Sustainability

At Be Green Bath + Body, LLC, we are committed to becoming as earth-friendly as possible, one step at a time. We understand that operating sustainably in the beauty industry—especially as a small business—can be challenging, but it's a journey we are dedicated to. Every day, we strive to reduce our environmental impact, and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made. We believe in transparency, so we’ll continue to update this page with every new change and initiative we undertake.

Below, you’ll find more details about how we’re working to make a positive impact through our ingredient sourcing, packaging, shipping materials, and office practices. We’re constantly learning and evolving, and we invite you to join us in this important mission! 🌍💚

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

At Be Green Bath + Body, we’re thoughtful about every ingredient we use—where it comes from, how it’s grown, and how it impacts the planet. We source approximately 85% of our ingredients from a trusted supplier located just 10 miles from our office, helping to reduce our carbon footprint and support our local economy. While some ingredients are U.S.-grown, many of our oils—such as apricot, avocado, grapeseed, and olive—are sourced from Europe due to their exceptional quality. About 80% of the oils we use are certified organic, meaning they’re grown and harvested without harsh chemicals and in a more environmentally responsible way. Whenever possible, we purchase our raw materials in larger sizes, including 5-gallon containers, to reduce plastic waste. And we make sure that all plastic packaging from our ingredient shipments is recycled locally. It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, from the ground up.

Product Packaging

Packaging is one of the key areas where we focus our sustainability efforts, and it's something we’re constantly evaluating and improving. We source the vast majority of our packaging from U.S. companies that make them domestically to help minimize transportation emissions. While plastic is still necessary for certain products—especially those used in the shower, refill sizes, or items that require squeezing for application—we are actively exploring and testing alternatives.

We’ve considered options like aluminum, but as a small business, the current cost is nearly eight times that of plastic, making it financially unfeasible for now. Glass is used as much as possible however,  it's higher weight increases the carbon footprint during shipping. Since we’re committed to reducing waste, we also choose not to ship our products with outer product boxes that are typically discarded. We appreciate your support and understanding as we continue to seek out better solutions. Please see below for more details on our current packaging choices and their recyclability.

•  Herbal Balm, Baby + Sensitive Skin Balm, Cleansing Grains and Calendula Cream are packaged in amber glass jars with a metal lid.  Recyclable and reusable.  Glass is infinitely recyclable.
• 2 oz Day and Night Creams and Shea Butter Hand Cream packaged in 2 oz amber glass jars 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  metal ball and plastic polypropylene cap.  Glass is infinitely recyclable.  
• Powder and Dry Shampoo Refills and Cleansing Grains refill- Packaged in a compostable zipper pouch.  
• 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.
  
• 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 the bottles and jars

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 shipped in :

1.  Paper padded mailing envelopes or cardboard boxes, both of which are fully recyclable. 

2.  Paper bubble mailers. These are made from recycled kraft paper and compostable cornstarch bubbles, printed on with water-based inks. They are certified to fully biodegrade in just 180 days in your home composting bin! 

3.  USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Mailer.  This mailer can be placed in the plastic film recycling bin at your local grocery store.

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 Minliving.  It marries a cellulose backing with a high-performing natural rubber adhesive.  It is plant-derived, renewable, and can achieve 85% biodegradability in 180 days.

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, compostable 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  glass bottles and jars.   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.