Plastic-Free Vitamins: 7 Sustainable Diet Supplements
Daily vitamins are a source of plastic waste many, including us, have struggled to remove from their lives… until now! We’ve discovered a number of plastic-free vitamin and supplement options so we can now supplement sustainably.
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Plastic-free vitamin and supplement options are finally a thing! A number of companies are now providing low waste supplement solutions in order to reduce the large amount of plastic waste created by daily vitamins.
Numerous hard plastic bottles litter the bottom of our bathroom cabinets, filled with supplements we take to improve our health and vitality, depending on our individual needs, genetics and diets.
Not only wasteful in terms of packaging, the tablets themselves are often wasted, forgotten and gone out of date after the initial motivation to improve your health fades.
A few sustainable supplement suppliers are trying to change all of this, removing all plastic from their packaging and making it home compostable instead, and finding ways to build the habit of taking your tablets daily without fail and without wasting them.
Note: while no packaging and reusable packaging are best, some things, like health products, will come individually packaged, so plant-based plastic-free compostable packaging is the best we have right now.
Another note: vitamins don’t replace a balanced diet. Eating a nutritious, varied, plant-rich, locally sourced diet in the first place is healthier and more sustainable.
Vitamins in plastic-free, home compostable packaging
1. Vitable (AU)
Australian-made, personalised, plastic-free packs of vitamins provided on a subscription basis so you keep up your good habits - in terms of both sustainability and nutrition!
Vitable vitamins come in plastic-free, home compostable sachets and together with a refillable dispenser made of durable tin metal. After your first order, Vitable packs come in a cardboard refill mailer, so you can simply top-up the refillable dispenser with your biodegradable sachets, which can be disposed of in your home compost bin.
Made of plant-based cellulose produced from Eucalyptus trees (managed forestry or crop growth), they have been certified by TUV AUSTRIA’s OK compost HOME system and are ABA certified Home Compostable.
Non-GMO and suiting most allergies and diets, including vegan, lactose-free, and gluten-free, Vitable vitamins comply with all TGA and GMP standards and are manufactured in a certified Australian facility.
All your supplement needs are streamlined into one low waste subscription service. A plan is created for you according to your unique health goals, so you get just what you need, no more and no less. You can discover the vitamins Vitable recommends for you according to your diet and lifestyle here.
In addition, as they’re direct-to-consumer, middle-man margins and extra transportation costs and waste are cut out.
With vitamins, consistency is key, so Vitable aims to help you support and nourish your body and achieve optimal health by mailing you your supplements in a more accessible, more sustainable way.
USE CODE REU40 FOR 40% OFF VITABLE *expires Dec 2023
2. DR VEGAN (UK)
UK-based DR VEGAN supplies plastic-free vitamins in a refillable pill tin and home compostable packaging.
Including ethical ingredients only, with no additives or animal ingredients, DR VEGAN’s large variety of nutrition supplements, including vitamins and minerals, probiotics and formulas with a wide range of health benefits, are delivered to you at a frequency of your choice through your letterbox (so you don't have to be at home or worry about your supplements left on the doorstep!).
Its pouches are certified compostable and home compostable. Under normal composting conditions, dependent on the moisture content in the environment in which they're being composted, they take 8 to 12 weeks to biodegrade.
Made in the UK, DR VEGAN offers unique formulas made up of clinically studied plant-based ingredients and made by expert nutritionists. Its Diet Profile helps you understand your diet and helps you choose the right supplements for you.
DR VEGAN’s supplements are non-GMO, 100% vegan, vegetarian, and free of allergens, gluten, dairy, lactose, sugar and starch.
Not only for vegans, DR VEGAN is for anyone seeking to make the right and a better choice for their health and the planet.
3. FYTO (AU)
Fyto supplements are Australia's first 100% certified organic, vegan, gluten-free plant-based supplements. They are Australian made and they come in certified compostable packaging.
Its vitamins and minerals are made solely from pure and potent certified organic superfoods. Unlike synthetic versions known as isolated nutrients, they are highly bioavailable because they contain a host of phytonutrients that include proteins, enzymes and other nutrients.
While ‘synthetic’ vitamins are made in a laboratory (i.e. ‘man-made’) and tend to be a slightly different shaped molecule to the natural version, ‘natural’ vitamins are identical to the forms found in our food or body.
Fyto explains the difference between natural and isolated synthetic vitamins and minerals in more depth, why natural vitamins are better than synthetic, and how you spot a synthetic vitamin when you're next buying your supplements (with scientific references!) here.
Fyto food supplements come in compostable ziplock packets containing 60 capsules. The packaging is both home (AS5810) and industrial (AS4736) composting certified.
4. APSU Nutrition (US)
A multivitamin in plastic-free packaging that is manufactured in the USA in an FDA-registered and GMP-compliant facility! After signing the Clean Seas Pledge, Apsu Nutrition changed its packaging to be 100% paper-based, 100% recyclable, 100% compostable and 100% plastic-free.
Once opened, your superfood supplements can be stored in a resealable container such as Apsu’s stainless steel canister, which is designed and manufactured by Klean Kanteen, or something that you already have at home, such as a reused jar or other container. They can be bought on a subscription or individual basis.
It also ships its products without plastic (in cardboard boxes with non-plastic sealing tape and tissue filling) and encourages its suppliers to reduce plastic, as well as its customers to minimise packaging, CO2 emissions, and delivery charges by ordering in bulk and sharing with friends or family, or storing these in an airtight container in a cool dry place until needed.
