Sustainability
Below, you will find more information about our ingredient sourcing, packaging, shipping and packing materials and office.
All of our packaging (plastic/glass/metal) can be recycled for free at any TerraCycle® drop-off location. You will find these in Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores nationwide. Click here for an interactive map of drop-off locations.
Ingredient Sourcing
We purchase about 85% of our ingredients from a supplier that is 10 miles from our office. While some of these ingredients are sourced in the US, many of the oils are ultimately from Europe (apricot, avocado, grapeseed and olive oils). About 80% of the oils we purchase are certified organic. Certified organic ingredients are grown and harvested in a much more earth-friendly way, free of harsh chemicals. We purchase our raw ingredients in as big a quantity as possible for a small business. This means that many of the ingredients are in 5 gallon sizes which cuts down on plastic. All of the plastic packaging that our ingredients come in, is recycled locally.
Product Packaging
This is the area we spend a substantial amount of time on. We purchase all of our packaging from US companies. Our plastic packaging is made in the US. We are always working on changing out plastic for products where this is possible. Refill sizes, products used in the shower and products that require squeezing to be applied are more difficult to figure out. We have looked at aluminum, however, as a small business it has proven to be cost prohibitive currently (eight times as high as plastic). Glass is another option. This requires more packing materials, outer boxes and has a large carbon footprint to ship. We do not ship our products with outer boxes that end up being thrown away. Please read below for information on our current packaging and recyclability.
- NEW IN 2024: 2 oz Day and Night Creams, 2 oz Shea Butter Hand Cream- Amber glass jar with a metal lid. Recyclable and reusable. Glass is infinitely recyclable.
- Powders, Dry Shampoo- Aluminum shaker bottle with metal cap. Recyclable and reusable.
- Serums, Argan Oil, Blemish Defense- glass bottle. Dropper bottles have a glass dropper with rubber bulb and plastic surround. Roller bottles have a plastic metal ball and plastic polypropylene cap. Glass is infinitely recyclable.
- Powder and Dry Shampoo Refills- Packaged in a home compostable zipper pouch. Remove label before composting. Label can be recycled with paper.
- Shea Butter Tin- metal tin container. Fully recyclable.
- Sample size jars of Day and Night Creams- white polypropylene. Recycle code <5>.
- Shower Gels, Toners, Facial Cleanser, Body Oils, Makeup Remover, Hair Oil, Lotions- PET amber bottles. Recycle code <1>.
- Trial size 1 oz white and natural bottles - HDPE. Recycle code <2>.
- Foaming Soap 8 oz- PET bottle. Recycle code <1>. Foaming pump- polypropylene. Recycle code <5>. Pump can be reused for many refills before recycling.
- Green Tea Cleaner, Shaving Foam 8 oz- HDPE natural bottle. Recycle code <2>. Foaming pump- polypropylene. Recycle code <5>. Pump can be reused for many refills before recycling.
- Calendula Cream, Herbal Balm, Cleansing Grains, Baby Balm- PCR (post consumer recycled) PET white jars. Recycle code <1>.
- Deodorant tubes- white polypropylene tube. Recycle code <5>.
- Bottle caps- white and black polypropylene caps. Recycle code <5>. White and black metal caps for 64oz jugs and 4oz jars are aluminum and recyclable.
Product Labels
Our labels are printed by Leapin' Lizard Labels on FiberStone® Paper. They are made from 80% Calcium Carbonate and 20% non-toxic resin (HDPE- High-Density Polyethylene). The Calcium Carbonate comes from limestone collected as waste material from existing quarries for the building and construction industry. It is ground down to a fine powder like chalk and the HDPE acts as a binder for the Calcium Carbonate. Some of the benefits of Fiberstone® are:
- Tree-free, water-free, chlorine-free, acid-free
- Water and oil resistant
- Strong and durable
- Clean production process does not emit toxins into the environment
- Labels are recyclable with paper recycling
Shipping Materials
Our products are shipped via USPS for 95% of orders. For large orders, it may be more cost effective for us to use UPS.
Orders are mainly shipped in paper padded mailing envelopes or cardboard boxes, both of which are fully recyclable. Depending on the volume of the order, we may use a plastic bubble envelope made from recycled content. This envelope is made with a minimum of 50% recycled plastic (10% post consumer). It is recyclable with plastic film recycling. (Most grocery stores have bins to recycle plastic film and plastic bags.)
Our shipping labels are from Ecoenclose. They are printed thermally so no ink is needed. They are curbside recyclable. The labels come on zero waste release liners that are 100% recycled and curbside recyclable. We do use these release liners as void fill when packaging large orders.
Our packing tape is from Ecoenclose. It marries a cellulose backing with a high-performing natural rubber adhesive. It is 100% plant-derived, renewable, and industrially compostable.
Our Be Green branded tissue paper and sticker that your order will be wrapped in is from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, acid free paper printed with soy-based ink.
