Here’s how health companies are showing their true colours by making their products more sustainable.
By Irina Lytchak
Being a health-conscious brand is a top priority for many of today’s companies. So much so that there are countless brands claiming to be sustainable and eco-friendly to appeal to an increasing number of consumers who are rapidly becoming extra conscious of the products they use and the foods they eat.
Still, for a company to stand out in today’s booming health market, it’s not enough to just add organic or healthy ingredients to an already existing range of products so they appear environmentally friendly.
Today, many companies choose to go the extra mile to be sustainable. is means adopting an environmentally conscious philosophy as a business strategy rather than viewing it as a passing trend.
What is sustainability?
For a company to adhere to the principles of sustainability, it must reduce its carbon footprint and provide benefits to the environment. Some firms take the extra step in this direction by having their products certified as eco-friendly. is usually involves an in-depth examination of factors such as toxicity, biodegradability and the impact on human health of the product in question.
“We look at all of the potential health and environmental impacts that products can have,” says Dr. Angela Griffiths, executive director of the EcoLogo Program. “We create a standard that describes those impacts, and we have a list of what we require. And then we ask the company to provide us with documentation that proves they meet the standard.”
Certification processes are rigorous, and often include a visit from organizations such as EcoLogo to manufacturing facilities in order to verify the validity of all the provided information.
Applying is voluntary
Applying for certification is voluntary. The main focus is recognition of a brand or product that has gone the extra mile to reduce any negative impacts on the environment.
“ There are no laws requiring these certifications, so it’s all voluntary,” says Dr. Griffi ths. “We are trying to recognize the top performers in the industry and brands that are really creating a better product from an environmental perspective. We set the standards so that only those top products could pass.”
Standing out
Most brands approach companies such as EcoLogo in order to differentiate themselves from others in the same market. They want to be able to officially assert that their products are environmentally friendly. Vega, a plant-based nutrition company, is a top player when it comes to maintaining environmental sustainability in everything from its actual product, to its packaging and offices, down to what its employees eat for lunch.
“Sustainability is a strategy. I’ve said that from day one,” explains Charles Chang, president of Vega. “It should be built into your company, and if you try to add it on as a project, it’s not going to give you the best results. It’s about looking at all areas of the business.”
Chang strongly believes that being sustainable has defined an actual business policy for his company and given Vega a competitive advantage. Vega has gone as far as to hire a sustainability coach, someone who has worked with the brand to conduct regular reviews and design short-term plans, to give the company an edge in the health food market.
In a similar sense, being environmentally responsible and practicing sustainability are elements that are integrated into every aspect of the Andalou Naturals brand, a health-conscious beauty product manufacturer.
“By implementing practical solutions to maximize efficiency and minimize impact, with policy and products that help rather than harm at every stage of their cycle, we continually evaluate our progress,” says Stacey Kelly Egide, CEO of Andalou. “We believe sustainability is a smart model, and simply the way business should be done.”
Egide explains that Andalou meets a minimum 70 per cent certified organic ingredient content in all of its formulations by using organic, naturally originated, and biologically active ingredients at very effective levels.
Green washing
Aside from being environmentally conscious, the other factor that has many brands pulling toward adopting a sustainability policy is the consumer. Today’s consumers are more knowledgeable about the products they are using, what’s available to them and what impact they’re making on the environment.
“Our consumers are very conscious, very educated, and most budget-conscious with their money,” says Chang. “They are going to pay more to have full transparency and know that these products or these ingredients are not GMO and that they’re coming in locally. All of these things really matter to them, so it’s something we feel is demanded by our very discerning, conscious consumers in a growing market.”
This type of consumer awareness is quite essential, since there are so many companies out there today that claim to be eco-friendly, that really are not. Industry experts refer to this as “green washing.” An example of this is when a mass-scale brand purchases a smaller health company to give itself an overall image of being environmentally mindful. Andalou also believes in the importance of the consumer. “We created Andalou Naturals to use ourselves, to take home for our families, and to share with our friends,” says Egide. “We hope to include [our consumer] in our community. At Andalou, our green commitment is personal.”
Built into their DNA
“Companies have to have sustainability built into their DNA,” says Chang. “They have to live it, and I think they have to be very transparent in everything because you can’t be perfect. Sometimes performance and planet can conflict with each other, especially when you’re trying to sell a high-value product
that aims at reducing the carbon footprint.”
One of the main factors that has helped many brands differentiate from the rest in terms of where they stand on the sustainability scale is the ability to be transparent. EcoLogo develops its certification standards in a public process.
