Organic Apple Orchard Eyes Eco-Conscious Consumers with Organic Fruit, Sustainable Packaging
LAKE CHELAN, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES: Consumer interest is at an all-time high for eco-conscious retail brands offering sustainable gifts this holiday season, according to a new sustainability study by Accenture. Per the report, 66% of consumers plan to make more sustainable or ethical purchases over the next six months, with 74% of consumers believing ethical corporate practices and values are an important reason to choose a brand.
Chelan Beauty, who specializes in farm-to-doorstep organic fruit delivery including apples, cherries, blueberries and organic dried fruits in Lake Chelan, Washington, is doubling-down on meeting the needs of environmentally-focused shoppers this holiday season. Beyond their sustainable, organically grown fruit, the company also uses packaging that is recycled and compostable, and is constantly striving to find new ways to improve its Sustainability DNA. For Christmas shoppers yearning to buy eco-friendly gifts people will both love, and feel good about from a sustainability perspective, it’s a win-win.
Chelan Beauty has a well established history of catering to the earth conscious consumer. Already sourcing its fruit from its own certified organic farm (Diamondback Acres, which converted to organic way back in 1991), the company felt compelled to further tighten its focus on sustainability. Highlights of Chelan Beauty’s environmental commitment include:
Organic cherries packed in TIPA home-compostable zipper bags, which reduce its use of plastic by 3,000 pounds per year. TIPA’s compostable zipper bags perform like conventional plastic but can be disposed of using existing composting infrastructure including home compost bins, leaving no waste behind.
100% recycled clamshells, which are used to pack all of its full line of organic apples which include Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pinova, Cripps Pink, Gala and Sweet Tango.
The use of biodegradable Green Cell Foam, which combines exceptional cushioning and thermal insulating protection to protect fruit in shipping, and is made from US-grown corn. It is certified compostable in backyard and industrial facilities and can even be dissolved in a sink for safe and easy disposal.
“We are a small family farm trying to make a big impact. We hope we can inspire other businesses to follow in the direction that we are heading,” said Natalie Clark, daughter of farm owner Bill Clark and proprietor of ChelanBeauty.com. “As a small company, we are more than aware that sustainable changes are not a ‘cheaper’ option, but we hope that consumers will recognize the importance of these efforts, and support the companies that are willing to lessen their profits for bettering the planet. “
According to a recent CNBC article, consumers are willing to do just that this holiday season, as searches on sites like Etsy are up 48% for items related to sustainable, eco-friendly and biodegradable products. And on Pinterest, the number of people looking for sustainable gift ideas rose 33% last month from a year earlier.
Perhaps nowhere is sustainability more dire than in the agriculture sector, which contributes upwards of 10% of all carbon emissions from human activities in the United States.
“We want to do our part to eliminate environmental threats, and set an example for how this can be done. We can’t do this alone, but we can certainly pave a path that can be followed, and we have faith that consumers and bigger companies will follow our lead,” Clark added.
