MegaFood | April 2023
You’d expect this blog post to start with a scary statistic about how soon there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. But we already know these statistics, and if you don’t, scroll to the bottom.
Our world is obsessed with plastic.
And the vitamins, minerals, and supplements (VMS) category is a sea of single use plastic bottles.
Why? Because plastic is functional, lightweight, and inexpensive. But we know it’s dangerous to both people and the planet.
Developing countries are not only most affected by climate change but they are often dealing with our plastic waste either being washed up onto shores or intentionally delivered in hopes of being recycled.
MegaFood recognizes that we have to do better. We are working on these bigger issues and most importantly transforming our own packaging. But this will take time. So, in the meantime, we are excited to announce Megafood is the first B-Corp VMS company in North America to have its products Plastic Neutral Certified by rePurpose Global. This means that for every pound of plastic our products generate, rePurpose Global will remove an equivalent amount of additional, verified plastic waste from the environment. Since 2022, we've recovered over 354,000 lbs. of plastic waste—that's equivalent to more than 10 garbage trucks of waste or 8 million plastic bottles! By supporting 3 rePurpose Impact Projects we will touch the lives of 640+ waste workers in India and Indonesia improving income and working conditions.
So, stay tuned to hear more about our packaging journey. We’ve put together a cross functional packaging committee to assess and develop more sustainable packaging solutions. And by 2025, the brand's goal is to move towards more sustainable materials. We will prioritize using post-consumer recycled materials, materials that can be curbside recycled, and the How2Recycle label to clearly communicate recycling instructions. As a B-Corp, MegaFood is committed to meeting high standards of performance, accountability, and transparency in all areas, and this includes packaging. To learn more about MegaFood’s Plastic Neutral Certification visit here.
Alarming Facts About Plastic
A report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation says by 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight). [1]
Globally, 91% of plastic waste is not recycled. [2]
In the next 10 minutes alone, 11.5 million pounds of plastic waste will be generated. [3]
3 billion people worldwide lack access to controlled waste disposal. [4]
Due to mismanaged waste and the inherently unethical nature of the informal waste sector, up to 1 million people (about the population of Delaware) in the developing world are dying annually. [5]