Great things are happening when it comes to the health of our planet. With increased attention on environmental sustainability, companies are becoming more conscious of their operations and are implementing sustainable practices into their overall strategy. Many brands are working to make changes to mitigate the global climate crisis, create sustainable consumer packaged goods, and explore opportunities in ESG (environmental, social, and governance).
There are too many examples to list, but these CPG (consumer packaged goods) companies are making serious headway in their sustainable plans. Maybe they can inspire you too!
- Clif Bar & Company
Clif Bar & Company is raising the bar (pun intended!) to protect clean air, clean energy, and a healthy climate. They are committed to making products from sustainable and organic ingredients and using clean, renewable energy. They’re placing their products in environmentally-friendly packaging and delivering them in transportation that doesn’t pollute by joining EV100, a global initiative aimed at accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and making electric transportation the new normal by 2030.
To date, sustainability practices at Cliff Bar include:
- 100% green power electricity at all its facilities
- 82% of all ingredients are organic and/or certified sustainable
- 90% of their waste is diverted from landfills and incinerators
Clif Bar also joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Commitment to Packaging with Purpose and pledged that all its packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.
- Organic Valley
Organic Valley is continuously exploring ways to better their products, animal care standards, farmer and employee well-being, and impact on the planet. They’re already the biggest CPG company to source electricity for its owned facilities from 100% renewable energy. They’ve also committed to becoming completely carbon neutral by 2050 through carbon insetting, the practice of investing in carbon reductions and/or removals within a company’s own supply chain. Removals are natural strategies including tree plantings and soil health improvements that result in removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere through a process called carbon sequestration.
- Sambazon
The first company to harvest Açaí, Sambazon is deeply connected to its Brazilian roots. What’s unique about Sambazon is the company’s involvement in the Amazon rainforest. Their efforts to protect the rainforest’s biodiversity and animal species is something they’re always thinking about.
A member of One Step Closer, Sambazon also works with other brands to encourage those in the natural products industry to use leading-edge solutions in sustainable and environmentally-friendly packaging. Conducting tests of their own on materials that can be composted and/or recycled, Sambazon has pledged to achieve 100% plant-based and post-consumer recycled packaging by 2025. They’re also already using alternative energy to power their processing factories.
- Kashi
Kashi is doing so much more than simply making delicious snacks, cereals and full meals, they’ve got a clear eye on the environment as well. As a member of 1% for the Planet, Kashi will donate 1% of their annual sales to organizations focused on creating a healthier, more sustainable planet. Even small donations into big initiatives can positively impact planet health, especially when that money is combined with other organizations towards the same goal.
Other sustainable action items for Kashi include:
- Measuring all the carbon emissions produced from cooking and baking their products in order to offset that amount from the atmosphere
- Maintaining the Fair Trade status in order to prevent deforestation and other issues related to climate change
- Increasing the percentage of organic farmland in the country
- Working in LEED and SERF certified buildings (including Kashi Villa in Solana Beach, CA)
- Taking packaging to 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025
IMPACT COLLECTIVE Members
IMPACT COLLECTIVE is PDI Sustainability Solutions’ turnkey sustainability program designed for CPG brands looking to mitigate their environmental footprint. This group of forward-thinking brands wants to make an immediate and positive impact.
Like some major CPG companies out there, IMPACT COLLECTIVE members participate in programs to reduce their carbon, plastic, water and/or energy footprints, then proudly display our IMPACT COLLECTIVE seals on their packaging. With every IMPACT purchase, you are supporting brands that are actively leaving a positive mark on the environment.
Here are a few IMPACT members who are inspiring other companies to think more sustainable, just like their big-name counterparts above.
- Natreve
Natreve’s mission is all about wellness. This includes wellness for the body and the environment. As they make their gluten-free, non-GMP wellness products, they also keep a close eye on both their carbon footprint and their plastic use.
Natreve works with Plastic Bank® to offset plastic use by cleaning up what’s already out in the world’s oceans. Collected materials are reprocessed and reused.
Through IMPACT COLLECTIVE, Natreve offsets their carbon footprint by investing in renewable energy. They’re now certified as carbon neutral because of their efforts.
- KADA
As a clothing brand taking a close look at the materials used within their own industry, KADA is implementing responsible manufacturing and design practices to improve their company’s environmental footprint. They strive to avoid unnecessary waste, use responsibly-sourced fabrics, and partner with mills and factories implementing their own sustainable practices.
Their collaboration with IMPACT COLLECTIVE allows KADA to offset their water use. While it’s an unavoidable part of the manufacturing process, investing in global water projects allows KADA to give back what it’s taking away. They offset a percentage of the water used to make their entire clothing line.
- Romer
For a skincare line like Romer, taking sustainability seriously means acknowledging the vast amounts of waste produced within this specific industry. It’s a combination of how products are produced and what they’re packaged in, but both issues are prime for revision, and Romer is already ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability.
With IMPACT by their side, Romer has tackled all the major areas of waste. They’re a water-neutral, carbon-neutral, and plastic-neutral company. What that translates to is:
- Using recycled plastic in all bottles and tubes
- Shipping products in containers made from recycled or biodegradable materials
- Reclaiming 100% of each sold product’s packaging, in weight, from ocean-bound plastic
- Investing in renewable energy and carbon offset programs
- Neutralizing their water footprint by participating in certified water restoration projects
Make a change for good
It’s natural to feel inspired by all the sustainable practices these companies are investing in! It can seem daunting to take this on in your own business, but you don’t have to operate alone. Strategies like these are within reach for any business. IMPACT COLLECTIVE is committed to helping its members achieve their sustainability goals with turnkey solutions. Visit https://impactcollective.eco/contact/ to get started today.