Sustainability
CONTENTS
Sustainable fish supply
We know about the ugly side of fishing and we don't want to be a part of it. In the same way we would never buy battery farmed chicken or any intensively farmed meat or dairy, our omega-3 and collagen supplements only contain oils from wild, sustainably caught fish. If suppliers don’t have a sustainability certification, we don’t take the conversation any further. We source our collagen from the first MSC certified manufacturer in the world and our omega-3 from Norwegian fish oil manufacturers certified by Friends of the Sea and Marin Trust.
Some criteria for Friend of the Sea Sustainable Fisheries Certification:
- Non-overexploited target stock according to FAO, Regional Fishery Bodies and National Marine Authorities
- Fishery to generate maximum 8% discards
- No by-caught species included in the IUCN red-list of endangered species
- No impact on the seabed
- Social accountability
- Compliance with legal requirements (incl. TACs, no IUU, no FOC, mesh size, min size, MPA, etc)
- Energy balance and yearly fuel efficiency improvement
MSC Certified Marine Collagen
We’re the second only MSC certified marine collagen in the UK. Our chain of custody code is MSC-C-65149. Our collagen supplier was the first MSC certified collagen manufacturer in the world and is part of the Aqua Bio Profit project. This is an EU funded project to help develop high-quality proteins from European aquaculture and fisheries. In short, it means our manufacturer only ever uses sustainable hydrolysed wild codfish skin discarded from the fillets (Gadus Morhua), which was once considered as waste and thrown away.
Marin Trust (IFFO-RS) Certification:
Marin Trust is a non-governmental organisation overseeing fisheries. They have developed a Global Standard and Certification Program for the Responsible Supply of Fishmeal and Fish Oil. Marin Trust recognises the importance of responsible sourcing, responsible production and responsible supply practices. A third party inspection and certification program is established to ensure the integrity and transparency of its implementation.
Gelatin capsules are manufactured in the UK and the site is:
- Licensed by the MHRA for the manufacture and testing of soft gelatin & herbal medicinal products.
- BRC (Global Standard for Food Safety) certified (grade AA+).
- Registered with the U.S. FDA and successfully inspected by the FDA for the manufacture of dietary supplements in accordance with 21CFR111.
- They are also certified by the following bodies and are able to manufacture certifiable product according to their standards:
- Marine Steward Council (MSC)
- Friend of the Sea (FoS)
- Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
Manufacturing quality and certification
Manufactured under a HACCP system, in an establishment approved by the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities and in compliance with the relevant parts of Norwegian and EU hygiene regulations for food: EC Regulation 852/2004 and EC Regulation 853/2004.
The products are manufactured in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and GMP principles for dietary ingredients in Norway, EU and USA, and in accordance with NSF GMP guidelines for dietary ingredients.
Why our pouches are not certified home compostable (but they will decompose at home)
All the individual materials we use in our pouches, primarily Tipa 302 and Natureflex, including the ink and the zipper, are certified compostable. However, once you put them together they become a different material which needs to be certified separately. This costs thousands of pounds and our manufacturer would have to certify each and every variation of pouch they produce, so they won’t do this and it would make the cost prohibitive.
However, the manufacturer has carried out its own tests and the pouches start to break down within 4 weeks. We’ve also done our own tests by burying a pouch in a plant pot (so not even proper composting conditions which are even better) and it had pretty much disappeared after 6 months.
Unfortunately, there’s no perfect solution but we will continue to try and find one as technologies evolve.
The pouches have lots of other positives
Letterbox friendly
This should reduce missed deliveries, so less back and forth in a van, and needs less postage packaging which reduces waste.
Resealable
You can use them to refill your glass jar, or use them on their own. They have a zipper which means you can reseal them.
Travel & handbag friendly
Our glass jars are heavier, bulkier and can break in transit. Pouches are ideal for travel or keeping in your handbag.
100% plastic free
They’re made from paper & cellulose and zero plastic.
The rest of our packaging
All our cartons, jars, bottles, lids and plastic tubs are 100% recyclable. They’re all sourced in Norway and the UK so they haven’t been shipped halfway across the world. None of our components come from China.
We work with a fabulous warehouse who share our commitment to minimal postal packaging and we never use plastic or excessive amounts of padding or unnecessarily large boxes.
LIFE & SOUL
SKINFUL
BEAM & BALANCE
ACTION HEROES
LIFE & SOUL
LIFE & SOUL
RISE & SHINE
MINDFUL
TEST KIT
SKINFUL
VIM & VIGOUR
