Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future

Background

With a growing awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on our ecosystem, at Sparkle we have made a commitment to do what we can to reduce the use of plastic in our products.

This is not an easy undertaking.  

Both from a functional perspective (food safety, shelf life stability), and from an economic perspective (cost of materials, cost of shipping, CO2 emission impact), modern food manufacturing relies heavily upon plastic.  

However, while still early stage, there are some new non-plastic options that are functionally sound, economically possible, and environmentally sustainable that are emerging as forward thinking industry players invest into the research to bring these non-plastic options forward.

At Sparkle we have already started using non-plastic alternatives in some of our products.  

We also embrace partial non-plastic alternatives that might not yet be achieving a perfect 100% enviro-sustainable outcome, however the firms presenting these partial non-plastic alternatives options are headed in the right direction and likewise committed to working towards a sustainable future.  

Accordingly, where the packaging material choice is still partially plastic, and in the absence of a completely non-plastic option, we choose to source the partially plastic material knowing that our spend will support ongoing sustainable research initiatives from the companies offering the partial non-plastic options.

We view that spend as assisting to reach the right sustainable outcome in due course, rather than money spent maintaining a non-sustainable status quo.

A Gradual Change Process

Overall - to get to zero plastic usage in our products - it is not going to be a fast process.  

We expect it may take many more years, but every component that we change out, every small step that we take towards Plastic Zero is a step in the right direction to true sustainability.

Product Impact

Our decisions on changes to our products will also impact you as the user of our products. 

For example, we may choose that asking you to go without a convenient feature on the packaging, or to take an extra step to get the same utility, is something that we hope that you will support as and when we make that decision.  

A good example of that - in our Collagen Smoothie Mix powders we made a decision not to include a measuring scoop. Instead we ask that you use a conventional tablespoon to measure out the serve size yourself.   

That simple request means many tons less of polypropelene spoons being utilised. That is many tons of plastic that will no longer be produced, and will not end up in land-fill or in our oceans.  And as a result, we take one step closer to zero plastic.

Another possible example - we are considering a “please post to me” request process for scoops for our Sparkle Skin Boost products, where we stop including a polypropylene scoop with every single bottle of product any more. Rather we provide a way for you to request us to ship you a scoop, that we then expect you to keep and re-use for future purchases of the same product. 

This approach will require the purchaser of our product to contact us, wait a few days to receive the scoop before they can use the product, and then keep the scoop for future use when their current bottle finishes.  Will our customers be prepared to do that?  It is a question that we intend to explore in due course.

Transparency

This process is intended to be a transparent process.  We are only good to the Plastic To Zero commitment if we make ourselves publicly accountable. 

Below, is a table that we will update as we make progress.  We hope you check in every now and again to see that where we are at.

If you wish to discuss Plastic to Zero with us you are welcome to contact us at chitchat@lovesparkle.life 

Yu Ming O'Neil & Derek O'Neil
Co-founders
Sparkle Wellness

Our Initiatives to Reduce the Plastic in Sparkle Packaging

Last Updated:  August 2019