PLT, based in Morristown, NJ, said the new certification comes from the Carbonfund.org Foundation, which is also based in New Jersey. The certification is based on PLT’s investments in carbon offset projects. Carbonfund has also certified dietary supplement firm Garden of Life in a similar way.
Carbonfund works with three projects in the Amazonian rainforest, one of which, the Envira Amazonia Project, is connected to the PLT certification. The aim is to reduce deforestation, maintain biodiversity and capture carbon to offset emissions elsewhere. The organization estimates that over the 10-year lifespan of the project to date more than 38 billion pounds of CO2 emissions have been mitigated.
Carbon certification part of ongoing company focus
Devin Stagg, PLT’s chief operation officer, said going carbon neutral was in step with the company’s mission and with the times. But he said an additional benefit is to strengthen the protection of the kinds of areas where many dietary supplement ingredients originate and to bolster the indigenous communities in those regions.
“As a company in the business of promoting health and wellness via plant-based ingredients, PLT Health Solutions understands that environmental protection, sustainable sourcing, protection of natural resources and ethical conduct are not only the right thing to do — they are also good business. Without a vibrant global ecosystem, we won’t have access to the natural, botanical materials that form the foundation of our products,” Stagg said.
“And without a partnership-type relationship with the communities that grow, harvest, and process these raw materials, PLT Health Solutions loses access to the indigenous knowledge and innovation that makes our ingredients relevant and special,” he added.