Case studies: 9 rePurpose Global brand partners that we met at NPE West

‍Our partnership with brands enabled the recovery of 15 million kilograms of plastic in 2022 – that’s plastic that would otherwise have been left to pollute ecosystems in our natural environment and oceans.

Introduction

This is a celebration of our brand partners. We work with over 250 purpose-driven businesses. Every one of them is taking impactful environmental action: they are fighting plastic pollution by financing verified plastic recovery in partnership with rePurpose Global.

We work with brands of all sizes and across multiple sectors, from well-known names such as Grove Collaborative, Thrive Market, Johnson and Johnson, and Burt’s Bees, to brands that are just starting up.

Though we would love to showcase all of the pioneering businesses that are fighting plastic waste, we have just picked out nine of our partner brands that we had the good fortune to catch up with earlier this month (March 2023) at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California. 

This provides a snapshot of how we work together to build conscious brands, support waste workers, and take action on plastic waste.

For more information, or to join our coalition of brands, please reach out on letstalk@repurpose.global or via our website.

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1. Chocxo Chocolatier

Chocxo is a North American chocolatier creating lower sugar, organic chocolate products.

Peter Higgins, President of Chocxo, recognized that plastic waste was an issue that the brand needed to face up to:

"We have seen the devastating amount of waste generated everyday by the CPG industry. So to us, the urgency of this crisis was impossible to ignore. Our planet and communities need us to be better and always act responsibly, and Chocxo is making efforts to take action.”

These efforts include a plastic action strategy built around a partnership with rePurpose Global, and also including plastic waste reduction, and a path to 100% packaging recyclability and compostability.

Chocxo supports rePurpose Global's impact project Project Neela Sapana in Chennai, India. Chocxo’s Plastic Neutral certification ensures that the project will collect and process around 20,000 lbs of ocean-bound plastic waste this year. This partnership was announced in a press release, on social media and launched at Natural Products Expo West.

To hear more about Chocxo, and its partnership with rePurpose Global, click here.

2. Great Eastern Sun

Great Eastern Sun was formed in 1981 to distribute organic handmade miso as well as traditional, health Asian foods. Great Eastern Sun sells products in the U.S. under a number of brands including Miso Master Organic, Emerald Cove, and Haiku. It was a NEXTY award winner – for best new sauce/condiment/dip – at Natural Products Expo: awards that recognize “the most progressive, innovative, inspiring and trustworthy products”.

On Great Eastern Sun’s “plastic neutral journey” page, they explain some of the challenges that they face moving away from plastic packaging entirely. Their explorations of using paper packaging found that they would still need a layer of plastic, which would make packaging unrecyclable. They also found that, for their needs, glass would be more energy intensive and more difficult to transport. Great Eastern Sun continues to work with suppliers to find solutions that reduce or eliminate plastic in containers, and are hopeful of developing alternatives.

Going Plastic Neutral with rePurpose Global allows them to take immediate responsibility for the plastic they use, while having the additional benefits of supporting waste management infrastructure and waste workers in India.

"One of the ways we gauge success as a company is by ensuring our actions align with our ethos and that of our customers. Every time we share our plastic neutral journey with customers and buyers, there is a genuine interest in the rePurpose initiative. Our plastic neutral program allows us to hold ourselves accountable and helps our customers shop their values." (Leila Bakkum, National Sales Director, Great Eastern Sun)

Their commitment to tackling plastic waste is something that is shared proudly on their website homepage.

The rePurpose Plastic Neutral logos are also prominent on product packaging along with a ‘Now Certified Plastic Neutral’ banner.

Click here to read more about Great Eastern Sun and their Plastic Neutral journey.

3. Lil Bucks

Chicago-based Lil Bucks makes snacks and toppings featuring organic, American-grown sprouted buckwheat.

The brand’s mission-driven approach – to support sustainable, regenerative farming as well as healthier snacking – has seen it grow quickly since its foundation in 2018. The products are now available in over 100 retailers, including Whole Foods.

Growing buckwheat increases crop diversity and helps farmers replenish their soil, and Lil Bucks have a learning section on their website dedicated to educating their customers about the importance of soil health. With such a big emphasis on planetary health, it was important for the brand to also take responsibility for their plastic use. In a blog post about going Plastic Neutral with rePurpose Global, Lil Bucks Founder and CEO Emily Griffith explains:

“We have been on a long journey to find the most sustainable packaging for our snacks and granolas. We've tried compostable and recyclable but they didn't protect the food enough and it ultimately would lead to more food being wasted. So while we wait for the technology on more sustainable food pouches to catch up, we're going plastic neutral to at least cancel out the plastic we have to use – and empower another community making huge strides in recycling.”

