, followed by a comprehensive investigation into what had gone wrong. The company also worked openly and proactively with WorkSafe through an enforceable undertaking process, using the experience not simply to address compliance issues, but to fundamentally rethink how safety operated across the organisation.
In the video below, Chief Operating Officer Tony Acland explains how the business recognised that the incident exposed deeper gaps in training, PPE accessibility, emergency preparedness, risk identification, and governance structures. What followed was not a quick fix, but a company-wide shift from reactive compliance to a far more proactive and engaged safety culture.