Actions we have taken to be a Sustainable Business

We are committed to becoming a sustainable business that integrates business interests with our brand values, ethics, and principles. We are transparent across our supply chain and continually improve the ethical sourcing of our ingredients. We introduce new packaging innovations and strive to produce the best products, whilst doing as little harm to the planet as possible. 

We believe that the smallest unsustainable decisions can cascade into having a significant negative effect on the environment. Therefore, we have analysed every aspect of the business to make impactful decisions for both planet and people. 

Our Ingredients

We work with food scientists, nutrition experts and a botanicals team to masterfully blend our ingredients and create our products. One of our top priorities is to source the best ingredients from environmentally conscious, sustainable, and organic suppliers whenever possible. Our innovative products support your health goals and are free from fillers, additives, dairy, gluten and refined sugars. We care about the sustainability of the ingredients supply chain, the efficacy of the product and your health and wellbeing. 
Our Cacao + Collagen and Coffee + Collagen blends are certified by the UK’s leading organic body – the Soil Association.  

Why should you look out for this logo? The Soil Association imposes a rigorous set of internationally recognised standards. It delves into key areas such as animal welfare, protecting human health, and safeguarding the environment. If a product has the Soil Association logo it provides reassurance that the product is meeting some of the highest available organic standards, putting your health first. 

To take a step further, we have introduced a Code of Conduct for our suppliers covering all aspects of sustainability and commitment to produce goods and services that minimise energy use, waste and social impacts. Each supplier has to sign this code of conduct which ensures that they are taking the necessary steps.

Our Packaging

We consider environmental sustainability in every aspect of our packaging and make responsible choices that challenge a traditional model of maximising profit. We choose recycled and recyclable packaging (FSC card,  glass and compostable packaging) –  we believe that packaging should be more than a one-use item. 

All of our card and paper packaging is unbleached,  chlorine-free and has Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification which means it is sourced from materials that meet strict standards to protect forests, animals and the people who depend on them. The FSC promotes forest stewardship to enable resilient forests that create environmental,  socioeconomic value and benefits. Interestingly, each FSC approved paper has a serial number associated with it. With this number, you can find out which forest the paper is sourced from. 
Our foil is recyclable! Our partner, Foilco, created a foil that is so incredibly thin  (less than 2.5 microns) it dissipates within the re-pulping  process when recycled. Traditional foil is too thick to go through this repulping process and this often means the paper or card is not recycled and goes to a landfill. The coating weight of our foil is less than conventional inks and therefore our packaging can be thrown in your recycling bin. Foilco is also happily certified as a Zero2LandFill company.  

Recently, we reassessed our marketing materials on their sustainability. We recognised that we haven’t taken the necessary steps for sourcing eco-friendly postcards. This soon changed. We have now sourced postcards that are FSC certified. The company that print our postcards are less than 30 miles away and they are picked up by one of the employees (who lives nearby) to save emissions. Why double up the journey!?

Our Charity Work

There is no planet b and for that reason, we are giving back with every purchase you make. At the beginning of 2021, we became a member of 1% For the Planet. We have pledged one percent of revenue on every product we sell to environmental causes and social initiatives working to protect the planet.  

We have become a corporate supporter for Rainforest Concern. Rainforest Concern has helped to protect over 5 million acres of threatened rainforest around the world since the charity was founded 27 years ago.  They manage forest conservation projects in South America, Europe and India. Rainforest Concern avoids deforestation of critically endangered habitats by working with local communities and indigenous groups to understand the issues and find long-term solutions to the threats they are facing. Read more here.

Next Steps...

We have begun working with a non-profit organisation to calculate our carbon footprint for 2020. We would like to work with experts to highlight the areas in which our carbon footprint can be improved, taking responsibility for our actions. Also, this will provide us with the opportunity to offset our carbon to become a carbon-neutral company. As we grow as a business, we will evaluate this data to ensure that our calculations are accurate. 

We are also committing a further 1% of our global revenues to support grassroots causes and community projects in the UK and further afield. We are currently searching for charities that help women entrepreneurs. It’s important to us that this charity takes into consideration its environmental impact. 

We are fortunate to be able to give financially to charities but another part of our charity work is donating our time. With beach cleans and volunteering opportunities for the whole Ancient + Brave team, we encourage all our members to give back through volunteering our time and/or skills.