The community in question is in Bekasi, Indonesia - home to one of the world’s largest landfills. rePurpose Global project Laut Yang Tenang works in Bekasi, and with financial input from brands like Lil Bucks, the project supports waste workers and their communities to collect and recycle ocean-bound plastic.

“I am so thrilled to partner with and support rePurpose Global as they perfectly align with our mission. Becoming sustainable is a journey, and even though we still have to use plastic now, this is a great step forward.” (Emily Griffith, Founder and CEO, Lil Bucks)

For more the inside story of Lil Bucks and their buckwheat products, click here. 

4. Little Moon Essentials

Little Moon Essentials is a bath and body care brand that makes 100% natural, handmade products in the USA. The brand ethos is built around being natural and planet-friendly. 

“We have been using earth-honoring practices since the company started in 1994. We cherish Mother Nature and all the gifts she provides us to survive, thrive, and feel alive!” says Rae Steele, Chief Operating Officer at Little Moon Essentials.

Little Moon Essentials live up to this by producing cruelty-free and vegan-friendly products, but also using biodegradable and recyclable shipping materials and reusable and/or recyclable packaging. They also live up to their values by going Plastic Neutral with rePurpose Global, and financing plastic action through project Anant Pranay in Maharashtra, India.

The partnership with rePurpose Global is visible on product packaging, and features on the Little Moon Essentials website and as part of their core brand messaging.

“Our planet’s journey to eliminating plastics will be a long one, but the time to act is now. We hope others will feel inspired by rePurpose Global and the amazing work that they do.” (Rae Steele, Chief Operating Officer, Little Moon Essentials.)

For more information about Little Moon Essentials, click here to go to their website.

5. Mananalu

Jason Momoa's bottled water brand Mananalu aims to provide a more sustainable option for people drinking water ‘on the go’. As well as using recyclable aluminum bottles, Mananalu has a ‘Drink One, Remove One’ promise at the core of the brand. This means that each bottle of Mananalu water removes the equivalent of 1 ocean-bound plastic bottle from through rePurpose Global’s project Laut Yang Tenang in Java, Indonesia.

Though the Mananalu product is plastic free, they differentiate from other water brands by having an environmental mission to clean-up ocean-bound plastic waste. Their plastic recovery efforts are publicized across channels including their website, social media, and PR such as the launch of Mananalu at Whole Foods Market in March 2023. Customers can even purchase ‘plastic offsets’ of 100lbs or 200lbs via the Mananalu shop.

The partnership has so far resulted in 239,276 lbs of plastic waste recovered (December 2020 - March 2023) and recycled into pallets. Mananalu’s partnership with rePurpose Global also contributes towards livelihoods and safer working conditions for waste workers in Indonesia.

“Single-use plastic is bad for people and the planet. By partnering with rePurpose Global, we don't just offer an alternative, but actively remove plastic from the environment. That's impact. That's change. That’s what we are a part of.” (David Cuthbert - CEO, Mananalu)

To read more about Mananalu and how plastic recovery supports the brand, click here.

6. Murphy's Naturals

Murphy's Naturals produce natural mosquito repellents. Mosquito repellents often rely on chemicals such as DEET to be effective, but Murphy’s Naturals has created DEET free, responsibly sourced ingredients.

It has been a B Corp since 2015 and participates in 1% for the Planet (donating 1% of annual sales to environmental causes). Murphy’s has partnerships with Climate Neutral, Grove Collaborative’s Plastic Free Initiative, Compost Now, and - of course - us at rePurpose Global.

The company launched their work with rePurpose Global in a post on their website. The post acknowledges the detrimental effects that plastic pollution has on our environment and outlines how Murphy’s are working diligently to reduce and remove unnecessary plastic in products and packaging. As they continue to reduce use of virgin plastic (this work is ongoing, and they recently removed plastic windows from a couple more products reducing their plastic footprint by a further 273 lbs), they are taking immediate impact on plastic waste by being certified Plastic Neutral through rePurpose Global.

Plastic Neutrality formed an entire page of the Murphy's Naturals 2022 Impact Report, which detailed how - in 2022 alone - the brand was responsible for recovering and recycling over 30,000 lbs of ocean-bound plastic waste through rePurpose Global's project in Indonesia.

Read more about Murphy’s Naturals' Plastic Neutrality efforts here.

7. Sunwink

Sunwink produces 100% plant-based superfoods and herbal tonics that support daily wellness. The brand is female-founded, focused on inclusivity, and gives 2% of revenue to community and environmental causes.

Sunwink has a commitment to use 100% recyclable or recycled packaging by 2025. Plastic Neutrality with rePurpose Global allows the brand to take action on plastic waste while this journey is underway. 

