5 Steps We're Taking Towards More Sustainable Packaging

This time last year, we pledged to implement new initiatives with sustainability in mind. This push to do better—along with our commitment to keeping our customers in the loop every step of the way—all ladders up to our mission of Traceability.

After all, we tell you where our omega-3 DHA comes from; we put a face to the scientists behind your vitamin D3. It just wouldn’t make sense that we’d continue to champion our Traceable supply chain and keep you in the dark about the environmental footprint of your mailer, or the composition of your Ritual bottle.

That’s why we’re excited to share our latest sustainability updates with you. We know that finding new use for old materials is one of the most planet-conscious decisions we can make, but one of the challenges was choosing materials that wouldn’t compromise the quality of our multivitamins. So we’re especially proud that we’ve been able to make strides forward—all with the knowledge that there’s always still work to be done.

Our bottles are now made with 100% recycled materials.

We’ve been on a mission to eliminate our use of virgin plastic from the very beginning. After testing out a lot of possibilities, we were excited to land on a bottle made from repurposed plastic, which means that it’s made from 100% recycled matter and hardy enough to meet our standards for product quality. The same goes for our caps, which are made from post-industrial resin (scraps from the manufacturing process). But let's put a finer point on it: In 2020, we will recycle an amount of plastic equivalent to approximately three million water bottles and counting.†

No new plastic in the world, and the same high standard of quality—that’s what we call a win-win.

Our mailers, too.

From the moment we sent out our first order, we've aimed to better understand the environmental impact of our packaging from every angle—so that you can feel truly great about the Ritual order that lands on your doorstep each month.

After learning a lot and experimenting with some different methods, we ultimately made the switch over to our current mailer, which is made exclusively from recycled newsprint and plant fibers. (Rip it open and see for yourself.) The mailers are made in Pennsylvania and the newsprint is sourced from the east coast. It’s padded to ensure the protection of your bottle, and it’s much kinder to the planet.

The extras that occasionally arrive with your order? Yep—they’re made with recycled material.

It would be kind of redundant to ship out an environmentally-friendly mailer packed with unsustainable materials, right? We’ve limited a lot of the calendars, booklets, and other collateral that sometimes arrives with your order, and those we do occasionally include are now made with recycled materials.

We even thought about the ink—it’s plant-based!

Our boxes are made with partially recycled material—and we aim to do better.

Our newest subscribers still receive their first order in a box—it’s how we set you up with everything you need to know about joining the Ritual fam. These boxes are made with some recycled materials, can be fully recycled, and the paper is sourced from sustainable forests. And in addition to scaling back to only using boxes for our month-one orders, we’ve made them smaller, too.

Still, we know that “partially-recycled” isn’t good enough. We’re actively pursuing alternatives, with the hope that we can still maintain the welcoming experience our new customers love.

Introducing our Carbon Offsetting Program

In early 2020, we officially became a Carbonfree® Shipping Partner with Carbonfund.org, a leading organization committed to reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. But what does that mean for you?

Basically, your Ritual order has to travel from our fulfillment center to your doorstep—and our new carbon offsetting partnership means that we can virtually erase the environmental footprint of that journey. Carbonfund.org helps us do this by donating to a number of sustainability initiatives like renewable energy, reforestation, and energy efficiency. We’ve already offset all order deliveries for 2019, and we’ll be tackling future orders on an ongoing, quarterly basis.

The bottom line: We’re committed to a more sustainable future, and we know this is just the beginning.

How does this all add up? As of April 2020, our mailing materials are now made from roughly 85.5% recycled materials—and we’re excited to bring that number to 100% over the coming months. We’ve also carbon offset all order shipments from the first quarter of 2020.

This dedication to doing better for our customers and the environment requires constant evolution: We’re always asking ourselves how we can improve our ecological footprint while upholding an unwavering standard for our product. The path forward isn’t always easy—but then again, obsessing over ways to challenge the status quo has always been our M.O.

†Using 10 grams as the average weight of a water bottle