Our Sustainability Goals

At Plant-Based Crew, we care about the health of our planet. We are committed to ensuring that our brand and products create as little environmental impact as possible. However, as a crew, we still have some shortcomings that we are trying to address. For example, our oat milk is produced in Germany. This means all our oat milk must be imported which emits more greenhouse gasses than we’d like. You see, our aim is to minimise our environmental impact. We want our products to be totally carbon neutral, but we are not quite there yet. However, we are working on it! In fact, we have come up with three strategies to help us achieve our ambitious aim:;

Green products

First of all, the plant-based products that we provide are much better for the environment than animal-based products. In fact, oat milk is the greenest alternative to dairy milk! A scientific study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford found that the greenhouse gas emissions used in the production of plant-based milks are much lower than dairy milk.

Producing just one glass of dairy milk results in almost 3.5 times the greenhouse gas emissions of any non-dairy milk. Plus, producing just one glass of dairy milk every day for one year requires 9 sqm of land, which is 11 times as much as the same amount of oat milk requires!

The study found that oat milk, alongside soy milk, is the most environmentally friendly alternative to dairy milk. The BBC’s environmental impact calculator had similar findings because oat milk produces fewer greenhouse gases and requires relatively little water to produce (one-eighth of the amount that almond milk requires!).

CARBON FOOTPRINT

3.5 times smaller

LAND

11 times less

WATER

13 times less

Green packaging

Our packaging is key to ensuring that our product has as little environmental impact as possible. We leverage smart technology for our packaging where possible! For example, specialist technology is used to ensure that our oat milk is filled into a carton that helps keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. This also greatly enhances the shelf life.

The best thing about our oat milk packaging is that the product does not need to be refrigerated while it is being shipped or stored – which saves a lot of energy! Unlike traditional cow’s milk, our oat milk only needs to be refrigerated after it has been opened. In addition, the caps on our oat milk cartons are made from sugar cane and are completely biodegradable.

Green partnerships

Plant-Based Crew ensures that our production and logistics partners have the same values as we do, and we work with these companies to achieve our sustainability goals. Throughout the production of our oat milk, we work closely with our factory in Germany to cut down on waste.

We are working with our German producers to ensure that we don’t waste a single drop! As with all production processes, some wastage will unfortunately occur. However, it is our goal to reduce this waste as much as possible. We’re currently on a mission to better understand all the factors that contribute to wastage (both during the production process and once the product arrives in your home!). Right now, we are collecting as much data as possible on actual production yield vs expected yield, quantity of packaging paper being discarded, and loading efficiency.

Once we have this data, we will have a better idea of how to minimise wastage during our oat milk production process. As for the transportation of our products, we are aware that importing products from overseas is not environmentally friendly. To address this issue, we always ship in bulk to ensure that we make the most of every shipment. In addition, we work with logistics partners who have clear sustainability goals that are aligned with Plant-Based Crew’s values. For example, we chose our current logistics partner because they had clear environmental goals and are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. For example, in their 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, the company lists out key goals and requirements for ensuring that their CO2 emissions are reduced. It is very important to Plant Based Crew that we only work with companies that share our vision of a greener future.

We have an ambitious aim of achieving less waste and being carbon neutral. However, through these three methods, we believe that we can achieve our goals. In the meantime, we realise that we are not perfect. But rest assured, we are working on it!