Honest Tea today announced commitments to fighting climate change by reducing the climate impact of packaging and reducing short-lived climate pollutant emissions, surpassing the 1000th commitment to climate action made by companies in the natural products industry since the Climate Collaborative’s launch in 2017.

“From our first day of business twenty years ago, our mission has always been to reduce our environmental impact as we scale the business,” said Seth Goldman, co-founder and TeaEO Emeritus of Honest Tea. “We are proud to take a stand with the Climate Collaborative to fight climate change and challenge ourselves with respect to our impact on the environment."

Through the Climate Collaborative, the natural products industry is spearheading a movement to transform the industry’s approach to climate change. Just as they successfully did with organic, fair trade and non-GMO, natural products companies are coming together tackle the most urgent issue of our time. In just over a year, 276 companies have made over 1,000 commitments directly aimed at reversing climate change. Commitments include switching to renewable power, reducing the climate impacts of packaging and transportation, integrating carbon farming practices into their supply chain, reducing food waste, and more.

“We're not just running toward a low-carbon future because of climate change. We're running toward it because it's better,” said former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in her keynote at Climate Day in March, adding, “Businesses are stepping up and saying that my customers and business must address climate change because it threatens our economy."

These companies represent an estimated $10+ billion in annual revenue and are helping to shape the industry’s response to climate change. The Climate Collaborative recognized a select group of leading companies through the inaugural National Co+op Grocers Climate Collaborative Awards this spring. Organic Valley, one of the winners, is investing in a community solar partnership to reach its goal of becoming 100% renewably powered by the end of 2019 while also increasing access to solar energy in Wisconsin by 15 percent. Another winner, Lotus Foods, has developed a More Crop Per Drop rice intensification system that is raising wages in their supply chain, increasing productivity and dramatically reducing methane emissions – a decrease of 54%!

“KeHE is thrilled to be part of the Climate Collaborative as both a committed company and a donor. It is already helping inform our own climate approach: we’ve now got access to a wider range of tools, best practices, and opportunities for collaboration with a hugely inspiring set of peers within the industry. As we look toward broader value chain engagement on food waste, these shared learnings willbe invaluable. We can’t wait to see what’s next as the movement continues to grow!” said Amy Kirtland, Senior Vice President Natural for KeHE Distributors.

Learn more about the Climate Collaborative’s commitment areas and the companies who are leading the way on climate change on our web site, https://www.climatecollaborative.com