What do Earth Day and the SDGs Have in Common?

The Impact Report

We’re excited to celebrate Earth Day with the release of our inaugural Impact Report! As a Certified B Corp, we hold ourselves to the highest standards in social impact, environmental sustainability, and corporate governance. This report underscores our exemplary work as a leader in these categories, taking a deep dive into our achievements, areas of opportunity, and future goals, as guided by the UN SDGs.

What are the UN SDGs and Why do they Matter?

We utilized the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a baseline to measure our impact and guide our decisions. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a collective blueprint designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030. The goals were set into motion in 2015 by the UN General Assembly, and since then have served as a holistic framework for nations, organizations and entities worldwide. The goals highlight the interconnected nature of our socio-eco systems, seeking to improve human wellbeing, reduce inequities, stimulate economic growth, and tackle the mounting challengings of climate change and planet-preservation. 

While Organic India’s impact touches upon all 17 goals in some way, shape or form, we’ve specifically identified 12 of the 17 goals in our Impact Report. If you haven’t read the report yet, here are some of the highlights:

Meet Project Sunshine 

LEED is the most widely used and recognizable green building rating system in the world and is unique in that it places an emphasis on physical and psychological well being. Our LEED Platinum Certified manufacturing facility in Lucknow, India – aka Project Sunshine – achieved the highest possible rating. According to LEED, employees who work in these buildings are found to be healthier, happier, and more productive than those who don’t. What’s more, the building was responsibly constructed in part using recyclable and renewable materials. It uses a state of the art closed-loop water recycling system and is powered by both passive and active solar energy. 

Responsible Sourcing

Our rigorous Supplier Code of Conduct ensures that our partners uphold safe and ethical working conditions, treat their employees with respect and dignity, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. We place an emphasis on local sourcing; 54% of our partner farmers reside in Uttar Pradesh, within 200 miles of Project Sunshine. We never use chemicals or additives at any stage of the process, and all of our products meet the organic production standards of the National Organic Program (NOP), European Union Regulation, and National Program for Organic Production (NPOP).  

Regenerative Agriculture

All of our partner farmers cultivate their land using regenerative organic techniques that have been proven to enhance biodiversity, create thriving micro-ecosystems, build healthy soils, and restore ecological balance. We are proud to be an official corporate ally of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, who created the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC). This framework meets the highest standards in the world for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. Regenerative organic farming is a long-term solution to address the climate crisis, factory farming, and fractured rural economies.

Pursuit To Plastic-Free Packaging

In 2021, we assessed all of the packaging materials across our product portfolio. We found that:

• 82% of our boxed tea materials, by volume, are recyclable or biodegradable
• 99% of our supplement bottle materials, by volume, are recyclable or biodegradable
• 0% of our psyllium canister materials, by volume, are recyclable or biodegradable

Clearly, there’s room for improvement. After taking a hard look in the mirror, we devised a strategy with target dates spanning the next 5 years to replace all our packaging materials with sustainable counterparts, one at a time, beginning with our plastic caps and lids. Moving forward, we’ll prioritize plant- and bio-based materials, because much like our farming practices, we aim to promote renewable inputs that benefit our natural world, not harm it. We’re also a proud member of One Step Closer’s Packaging Collaborative. The Collaborative is composed of over 40 leading companies who share a common goal of creating, implementing and scaling sustainable packaging solutions into their businesses.

Quantifying our Human Impact

Today, we employ 2,232 farmers across more than 10,000 acres in 121 villages throughout India. 50% of our farmers have been with us for over 15 years, and some of those farmer relationships have been ongoing since day one. 32.7% of our farmers partake in our free health insurance program, which we continue to expand. We pay equal wages to men, women, elderly, widows and the illiterate to ensure just and equitable opportunities. We also offer skills training at our training and research farm in Uttar Pradesh, India, where the poverty rate is nearly 30%. When farmers succeed, their villages also prosper, leading to a collective increase in quality of life.

Proud B Corporation

This year, we were ecstatic to increase our B Impact Score score from 120 to 125.8! In the B Corp world this is an incredible achievement. See full report here.

Our Partners and Certifications

The UN SDGs recognize that these goals cannot be achieved without cross-collaboration. We are grateful to partner with numerous charitable and community-based organizations who work to advocate for and create change in both the political and non-political spheres, including the Regenerative Organic Alliance, Whole Planet Foundation, Climate Collaborative, Naturally Boulder and Rodale Institute, to name a few. We also partner with incredible brand ambassadors who embody our healthy, conscious living ethos and run their own wellness programs across the country.

Learn more about our company story and principles here.