May 24, 2021 6 min read
In our pursuit to find the purest ingredients Earth has to offer, we are also keeping a close eye on our footprint. We want to give back to our people and planet. On top of sketchy and unethical sourcing, many supplement brands don’t view the complete lifecycle of their products, thinking the product journey stops once it’s sold. We know how our products are sourced, shipped, and recycled matters. That’s why we’ve prioritized sustainability every step of the journey.
Here are some of the ways we contribute to a healthy planet:
Here’s how our supplements stack up:
Our Premium Collagen Peptides and Gelatin Powder are sourced from the hides of grass-fed cattle in South America. Both peptides and gelatin are versions of collagen protein. Gelatin is just a partially cooked version that allows you to get all the benefits of collagen, while taking advantage of its natural gelling properties.
Bovine collagen is one of the most popular sources of collagen on the market. Recognizing that cows are the most carbon-intensive part of the food industry, we want to ensure we aren’t contributing to unethical and unsustainable farming practices or putting unnecessary strain on the industry. Our collagen is taken from the hides of cows, a part of the animal that would otherwise go to waste. Our choice to go grass-fed was made for the sake of purity, ethics and sustainability. Free-ranging, grass-fed cows run a lower risk of disease compared to grain-fed, contained animals. Foraging over fields of green is also much more nutritional for the animal, which makes it more beneficial to us. We love happy cows! What’s more, grass-fed, free-ranging cows have environmental benefits as well. They require fewer energy inputs and by moving from pasture to pasture, it helps to conserve soil, reduce erosion and water pollution, increase carbon sequestration and preserve biodiversity and wildlife (Environmental Working Group). Allowing the cows to forage for their food also reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides.
Cows aren’t the only source of our collagen supplements. We’ve also developed Premium Marine Collagen Powder sourced from wild-caught cod in the pristine waters of the North Atlantic. The decision to create a fish-derived collagen supplement was made for dietary and sustainability purposes and also to provide a higher quality option on the market. Our marine collagen is 100% pure, meaning that there are no additives, flavorings, sugars, or GMOs. It’s also 150% more bioavailable than traditional bovine collagen supplements, so you get more out of every scoop. This makes it a great choice for pescatarians or anyone who’s just getting started with collagen supplements. In general, it’s recommended to add one 10g scoop of collagen to your diet a day, but if you live a very active lifestyle, you could take more!
Similar to our collagen peptides, our marine collagen powder is derived from the skin and scales of fish. This helps to cut down on waste and makes use of the inedible parts. Other marine collagen supplements typically use farm-raised fish to cut down on costs but the result is a much less ethical and pure supplement. Wild-caught fish are raised without the use of pesticides or hormones, so none of it gets passed on to you. Additionally, we choose to fish in the pristine waters of the North Atlantic where fish are less exposed to pollution. We work with Icelandic fishermen who follow strict, eco-friendly practices to avoid overfishing. Not only does this cut down on carbon emissions, it supports the changes we want to see in fishing practices as a whole!
One of our most popular products is Boswellia Serrata, a natural extract that has been used for centuries to relieve inflammation and pain. Our Boswellia Serrata supplement is sustainably sourced from 3rd harvest gum resin of Indian boswellia trees. It is considered to be the highest grade and has the most effective natural health results for inflammation and joint pain. Other brands commonly source their product from countries like China, where it is being over-harvested and collected at unsustainable rates. Our Ayurvedic supplement consists of essential oils, gum, and terpenoids to make use of all this powerful and unsuspecting tree has to offer.
Our Vegan Omega-3 Supplement is exactly what it sounds like - it’s pure Omega-3 without the fish! Vegan and plant-based diets are considered to be the most planet-friendly out there, but filling in nutritional gaps can be difficult. We developed this product from marine algae grown safely in the USA. Vegan sources of Omega-3 are more eco-friendly than fish sources, which make the product more sustainable than Omega-3 made from fish oils. Plus, you don’t have the unpleasant “fish burps” afterward!
We know that sustainable sourcing is only one piece of the puzzle. Most of our products are packaged in plastic containers. Plastic is the most durable and lightweight material that guarantees product quality, improves shelf life, and reduces the carbon footprint during transportation, as compared to glass or metal. We know it’s not a perfect answer, but we are committed to finding the most sustainable solutions we can. That’s why we are committed to being plastic neutral and offsetting the plastic production needed for our products with rigorous plastic recycling measures.
Our plan is twofold: 1) We’ve partnered with rePurpose Global and its waste management allies to help add crucial income streams for informal waste workers and their families. Our contributions to their plastic neutral campaign help to bring ethical wages to these workers for collecting hard-to-recycle, low-value, plastic waste items. This way, waste workers get fairly compensated for their important work, while diverting plastic waste that would have otherwise been landfilled, burned, or flushed into our oceans.
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2) We are managing our waste in partnership with Waste4Change, an environmental organization that has managed more than 5.4 million kilos of ocean-bound waste since 2014. They are a consulting and research company that provides segregated waste collection from landfills and from the ocean in Indonesia. They are committed to processing the collected waste in a responsible way, such as in-store recycling, extended producer responsibility, and event waste management.
Becoming a conscious consumer doesn’t mean you have to banish plastic from your life entirely. It is all about making small, thoughtful, and impactful purchasing and lifestyle choices that make a big difference in the long run. They say that you vote with your dollar for the world you want to live in, so we are committed to providing more sustainable choices that align with your personal values. You can calculate your own “plastic footprint” through rePurpose to identify other areas of your life that could be more planet-friendly.
Have even more questions for us at Amandean? Transparency is our middle name. Check out our blog for information on making the most of your supplements, sources of collagen and our commitment to sustainability.
Our collagen is taken from the hides of cows, a part of the animal that would otherwise go to waste.
The decision to create a fish-derived collagen supplement was made for dietary and sustainability purposes and also to provide a higher-quality option on the market.
Our Ayurvedic supplement consists of essential oils, gum, and terpenoids to make use of all this powerful and unsuspecting tree has to offer.
Vegan sources of Omega-3 are more eco-friendly than fish sources, which makes the product more sustainable than Omega-3 made from fish oils.
We are committed to being plastic-neutral and offsetting the plastic production needed for our products with rigorous plastic recycling measures.
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