We are excited to announce our new post-consumer recyclable packaging for some of our core products. We've wanted to move away from un-recycled plastic containers and glass for a while now. This change is our first step in improving our entire packaging portfolio to sustainable materials.
Let us break down why we're making this switch and how it will be better for our customers and the environment.
Why Move Away From Plastic Packaging?
Plastic packaging has become ubiquitous. While many brands claim that using plastics is okay for the environment because plastic can be reused, the truth is that less than 2% of plastic waste produced since the 1950s has been recycled (1). More than 90% have ended up landfilled or in our natural environments.
Plastic waste has become a massive problem for the planet. It's estimated that over five trillion pieces of plastic debris are in the world's oceans, devastating marine life. Plus, microplastics have been found in the tap water of over 80% of countries worldwide. These tiny pieces of plastic can be ingested by humans and cause serious health problems.
We're all aware of the impact of our daily purchases. Most customers want to do their part to help the environment and want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly in their daily lives. It's clear why. Roughly 63lbs of plastic packaging per person ends up in landfills in the U.S. every year. Plastic also accounts for 16% of all municipal solid waste in the U.S. and 50%-80% of the waste littering beaches, oceans, and seabeds.
Why do away with glass packaging?
Well, it comes down to how much of the recycling industry handles waste by throwing recyclable materials in the same pile before a specialized facility attempts to unscramble the mix.
Put plainly, unfavorable economics have forced the waste industry's hand, making this single-stream recycling obsolete.
Most of the problems with glass are pretty obvious:
1) Glass breaks under pressure.
2) Glass is heavy.
3) Shipping heavy and delicate materials is expensive.
Other problems with glass are a little more nuanced. Broken glass shards become a contaminant that lodge in cardboard, paper, and plastic materials, eliminating the value of the glass and the other materials. Broken glass can also endanger workers and jam a recycling facility's machinery.
That's why we're switching our glass bottles to plastic for easier recycling. We’ll also be moving our powdered products to post-consumer recycled bags. These changes will help us do our part in reducing plastic waste by moving to materials that make a significant difference to our environment.
What does "Post-Consumer Recycled" mean?
"Post-consumer recycled" (PCR) means that the material has been recovered from consumers and made into new packaging. The majority of new plastic is produced from non-renewable fossil fuels. But recycled plastics don't need any new petroleum to be sourced, and they divert recycled materials from ending up in a landfill, reducing strain on the environment.
That's why the packaging for our newest product, coming soon, will be made mostly from PCR materials.
This change is one of the many ways we're working hard to be more sustainable. We're constantly looking for ways to improve our packaging and will be evolving our approach to sustainability over the next couple of years. We hope you are as excited about this change as we are.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our customer service team. We would be happy to chat with you about this change or anything else on your mind.
