This bold move could see an estimated 192 tonne annual reduction in carbon emissions. That’s equivalent to emissions created by driving a car from Auckland to Wellington 1700 times.
“For more than 100 years, Healtheries has been supporting the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders, and we’re working hard to support the health of our planet too”, says Healtheries’ Head of Marketing Simon Cheape.
“We don’t want our sustainability efforts to be token, but rather ensure we are making a significant impact. That’s why we are changing all 80 of our Healtheries supplement products to sugarcane bottles - as a result, we believe this is one of the biggest moves to plant-based packaging to date.”
“It’s been a huge undertaking but it’s an important step from a sustainability standpoint and what’s expected from our ever-discerning customers,” he says.
Rachel Brown, founder and CEO of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) is applauding the Healtheries move.
“SBN is delighted that Healtheries is introducing renewably sourced and recyclable plant-based bottles into its packaging range. By using sugarcane they lessen the use of non-renewable resources. It’s a win-win and a great move. We would love to see more of this from businesses.”
Independent sustainable packaging expert Nikki Withington from Square One agrees sugarcane is globally recognised as a positive move away from dependency on petrochemical non-renewable resources.
“Sugarcane plastic can be recycled with regular plastics nationwide, without the need to change processing equipment,” says Ms Withington.
The new sugarcane bottles are kerbside recyclable so its customers can pop empty bottles into their recycling bins.
“Customers will notice a more translucent look to the bottles as well. That’s because we have removed the white colour pigment to increase their recyclability, meaning they can be remade into more things,” says Mr Cheape.
“Another change customers might also notice is our new-look labels, refreshed to make it easier for customers to choose the supplement that’s right for them,” he adds.
Changing to sugarcane bottles is a further step in Healtheries sustainability journey. Last year the brand introduced New Zealand’s first certified compostable tea bag. This change has the potential to divert 64 million teabags from landfill annually.
Healtheries supplements in the new plant-based bottles are available in supermarkets and select pharmacies nationwide.