5. Vegums (UK here / US here)
A-Z multivitamin, iron, and fish-free Omega 3 gummies in sustainable packaging - either a cardboard tube or plastic-free cellulose bags made from cornstarch that are 100% biodegradable and can be composted in your compost bin and can even be placed in your vermicomposter (worm farm).
Vegums’ vegan-friendly gummy vitamins have been formulated by vegan pharmacists specifically for those following a plant-based diet. They contain no animal-derived ingredients, only natural colours and flavours, and natural cane sugar for sweetness.
6. Shine (CA)
Canadian-made mental wellbeing products packaged in plastic-free and home compostable packs. Shine makes personalised mental wellbeing easy to understand and accessible, offering formulas for energy, focus, memory, and mood and to unstress. Its health supplements help to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep and be more productive.
Its packaging is made from certified compostable films and inks that are made from non-GMO bio-based materials like wood pulp cellulose and cornstarch resin. It can be placed in a backyard or home composter.
7. Together Health (UK)
Packaged in plastic free home compostable pouch, UK-made Together Health nature-based vitamins, minerals and supplements contain whole foods, ocean ingredients, and plants to ensure effective nutrients that are gentle and highly absorbed. It’s large range includes men, women, common deficiencies, vegan and vegetarian, sleep, immunity, stress, and fitness.
The pouch they come in has an outer layer and seal derived from corn-starch, a paper layer and a protective barrier film made from renewable wood pulp. All of the individual layers that make up the pouch are certified home compostable and tests are currently being run to confirm that the pouch as a whole is also home compostable.
Other low waste sustainable supplements & superfoods
Other low waste and low impact ways to buy superfoods, wellness powders, and supplements include buying in glass, paper or metal instead of plastic or in returnable refillable packaging, buying locally made, and buying from ethical companies.
Here are some other more eco-friendly options we found:
Australia
VITUS Wholefoods - a large range of Australian-made wholefood supplements for health and wellness packaged in glass bottles and vegan protein powder and spirulina powder in a compostable paper bag
Eden Health Foods - certified organic and wildcrafted ingredients packaged in a recyclable aluminium tin instead of plastic packaging to reduce plastic waste
Grown Alchemist - probiotic nutrient support and hair complex vitamin B12 in eco-friendly packaging
Love Beauty Foods - Australian-made Ingestible Wellness Powders in reusable recyclable glass jars
Kakadu Plum Co - Native Australian superfoods in glass jars that directly support the Traditional Owners of the Lands where the produce grows and are packaged locally in Melbourne by a company that employs individuals with a disability
More Australian low to no plastic healthy living products and natural supplement options here
South Africa
Natroceutics - Proudly South African nature-based health solutions in eco-friendly packaging that’s free from plastic and made from recycled materials (a glass bottle with a metal lid and no sponges, wool or single-use seals in the bottles)
Tulua Sun - natural dietary supplement capsules locally made in South Africa and sold in 100% plastic free, recyclable and reusable packaging (glass jars with metal lids)
More South African low to no plastic healthy living products and natural supplement options here
US/Canada
Örlö Nutrition (US) - Örlö’s range of omega 3 is marketed as being “the most sustainable omega 3 nourishment on the planet”. Made from algae rather than fish oil, its omega 3 supplements are vegan and its cultivation process is carbon negative. Its products come in a reusable refillable glass bottle that can be refilled using its refill pouches, which are made from post-consumer recycled plastics, and it is shipped in paper materials made from post-consumer waste.
Herbaland (CA here / US here) - Herbaland’s best-selling vitamin and protein gummies now come in a 100% compostable pouch, reducing the amount of plastic packaging it uses in production. It has committed to providing all of its products in compostable packaging by 2025. The packaging can be placed in a compost bin, Bokashi bin or worm farm and it will break down in about 180 days.
Sun & Swell Superfoods - a collection of organic superfoods in compostable packaging that you can compost yourself or send back to Sun & Swell
More US/Canadian low to no plastic healthy living products and natural supplement options here
UK
Wild Nutrition - a certified B corp, it provides supplements and multi nutrients packaged in plastic-free, refillable glass jars with metal lids. Certified plastic free, compostable refill pouches can be bought to refill these glass jars.
Form Nutrition - a certified B corp offering plant-based performance protein powders and supplements in a compostable paper pack that can be home composted. It is working towards a goal of completely plastic-free packaging and has removed plastic scoops from its pouches to this end. Its glass jars can be returned for reuse via its reForm programme.
More UK low to no plastic healthy living products and natural supplement options here or here
How to take vitamins correctly so they really work
Consistency and commitment are key, according to Vitable. It notes that it is hard for vitamins to be effective if taken incorrectly and answers the question of how to not forget to take your vitamins by sharing the following tips to ensure you create a daily habit and strict regime:
Create a daily reminder on your phone
Practice habit stacking - pair up your vitamin routine with a daily habit to help you remember, for example keep them with your gym gear if you do a daily workout, next to your coffee or tea, or next to your toothbrush to be reminded each morning when you reach for it
If you do miss a day, Vitable says you shouldn’t double up. Just continue taking as normal and try to find a better solution to forgetting to take your supplements.
Have you found a sustainable solution for the diet supplements that you need and a system that helps you remember to take them?
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