The void fill we use includes air pillows, paper, bubble wrap, peanuts and other misc. products. All of the fill is donated to us by friends, family and local businesses to be reused and recycled. Please recycle air pillows and bubble wrap with plastic film recycling. We do purchase protective paper packaging for the 64oz refill sizes and glass bottles. This is a sustainable paper alternative to bubble packaging. It is compostable and recyclable.
Your packing slip is printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper. On the reverse side, we print information about Be Green and our products.
Office
In our office, we use 100% LED lighting. We use an energy efficient Mitsubishi mini-split for both heating and cooling. (Honestly, though, we don't use the heat or AC very often.) All lights are turned off at the end of the work day and electronics are powered down to sleep mode to conserve electricity. All of our paper and plastic waste is recycled on a weekly basis. We use nearly all of our paper waste as void fill when shipping products.
We strive to be as earth-friendly, sustainable and low waste as possible. If you have any comments, questions or ideas about we can become more sustainable, please reach out to karen@begreenbathandbody.com.
Let customers speak for us
from 3685 reviewsI have had the hardest time finding a calendula cream that doesn’t have a lot of chemicals added. I used calendula cream when I had radiation for breast cancer recently. It worked so well but the one I used was too expensive to consider for everyday. I am glad I found Be Green I will continue using it and try some other products also.
This serum feels like a balanced blend of oil and moisturizer, going on the skin gently yet penetrating deep for hydration and glow. It smells lovely and fresh, and it feels natural and gentle on the skin. This smaller sample size was perfect for testing the product (for preference and to ensure no skin irritation) before fully committing, which I intend do!
This travel kit includes all the essentials in right-sized containers — and a little bit goes a long way. I’ve used all the kit’s products for three separate trips and still have more than anticipated, especially the day and night creams. The products feel natural and nourishing for the skin. No bad reactions. And it’s a great value for the price!
I love that this cream is ewg verified with clean ingredients. It was a bit thicker than I expected and felt greasy when applying. But it absorbed into my skin quickly and left it feeling soft and moisturized. I am a first time buyer with sensitive skin so I appreciated the trial sizes that were available. I must have received old ones because all of mine were packaged in plastic containers. I'm glad to see they've changed to glass.
This makes my hands and feet feel great after a hard days work! A little is all you need!
This cream is so smooth and silky, absorbs quickly, and has a lovely light natural fragrance from the Coco butter!
I'm glad that this product is free of toxins. It seems a bit dry to me, so I add a drop of glycerin to the cream on my hands and rub both of them into my hands... it works well.
After a few years since my last purchase (for no particular reason), and trying many other natural products, I decided to return to Be Green for its EWG ratings, high quality basic skin care, and affordability. I love this shea butter moisturizer because it’s simple, effective, and I can use it for both face and body. The smell is unique (nutty-ish) but not bothersome to me. The packaging/shipping was impeccable with a kind note and piece of fair trade dark chocolate—special touches I remember from my last purchase and which I appreciated. Looking forward to ordering again very soon.
I have sensitive, combination skin that is very prone to acne with face products, and I love this day cream! It is now my daily face lotion. It gives just the right amount of moisture and doesn't clog/cause acne for me. A little goes a long way, and I love that there is a mild SPF in it. I started with the mini size to see how it fits with my skin (so helpful!) and am now using it daily and switched to the full size. I appreciate the eco-friendly, non-plastic, packaging as well. I found this product/company through the EWG database, and I am very happy I did.
I bought the night moisturizer after seeing it listed on the EWG site. I’ve been using it a couple weeks now, and I love it! I have very sensitive skin, and this moisturizer has actually helped my skin tone and some acne I had on my forehead has gone away. Great product!
I hurt my lower back and had used an adhesive heat pad for three days that burned my skin and left an open injury four inches long and one and a half inches wide. Two weeks later, the wound still was not closing so I ordered this product.
In week three, I disinfected the wound and applied miracle balm every day for one week. The wound closed and new skin formed fast. In week four, the scar lightened. It's now week eight and the scar is hardly visible.
I've tried so many lip balms, searching for one that applies smoothly and lasts for hours. I've never been satisfied until now. Even the tinted lip balm, which is where most other products fail to apply smoothly, is amazing! I love this tint shade. Not unnaturally gaudy. It gives a natural color to my lips and brightens my appearance. I love it!
I'm so thrilled to have discovered your shower gel! Can't imagine trying anything else now! I chose the citrus fragrance and it's a refreshing pick-me-up as I start my day. Smells so fresh and not overly odiferous as all the synthetically fragrant products do to me. I've even used it to wash my hair and it is amazing. My hair is clean and tangle-free. A great all-over product!
I love this night cream. It continues to feel silky all night. I look forward to using this cream in the evening and sense the protective smoothness it gives to my skin.
This has helped my dry flaky skin so much! Would recommend!