Safety is a top priority

We live in uncertain times where cybercrime is becoming more and more prevalent. That’s why we take security at Autismeshoppen.dk seriously. We’ve provided 3 active and independent layers of protection that make it extremely difficult for hackers to break in. First and foremost, we have stable servers that can handle most DDoS attacks. There have been quite a few of them in recent years, but none of them have been successful in interrupting the service and affecting the availability of the shop.

In addition, our servers and the shop itself have two independent firewalls and malware protection. This means that we identify and neutralize both attacks that search for weaknesses in the system, brute force attacks, as well as attacks that target specific key pages (login, checkout, etc.).

To make it virtually impossible for hackers to take control of the store, all system users from those with write access to administrators must use 2FA, which in practice means logging in on both your computer and your mobile phone to access the store.

Last but not least, an expert team is ready to move immediately should the unlikely happen and we are affected by an attack.

For you, all this means that your data and your transactions are well protected.

Environment and climate

The environment and climate is the most important issue that our generation must find answers and solutions to. We are fully aware of this at Autismeshoppen.dk and we are happy to take our share of the responsibility as much as possible. Since people often wonder whether shopping online is environmentally or climate friendly, we’ll try to explain what it actually means for the climate to shop with us.

Autismeshoppen.dk is hosted on servers where our server provider neutralizes most of their carbon footprint through their partnership with Carbonfund.org and by getting involved in various initiatives such as planting trees, saving water and electricity, and sending old equipment for recycling.

The shop itself is an online-only store, which means we save electricity, heat and water that is normally used to heat, light and operate a store. The online-only nature of the shop means that we can only make do with warehouse facilities that physical stores typically have in addition to their retail space. This way, we can limit our consumption so much that our electricity bill for e.g. March 2023 was DKK 71, while our heating bill for the whole of 2022 was around DKK 2500. Of course, this doesn’t just mean we can offer you better prices. This also means that we have as little impact on the climate as possible and much less than the average physical store.

In addition, our company only has one other means of transportation available – a cargo bike, which we use for transporting goods and staff. This means no cars and no fuel within the company.

Our supply chains lead to both Europe and China, so we shouldn’t pretend we’re not part of the problem – on par with any other store in Denmark that offers international brands and goods. But we are trying to optimize deliveries so that we only need to arrange deliveries from China once a year, for example, and expand our collaboration with Danish and European manufacturers and suppliers. By using suppliers, the goods are slightly more expensive, but the deliveries from Asia to Europe are so large that it is possible to optimize transport and thus CO2 emissions on a completely different level.

When the goods arrive at the warehouse, they are sorted and the boxes they are delivered in are assessed. We are happy to recycle all boxes and box fillings that are in good enough condition to properly protect your goods. All boxes that are broken on delivery and plastic wrap are sent for recycling. The packaging we use to pack orders is 90% cardboard and paper. Some shipments are sent in plastic bags as we have not yet found suitable paper bags in a large size. This is a decrease in plastic usage by over 90% since the company’s inception, when most orders were wrapped in plastic shipping bags.

To minimize our climate and environmental footprint, we also work towards a goal of only throwing away products that can’t be used by anyone. Products with damaged packaging are sold either with a warning or at a reduced price, depending on the situation, while products with “cosmetic” damage or minor defects are sold as second-rate products with a clear description of the defect. Some products with more extensive bugs that can still be used are even given away for free. These promotions include different items and continue until the item is available. So far, we’ve had similar offers on items such as ball/gravity duvets, the Thor weighted teddy bear, the very popular plasma ball, and magnetic drawing boards. Our company experiences an exceptionally low level of returns where the goods have been unpacked or used. Currently, the average percentage of such returns is 0%. However, we are prepared to facilitate the sale of such items as used goods at lightning speed when appropriate.

When you order with us, we ship your order with GLS or PostNord. GLS works with both minimizing their CO2 emissions and carbon offsetting for those emissions that have not yet been eliminated. GLS has an ambition to be 100% CO2 neutral by 2045, while half of their fleet should be zero- or low-emission vehicles by 2030. PostNord is also working on a sustainability plan, which means that the delivery of parcels must be fossil-free by 2030, while CO2 emissions must be reduced by 40% by the end of 2025 compared to 2020. Of course, you can also help reduce your CO2 emissions now by ordering parcel shop delivery instead of door-to-door delivery, thinking carefully about your needs and contacting our customer service before ordering. This way you avoid unnecessary environmental impact caused by the extra transportation of goods in the event of a cancellation or exchange. If you’re buying gifts, talk to the recipient about the gift to make sure you buy something they want – and avoid returns or exchanges.

Responsibilities

We at Autismeshoppen know that we also have a social responsibility. That’s why, despite our small size, we’ve tried to do our part to make the world a better place. Among other things, we have supported the Julemærkefonden by paying 30 øre for every shipment we sent in the period September-December 2020 and 2021. In addition, we have donated 3 boxes of goods to families with limited means in 2021 and delivered a pallet of goods to Mødrehjælpen in November 2022.

Our donation to Mødrehjælpen inspired us to make this type of donation an annual tradition, where we select an organization and donate a range of goods – and where we know that there are competent people who are good at distributing to the right people.

We know that we will be able to do more as the company grows and we believe that our growth will soon allow us to realize our ambitions.

That’s why we say THANK YOU for choosing to shop with us – your order takes us one step closer to a future where we can do more for those less fortunate.