Month: April 2023

​Building upon my response to a McKinsey article about customers focusing on sustainability, backed up by their wallets, it is no surprise that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact their spending has on the products they buy. Despite greenwashing attempts by many brands across different industries, consumers are more inclined to support companies whose products are enabling a better future.

In my role at Acre, I consult manufacturers, brands, and retailers on hiring needs by understanding their current sustainability commitments and future goals to assess the strongest fit. With that comes a deep knowledge of the work organizations have done and continue to do for further impact on a better future for all. This strongly influences the brands I choose to support with my wallet and recommend to others. The list below contains the products we use for our toddler (and will use for our newborn, who joins us in April). 

Happy Baby Organics: Food pouches designed by a B-Corp, mission-driven organization who cares about feeding our children today and building a sustainable future for them as well. The pouches are slightly more expensive than those from bigger brands, but the price difference is easily digestible as the Happy Baby brand aims to be 100% reusable or recyclable by 2025, using organically sourced foods.

Stasher Bags: If recyclable single-use pouches aren’t your jam, there are a lot of great solutions for reusable pouches. This is a very cost-effective and sustainable method that gives you a lot of freedom to make purees and keep pouches out of landfills. 

Stasher bags aren’t just for kids; these are a great product for adults who pack lunches or on-the-go snacks for themselves too. Stasher is a 100% reusable silicone bag, with one bag reducing the life of 260 single-use bags. They’ve also partnered with Terracycle to give their products a new lease of life if required.

EZPZ: While EZPZ doesn’t appear to heavily promote their sustainability goals, the products are 100% silicone. They do not degrade with use and will generally last for several years, meaning less of the single-use plastic products, packaging, cardboard, and junk. Studies show that silicone products reduce GHG emissions 9 to 1 and break down to their natural element when disposed of, so no harmful chemicals are released into nature. 

Dapple Baby: Dapple Baby provides all-natural, plant-based cleaning solutions for both baby and parent, from laundry to breast pump cleaning care. In their green glossary, they break down, transparently, what they are doing, from ingredients used to what regulations they are following. However, I was disappointed not to see any steps towards more sustainable packaging solutions. So, while this is a wonderful, all-natural product that has worked the best on baby items compared to other cleaners, I would be interested in trying sustainable alternatives or to see Dapple demonstrate more innovation. 

Lovevery: The company makes wooden Montessori toys from newborn stages to big kids. They pride themselves on being built to last using high-quality natural materials. Only one product has batteries, and it doesn’t make an awful noise (a big parenting win!). Lovevery is a certified B-Corp, with strong sustainability commitment goals for 2023 to ensure the longest lifecycle possible for products. By 2025 Lovevery aims for 90% of materials to be renewable/biobased/or recyclable, and by 2030 to achieve net zero carbon in every possible part of the supply chain.

Melissa & Doug: If there’s one thing synonymous with baby toys, it’s Melissa and Doug. Another primarily wooden or all-natural materials kids’ toy brand from newborn to older children’s stages that truly stand the test of time. They are FSC certified and were a winner of the 2022 FSC Leadership Awards by the Forest Stewardship Council. With most of their products being wooden, they believe in responsible forest management, with a 10 million trees by 2030 goal in place. 

Tubby Todd: Makes a range of baby (and mama!) personal care products that are fragrance-free, and plant-based. While not a B-Corp, products are refillable, working towards making their core product line packaging with post-consumer recycled plastic, and creating plastic-free products. The Tubby Cares program is focused on giving back to communities in need with nutrition, health and education training for families in third-world countries. 

Honest Products: Actress and businesswoman Jessica Alba launched this baby product company featuring sustainable product lines focused on reduction, reusing, and refilling. In 2021 Honest announced a new sustainable packaging initiative of 100% recyclable cartons and tree-free paper. Honest is a mission-driven organization that donates to communities in need of baby supplies and donates time to disaster relief programs. 

BabyBjörn: Yup, the innovative bouncer chair is made by a company who cares. BabyBjörn’s complete sustainability guide showcases the steps they are taking towards reducing their carbon footprint. One of the most important parts of this report is the LCA life-cycle assessments, which study the environmental impact of all product lines. LCAs are at the core of BabyBjörn as they pride themselves on products that are built to last and be handed down generation after generation.

Cat & Jack: Cat & Jack is my favourite Target brand clothing line. Target is a leader in the retail category when it comes to their sustainability journey; through a Target forward strategy which focuses on making a difference for people and the planet through setting measurable ESG goals. Cat & Jack is an example of that, with affordable clothing made from sustainably sourced materials and cottons. Clothing is guaranteed for a year, so if anything happens to it, it can be returned for store credit. 

If you would like to highlight any other companies who are trailblazing when it comes to sustainable products for babies and toddlers, I would love to hear from you. 

Isabel is a Senior Consultant in Acre’s New York office, leading our Manufacturing, Brands, and Retail practice within the Sustainable Business team. She works with senior leaders with a focus on sustainability strategy, climate change, responsible sourcing, and circularity. Isabel has met and advised many business owners and leaders in these spaces over the past five years. She is a member of the New Jersey Packaging Executives club that focuses on supporting packaging companies to grow their businesses through recruitment and driving sustainability. She can provide advisement on candidate engagement, recruitment processes, salary and market trends, as well as solutions on scaling organizations both in the United States and globally.

About Acre

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy. 

Our 18 years’ experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change. 

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too. 

We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations. 

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

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