There’s a blog for customers to learn about Plastic Neutral on the Sunwink website, and the Plastic Neutral certification logo appears on Sunwink’s packaging.

Sunwink supports Project Anant Pranay: a partnership between rePurpose Global and Carpe/EcoSattva – a women-founded business in Aurangabad. The project collects and recovers low value waste that would otherwise have polluted the natural environment.

‍Click here to read about Sunwink’s Plastic Neutral certification with rePurpose Global

8. Thrive Market

Thrive Market is an online market offering healthy and sustainable products. Thrive Market has over 1 million members, and ambitious environmental goals. They are a B Corp, with zero waste goals, and ambitions to be carbon negative by 2025. Thrive Market has also recently partnered with rePurpose Global to take action on plastic waste. It has certified plastic neutral own-brand products, and is working towards plastic neutrality for packaging and shipping materials in 2023.

In a January 2023 interview with Forbes Senior Manager of Mission, Kristin De Simone discussed Thrive Market’s work towards becoming the world’s first climate positive grocery store. This includes action on plastic waste, and in August 2022 Thrive Market executed a full-scale packaging reduction effort to reduce 70% of all plastic packaging. However, like many other brands, Thrive Market still have challenges in finding eco-friendly packaging materials for some products that are both effective and affordable:

“We tested multiple variations of compostable bags during the last three years, initially identifying that the majority of those tested did not hold liquids reliably over a long period of time, and weren’t effective vessels for shipping.”

Plastic Neutrality therefore provides an impactful community-based solution whilst working towards a Zero Waste Certification that isn’t based on a diversion percentage. Thrive Market’s partnership with rePurpose Global supports plastic recovery projects and communities in India, Kenya, and Colombia.

“Being Plastic Neutral Certified through rePurpose Global marks our commitment to transparent progress on our footprint reduction and to direct investment in projects that fight the global plastic pollution crisis.” (Kristin De Simone, Senior Manager of Mission, Thrive Market)

Not only that, but Thrive Market and rePurpose Global launched a new Plastic Action Working Group. The working group will share knowledge, best practices and industry updates on plastic waste reduction and management. This partnership was publicly launched at NPE West in 2023.

rePurpose Global is working closely with Thrive Market’s employees and partner brands too. As part of the partnership we will be delivering a series of webinars to increase understanding and awareness, and co-create further opportunities to spread the fight against plastic waste.

For more on Thrive Market’s work to tackle plastic waste, see their FAQs page or the interview in Forbes.

9. WooBamboo

Last, but not least (we've listed brand in alphabetical order), we met WooBamboo at NPE West too. WooBamboo is an oral care brand, and while perhaps most famous for its bamboo toothbrushes, it also sells environmentally friendly toothpaste and dental floss.

Stephen Hyde, Co-founder and CEO of WooBamboo recognized the oral care sector’s unsustainable role in producing plastic waste:

“We have seen the devastating amount of waste generated every day by our industry. It is no longer enough to simply offset what’s equivalent to our own ecological footprint. Instead, we need to go beyond mitigating our harm. To us, the urgency of this crisis was impossible to ignore and we decided to step up – for ourselves and even for our competitors who aren’t yet taking climate action. Our planet needs us now, and WooBamboo is taking strong strides to protect her,”

These strides include WooBamboo becoming the world’s first certified plastic negative oral care brand. Every WooBamboo oral care product purchased helps to fund the recovery of ocean-bound low-value plastic waste in Goa, India, through rePurpose Global’s project Saaf Samudra.

In a separate interview Stephen's fellow Co-founder Christopher Fous shared the optimism he felt about working with rePurpose Global:

“When COVID hit, we wanted something to be positive about… going plastic negative will continue to serve as a constant reminder for us to continue to innovate. The goal is progress, not perfection. Every small step toward a more waste-free world is in the right direction.”

For more on WooBamboo’s work with rePurpose Global, see their Plastic Negative page.

‍Conclusion

An estimated $600 billion is needed to overhaul global waste management systems in a way that protects oceans from plastic pollution. Our brand partners are voluntarily helping to close some of this finance gap.

This positive action from brands goes towards scaling up of operations and the development of waste management infrastructure in places where it is most needed, and helps to support waste workers and communities.

Our partnership with businesses enabled the recovery of 15 million kilograms of plastic in 2022 – that’s plastic that would otherwise have been left to pollute ecosystems in our natural environment and oceans.

As you can see from the case studies above, working with rePurpose Global supports brands to meet sustainability goals, build their brands, and use certifications and communications to show customers that they are serious about acting on the plastic waste crisis.

For anyone interested in joining these fantastic conscious companies in rePurpose Global’s coalition, please reach out for more information.

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