“We actually consult with industry, environmental and health groups, and we publish all of our documents so it’s very clear how we developed our standards and where,” says Dr. Griffiths. “And when we apply those standards, we apply them very rigorously. We have third party auditors, and our program is reviewed every few years by an outside party to make sure that we’re consistent with our own principles.”
It’s a known fact that there are many labels claiming to be something they’re not, and that’s where being certified makes an immense difference for an entire brand. Only committed industry players are able to officially stand behind the products and services they provide.
Educating the industry
EcoLogo also provides a marketing and education service on behalf of its clients.
“Once a company gets certified, we do a type of brand promotion for them—we do marketing, public relations outreach and we educate purchasers at organizations like hospitals and schools,” explains Dr. Griffiths. “We actually go out and educate the industry about the impacts of these products and what it means to have a product certified.”
Similarly, the companies that benefit from the services of certification programs such as EcoLogo have taken their own measures to strengthen their credibility as a green-conscious label. For Vega, sustainability goes far beyond the products it manufactures and how they impact the environment.
Important values
“The three areas that we have to nurture in order to be a sustainable business are performance, people and planet,” explains Chang. “But it’s not just about using certified paper or recycled brochures. You have to look at a much broader picture. In order to be a sustainable business, you have to have a great team in place with a very strong culture and values.”
In examining the details of a well-run sustainable brand, selling health-conscious products is just the start. A product that is plant-based means it has a smaller carbon footprint. A product that is rich in nutrients, with little or no filler, is more beneficial for the environment because it can hold
more content within a smaller weight.
Many brands decide on using only recycled paper in their office, while some companies use no paper at all and provide their employees with electronic tools instead.
Egide explains that at Andalou, all cartons, bottles and jars are recyclable and 100 per cent BPA-free. She also adds that in-store displays are constructed from natural materials such as wood, bamboo and metal, and can be easily dismantled for recycling after they have served their purpose.
How much processing?
The amount of processing a company puts its products through also makes a vast difference; the energy required in creating, packaging and shipping a product is what dictates the size of its carbon footprint. Sourcing locally is also a must, and since it’s not always possible, being very aware of where products are shipped from is the next step a company can take in ensuring benefits to the environment.
Egide says that Andalou packaging is designed to be beautiful while also aiming to minimize shipping materials. Label laminates use one-third less of the sheet material of typical labels, and printing requires 20 per cent less ink during the printing process than conventional printers.
“We collaborate to ensure our shipping practices and facilities are environmentally responsible and as low-impact as possible,” Egide says. “Andalou actively engages with shipping partners and manufacturers for innovative and cost effectve ways to save energy, reduce our carbon footprint, and utilize new technologies to reduce or eliminate air emissions and assure clean water.”
Some firms are also mindful of the kinds of materials in their office facilities, including furniture, lighting and even the types of products used for cleaning. For many of the top environmentally conscious players in the market today, these factors existed right from the start, or have since become integrated as core values in their company.
At the Andalou offices, employees have access to file sharing and cloud storage in order to eliminate paper files, and when paper is used, it’s 100 per cent post-consumer recycled and endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance.
“We’ve made every effort to eliminate duplicate and junk mail by contacting senders, confirming vendor catalogues only to be sent when requested, and ordering single magazine subscriptions for sharing,” says Egide. “We also have energy-saving water coolers filled with locally sourced spring water and energy-efficient lighting installed throughout our offices and parking lot.”
Green aspirations
Dr. Griffiths notes that the number of brands that come to EcoLogo for certification is growing extremely quickly, and that manufacturers and consumers are taking certification more seriously. This is partly due to the sheer number of labels claiming to be green when they’re not.
“There are too many green labels out there, but the good news is that it’s giving those of us that have the credible labels more work,” says Dr. Griffiths. “I’m very optimistic, and I think that companies are much more serious about developing greener products and greening their whole business practice actually.”
Room for improvement
Chang believes there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially with packaging.
“Packaging has a lot of opportunity,” he says. “We’re learning a lot more today, and we actually hired a packaging engineer who looks at alternate forms of packaging and is really trying to evolve our current dilemmas.”
Many brands that carry certified products still strive to achieve stronger results from reducing their carbon footprint. Along with reducing the negative impacts of packaging, many labels are experimenting with the actual ingredients of their products. Nonetheless, it’s clear that the idea of being sustainable is quickly evolving into a collective global effort. Today, it’s really about an entire company rather than just a single ingredient or line of
products. And it’s certainly not just a passing trend anymore to be green or organic. It’s a way of life.
