A significant step towards achieving our greater Eco-Friendly Mission is reducing our waste production. A small but mighty way of doing that? Crafting more sustainable packaging! So, in service of this greater mission, we’ve chosen to eliminate the plastic neck bands and cotton from our bottles. Here’s what you need to know:
- We will be saving 22,333 meters (almost 14 miles!) of plastic and over 1.5 tons of cotton from entering either landfills or environmental ecosystems each year.
- Each bottle will still be individually foil sealed to create an oxygen barrier, so the plastic neckband removal will not compromise quality, potency, or the ability to tamper with the seal.
- Our packaging will now be entirely plastic-free, with the exception of any iron-containing products (like our PureNatal® and Vita•Min•Balance® for Women). By law, dietary supplements containing iron are required to have child-resistant lids, which are only offered in plastic.
The downstream impact of plastic packaging is damaging to our environment in many ways:
Synthetic plastics are made from polluting fossil fuels, and plastic production requires the burning of even more fossil fuels – the plastic industry has one of the biggest carbon footprints in the world.
Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater, harming natural ecosystems.
Plastic doesn’t biodegrade like natural materials, instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller micro-plastic particles that pollute almost every ecosystem in the world – damaging the health of animals and humans alike.
Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, not only disrupts marine habitats but also can serve as a mode of transportation for invasive species.
With so much environmental disruption being caused by plastic, we couldn’t in good conscience continue to use it as a packaging material. As a company that feels indebted to the earth for providing us with nourishing natural ingredients, removing both plastic neckbands and cotton from our bottles puts us in greater alignment with our environmental values.
Not only that, but to generate awareness around the reduction and elimination of single-use plastics from our products, packaging, and personal lives, we joined the One Step Closer to Zero Waste Campaign.
We’re excited to amplify our impact by formally committing to combat packaging waste, and see it as a meaningful step toward reducing our overall carbon footprint. Next stop: net zero.
