It’s sadly almost as common to find plastic waste in our oceans, lakes, ponds, and rivers as it is to find fish. Today’s plastic waste has led to everything from straws to soda can rings to microplastics filling our waterways. Packaging is a significant contributor to this waste as well. Forty percent of the world’s plastic makes all the bottles and containers you find your favorite products in. Many are used just once, and tossed.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Starting with personal health
Carlson began with a single vitamin E product, created in the Chicago apartment of the company’s founder. Today, it’s still a family-owned business, but their product list now extends to more than 200 unique items.
Products now include omega-3s, vitamin supplements, digestive aids, melatonin, mineral supplements and much more. You can shop by product or even search by health need to find your ideal match.
At the heart of Carlson is the desire to meet your family’s unique nutritional needs, and that message has blossomed to include an eye on the environment.
Dealing with the plastic
Not only are Carlson’s bottles all recyclable, but by working with IMPACT COLLECTIVE, they’ll offset around 100,000 pounds of plastic per year.
IMPACT is a collective of forward-thinking brands who want to make a positive impact by reducing or neutralizing their environmental footprint. Members participate in programs specifically geared toward reducing their carbon, plastic, water and/or energy footprints.
For Carlson, this partnership ties into their commitment to the environment and allows them to grow their contribution to protecting it. It also speaks directly to their passion for preserving the waterways where they produce one of their key products, fish oil.
Saving the water for the fishes
It all began, for Carlson, with a closer look at how all their products, including fish oil, were made. Paying extra attention, when possible, to making smart, environmentally-friendly decisions had an impact. This was especially visible in their fish oil manufacturing. By selecting fish oil from only those fisheries employing ethical practices and sustainable methods, Carlson took their first step. Now, they ensure that no portion of the fish used to make their fish oil is wasted.
From here, doing their part to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the water was a logical, and important step.
“As a pioneer in the North American fish oil industry, it’s a priority of ours to help preserve the waterways, especially those where our products are sourced from, for future generations. We want to be leaders when it comes to taking action to protect the environment and our waterways as well,” said Jared Thorson, Carlson VP of Sales & Marketing.
Continuing the work of sustainability
Even beyond their commitment to reducing their plastic footprint, Carlson offers environmentally-friendly options for employees right in their home office. Employees can take advantage of on-site container gardens in order to grow some of their own produce and electric car charging stations for their personal vehicles.
The company also places a strong emphasis on recycling and tries to limit their energy consumption through the use of motion-sensored LED lights.
With the help of IMPACT COLLECTIVE, Carlson can continue its mission to create superior supplements that support personal health, while also supporting strategies that give us, and the fish, a cleaner and safer planet to call home.