05.31.23
Grove Collaborative, a Certified B Corp, released its fourth annual Sustainability Report for 2022-2023. The comprehensive report introduces new company sustainability initiatives, including an update on its plan to be plastic-free.
Grove Collaborative also reaffirms its mission to transform the consumer products industry into a positive force for human and environmental health.
Stuart Landesberg, co-founder and CEO of Grove Collaborative, says the report reflects the company's progress toward getting closer to its vision of consumer products making "a net positive impact on the lives of people and the planet," adding that there is still work to be done to create a more sustainable future.
Landesberg says, “We remain focused on striving for progress in a messy world, while considering opportunities for greater impact. We strongly encourage our industry to join us in working together to find sustainable and innovative solutions – particularly on our path away from single-use plastic.”
Following are a few highlights from Grove Collaborative's Sustianability Report—including its plan to be plastic-free.
Impact of Grove Co. & Peach Not Plastic's Sustainable Packaging
Grove Co. and Peach Not Plastic, which are products in plastic-reduced or plastic-free packaging, have helped avoid or collect over 20 million pounds of plastic since 2017.Grove Collaborative decreased its plastic footprint by 37% since 2020. It was 3.2M pounds in 2022, down from 4.9M pounds in 2021 and 5.1M pounds in 2020.
Grove Collaborative's Plastic Scorecard publicly reports on the company’s total plastic footprint. It was the industry’s first plastic intensity metric, the company says, and was first published in 2020.
The 'Beyond Plastic' Initiative—A New Labeling System
Beyond Plastic is Grove’s plan to solve the single-use plastic crisis for home and personal care products.As outlined in the report, Grove’s Beyond Plastic standard continues to evolve, reflecting its ongoing commitment to offering customers the best available product solutions that push the CPG industry forward.
In an effort to increase transparency and improve the customer experience online, Grove has identified three categories that best define products free of plastic waste.
Grove will begin rolling out a Beyond Plastic badging system. Visual identifiers will be clearly displayed on Grove Co. and third-party products sold on the retailer's website.
The badges will include—
- 100% Plastic Free—for products that are 100% plastic-free and do not include any PVA or plastic components, including Peach Not Plastic bar soaps.
- No Single Use Plastic—for products that contain durable reusable plastic, defined by the EPA as lasting 3 years or more, including Grove Co. glass hand soap dispensers, dish soap dispensers and glass spray bottles.
- 95%+ Plastic Free—for products that contain no more than 5% plastic by weight. This includes products packaged in aluminum containing a minimal plastic-based coating that is required to uphold the integrity of the aluminum without affecting recyclability, Grove Co.'s hand soaps and dish soaps fall into this category.
A Focus on Refillable & Reusable Packaging
Grove Collaborative seeks to offer more reusable or refillable products and packaging site-wide, while also reducing single-use plastic.In 2022, 16% of products sold by Grove were refillable or reusable, compared to 13% in 2021 and 12% in 2020.
Grove is the first plastic-neutral retailer in the world. For every ounce of plastic Grove sells, the company removes the same amount of ocean and nature-bound plastic through its partnership with rePurpose Global.
Since 2020, Grove has collected over 12.7 million pounds of plastic through its plastic neutral program.
Take a look at the full report.
