Mother Earth, Year 1

Aug 11, 21 ● 4 min

This week we’re excited to be celebrating one year of our Mother Earth sustainability initiative. The initiative started with a simple idea: Motherhood is sacred. So is Mother Earth. As we’ve spent the last year in the grip of a global pandemic, and feeling the growing effects of climate change worldwide, that simple idea has never felt more important. At Natalist we are dedicated to building healthy families and so we must also be dedicated to a healthy planet–one that can nurture the mind, body, and spirit of generations to come. With that, we’re excited to bring you our first annual update on our Mother Earth sustainability initiative.

100% Plastic Neutral

300 million tons of plastic are produced globally every single year and around 91% of that ends up in landfills or our oceans. It’s estimated that two million pounds of that plastic waste come from pregnancy tests alone. When we announced the Mother Earth initiative in August 2020, we became the first and only company in our space to be 100% plastic neutral. We partnered with rePurpose Global to ensure the removal of as much plastic waste from nature as we use.

6,567 pounds of plastic removed in our first year

Our waste may be generated in the United States, but a majority of it ends up being shipped out of sight and out of mind. Most developing countries lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to handle more waste than their own, which makes them weak links in a truly global waste ecosystem. We fund the removal of plastics in Aurangabad, India and in our first year we removed 6,567 pounds of plastics –that’s roughly the weight of an orca. We know this is small in the larger 300 million ton problem, but we’re proud of that number and you should be too. This impact is not just ours, it’s yours. You’re making a difference every time you choose a plastic-neutral product from Natalist.

Ditching the casing

Our removal of plastics with rePurpose Global was just the beginning, and we continue to explore ways to reduce the future use of plastics in our products. This year we introduced the Ovulation Test Kit, our earth-friendlier ovulation test option with 30 test strips and zero plastic casing. The kit uses 75% less plastic than tests with casing and, unlike digital ovulation tests, produces zero electronic waste.

Our team of moms worked hard to make this product sustainable and accessible because we understood the impact it could have. That impact only multiplied through our partnership with Target, which now carries our earth-friendlier ovulation test in stores nationwide.

Packaging

When we moved our Prenatal for her from multiple plastic bottles to a pouch, we knew we couldn’t stop there. The Natalist team is constantly working to minimize packaging waste and find innovative packaging solutions that make a difference for Mother Earth. Our newest product, the Prenatal Daily Packets (now available at Whole Foods), comes in a recyclable box!

Moving away from plastic bottles is important to us, and we continue to push to innovate in the name of sustainability. We can’t wait for you to see what we’re working on over the next year.

2022 and beyond

In the first year of our Mother Earth Initiative, we partnered with rePurpose Global to remove over 6,000 pounds of plastic from nature, developed an ovulation test with 75% less plastic, and pursued more sustainable packaging for our products–we’re still just getting started. In addition to continuing those efforts, we remain committed to our long-term sustainability goals, including bringing our manufacturing partners closer to home.

We’re also celebrating one year of our Mother Earth initiative by planting a tree for every order. Now through August 17, 2021, for every order placed at Natalist.com, we’ll plant a tree with our partner One Tree Planted.

One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to global reforestation. They plant trees to restore nature and biodiversity. They also raise awareness about the importance of trees, offer businesses like ours a simple sustainability solution, and motivate younger generations to do something positive for the environment.

We thank our customers for choosing Natalist, proving that good business doesn’t have to be bad for the planet, and for constantly pushing us to be better. Since starting the company and shipping our first products, sustainability has been a constant conversation, one that you show up to again and again, in our comments, DMs, inboxes, and reviews. Never stop pushing us to be better, and we’ll never stop supporting you on your path to parenthood. Motherhood is sacred. So is Mother Earth.

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