Dietary supplement company PlantFusion has made another advance in its eco-friendly mission by beginning to offer its products in plant-based packaging, Packaging World reported.
PlantFusion has been making allergen-free and plant-based supplements for 15 years, with many of its products being Certified Organic, Non-GMO, kosher, and vegan.
However, until now, those supplement powders came in plastic tubs — par for the course for this style of product.
But that wasn't good enough, according to PlantFusion CEO and co-founder Phil Vigeant. "We see plastic as a big problem that needs other solutions, and the consumer needs options," he said, per Packaging World.
That's because plastic is bad for people and the environment. It produces microplastics, tiny bits of plastic that get into food, water, soil, and even air.
So, PlantFusion spent a year researching alternatives. The company considered paper but quickly realized it wouldn't keep out moisture well enough. And while recycled materials were an option, PlantFusion wanted something compostable.
What the company settled on was a layered material made from a "natural paper print layer, a mineral barrier layer, a plant-based barrier layer, and a plant-based sealant layer," Vigeant told Packaging World. The plant-based layers are derived from eucalyptus and cassava root.
With this new material, both the main pouch and the resealable zipper can be commercially composted. In fact, users can even compost the bags at home if they have a Lomi countertop composting machine.
To make sure that the material met PlantFusion's standards, the company went with a material that had been vetted by a third party.
"It's not that a supplier might be nefarious, they might just be oversimplifying what compostable means," said Vigeant.
The new plant-based multilayer packaging has a Biodegradable Products Institute certification, meaning it passed that organization's testing process — one standard across the board for compostable materials.
PlantFusion is switching its products to the new packaging, starting with PlantFusion's Organic Plant Protein in Creamy Vanilla Bean and Rich Chocolate flavors. The full organic fermented line, including its Alkalizing Greens, Fruitful Greens, Beet Powder, and Cacao Greens, was next, with more products to follow.
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