With this week being a chance for us to highlight more ways to be eco-friendly for Earth Day, we’re sharing some companies that are striving for environmental sustainability on a daily basis.
These companies have sustainability plans for all of us to celebrate Mother Earth by taking care of our bodies and spirits, while also taking care of the environment that gives us life.
Here are the top eco-friendly items our Editor-in-Chief has been using to stay calm during these crazy times.
Bluebird Botanicals
Hemp Silk lotion: this CBD-based lotion is made with full-spectrum hemp extract, jojoba, carrot, and coconut oil for nice, natural cream for any joint pain ease or muscle relaxation.
“Our mission at Bluebird Botanicals is to make happy and healthy lifestyles radically accessible to everyone – and that extends beyond just our fellow humans. We believe it is our duty as a company and part of collective humanity to be responsible stewards of the Earth. That means implementing business operations and supply chains that let us harness the power of the Earth while still respecting and caring for it.” — Michael Harinen, Chief Brand Officer
BlueBird Botanicals’ sustainability initiatives:
- B Corp™ certification: adheres to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.
- Works directly with farmers who are true caretakers of their land and hemp crops. They partner only with those who participate in sustainable farming practices that don’t use harmful chemicals or other potential contaminants. This helps ensure that Bluebird Botanicals CBD products are always immaculate.
- Their policies and supply chain processes are structured in a way that has a negligible impact on the environment. Their farmers grow Bluebird hemp in greenhouses or outdoors, which generally has a lesser energy use impact than growing hemp at an indoor facility. They also practice crop rotation techniques that prevent soil erosion and restore nutrient balance.
- Use of regenerative agricultural practices including the use of drip irrigation systems, reusing drip irrigation lines, sourcing water from rainfall instead of pulling from the river and using clover as a cover crop. Bluebird also continually supports our farming partners in working toward adopting additional practices to support carbon sequestration.
- Bluebird looks for sustainable packaging options for our products and printed materials wherever possible. We use paper made from a combination of 25% hemp and 75% post-consumer recycled goods along with petroleum-free ink for our marketing materials, including everything from product boxes to business cards. The wrap Bluebird Botanicals uses in our product shipments is also made from 100% post-consumer recycled goods and is completely compostable. Even the packing peanuts included in our orders to our wholesale suppliers are biodegradable.
Gaia Herbs
Hemp & Herbs Calm: Helps manage day-to-day stress and provide relief from occasional feelings of anxiousness. Full-spectrum Hemp extract, offering endocannabinoid system support, is combined with a blend of traditional herbs known to support a sense of relaxation and tranquility, including Milky Oats, Holy Basil, and Lavender.
Hemp & Herbs Sleep: Helps prepare your mind and body for rest, so you can wake up feeling refreshed. The full spectrum Hemp extract, for endocannabinoid system support, with herbs traditionally taken to support relaxation and help gently lull you into a good night’s rest.
Sleep & Relax Herbal Tea: Taking time to relax while sipping a hot cup of tea can be a great way to help signal the transition between day and night and help melt the tension of the day away.
“By practicing regenerative farming practices on the Gaia Farm, we are truly able to unlock the potential that not only the herbs have, but the soil as well. Regenerative farming starts deep within the soil, where maintaining soil health, in turn, produces efficacious herbs, traps carbon, and creates a space for a plethora of biodiversity to thrive. When we started to develop our Hemp family line of products, we wanted to utilize the controversy around the plant to highlight the bigger picture: that Hemp could hold the key to raising up marginalized farming communities and educate farmers on regenerative agriculture. With products like our Hemp & Herbs Calm, 5% of our Hemp profits are donated through the Gaia Herbs Roots Initiative to programs and organizations that are working to create equality among farmers and pave the way for regenerative agriculture.”
— Alison Czeczuga, Head of Sustainability and Social Impact
Gaia Herbs Regenerative Farming Practices
- Cover Crop Rotation: they practice this throughout the year on at least 100 acres to improve soil health.
- Soil Building: After harvest, they turn any plant residuals back into the soil to increase organic soil matter.
- Herb Crop Rotation: They rotate crops annually or biannually to prevent the nutrient depletion that occurs with monoculture farming.
- Biodiversity Management: Their farmers plant an average of 20-30 species of herbs and over 100 species of fruits and vegetables to support a strong and balanced ecosystem.
- Soil Fertility Plan: A simple blend of plant-based ingredients are applied to the soil to act as probiotics for the soil.
Gaia Herbs Sustainability Initiatives:
- They donate 5% of their Hemp profits through the Gaia Herbs Roots Initiative, to programs that empower marginalized farmers and raise awareness for regenerative agriculture
- They were able to save 2,222 trees and 588,150 gallons of water in 2019 due to their packaging choices.
- Their cartons are made from 100% recycled paperboard sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-certified) forests, versus using a bleached paper option. They also chose a lower gauge of cardboard to use in our cartons in our new packaging in order to consume less paper.
- The use of recyclable amber glass bottles helps keep their products well protected from oxygen and light.
- They aim to become a zero-waste company by 2024, to help divert waste from the landfill, reduce our carbon footprint, and create a greener future for generations to come.
Moon Mother Hemp
“Moon Mother closes the gap between clean skincare and supplements and sustainability by producing products for the highest good of the people and the planet”- stated founder, Jessica Bates. “People are waking up to the fact that the products they buy are directly affecting the planet. People are investing more in sustainable products and supporting environmentally responsible companies. More than ever, buyers are showing interest in our ingredient sourcing and packaging materials. We are so excited about this shift in priorities for the public as sustainability has always been at the forefront of our priorities and we believe that as a people we can make a change and can do so with our purchasing power. As a company, it is our responsibility to provide a sustainable product and ensure that what we are producing is for the highest good of the people and the planet. We are considering sustainability in every choice we make from certified organic farming, crop rotation, and cover crops to 100% post-consumer recycled and hemp paper marketing materials, packaging and packing materials. Every choice you make as a company will affect the environment in one way or another. We even use water-activated paper tape on all of our packages to cut down on the amount of plastic in the world.”
— Jessica Bates, Founder, and CEO of Moon Mother Hemp
Moon Mother’s Sustainability Initiatives:
- Moon Mother shares the excitement for the shift in priorities for the public as sustainability has always been at the forefront of their priorities to make a change as a people with our collective purchasing power.
- As a company, it is they have made it their responsibility to provide a sustainable product and ensure that what we are producing is for the highest good of the people and the planet
- Besides our standard sustainability efforts (farming, water-soluble labels, glass, and low plastic packaging, etc) for April, they plan to highlight the following:
- EARTH DAY 50th ANNIVERSARY!
- History of Hemp
- Carbon Sequestering (stats from their farm)
- Hemp VS Cotton
- Hemp VS Paper
- Hempcrete
- What they can do as a brand to boost sustainability (packaging, closing the loop, sustainable packaging materials, etc ingredient sourcing)
- The specific brand of MCT they use (ethically harvested)
- What we can all do as consumers to boost sustainability (looking for 1% for the planet symbol, buying less, buying used, buying sustainably made ethical brands)
