When it comes to sustainability, we mean business

Calling out the beauty industry. Speaking up for the planet.

CONSCIOUS HAIR CARE, INSIDE AND OUT
We love Mama Earth and the brands we carry must too. This is our way of ensuring beautiful hair and a healthy planet can coexist.

WHAT SUSTAINABILITY MEANS TO US
Clean ingredients top the list when it comes to conscious beauty, for us and the earth we share.* But it’s not only what’s on the inside that counts. Sustainable packaging, recycled and recyclable materials, and eco-friendly business practices are among our non-negotiables with the brands we offer.

*To learn more about our conscious beauty standards, please check out our Hair Crimes List.

Let’s start with those clean ingredients. Not only do the harmful synthetics used in mainstream hair care absorb into the skin, they enter our earth’s soil and waterways, causing contamination.

Then there’s the plastic bottles and excessive packaging materials. Check out these stats when it comes to plastics in cosmetics:

• 120 billion units of packaging are produced by the personal care and beauty industry every year. But only about 9% of the world’s plastic actually gets recycled each year. And that’s been going on since 1950. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
  
  
• Of the 400 metric tons of plastic waste produced each year, 175 metric tons end up in landfills and waterways. And it’s estimated that it takes some plastics up to 450 years to biodegrade in landfills and the ocean. — ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

Not So Fun Fact: There’s a huge floating island of plastic waste called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is said to span 620,000 square miles, approximately twice the size of Texas.

At North Authentic, we make every effort to minimize our carbon footprint. Some of our efforts include:

Eco-friendly and biodegradable packing materials
Biodegradable packing peanuts are used as filler for shipment safety and black bubble wrap, made from 40% PCR content, is used to protect clean ingredients.

Earth-friendly shipping practices
Smaller shipments are shipped in 100% recycled poly mailers, made with 100% recycled content, 50% post-consumer content, with a reusable tear strip, and recyclable in thin film bins. Boxes are reused as often as possible, so your shipping box could appear to have had previous shipping labels, etc which have been removed. Where a new box is necessary, we only use 100% recyclable corrugated boxes.

Emissions reduction choices
Our customers are given the choice of holding an order until all products are in stock, rather than shipping items separately, to reduce gas emissions.

We choose to partner with brands who are as dedicated to making sustainable change as we are. Brands who use minimal packaging and create refillable products. And, of course, we have our own sustainable business practices in place. Meticulous label reading and product testing, eco-friendly package selection, and conscious decision making concerning our supply chain. All for you, your hair, and our planet.

In an effort to reduce waste, pumps are not included with any glass shampoo/conditioners or liter sizes. Please add pumps to your order or save your existing pumps.

As we grow, so do our sustainable initiatives. Beauty products tend to be designed for consumable, short term usage, with the majority of packaging ending up in landfills. North Authentic will be joining Pact, a movement that makes clear information and ideas available on production, packaging and material claims, and recycling in order to further the efforts of sustainable packaging in the cosmetics and wellness business.

• Choose sustainable packaging, like plastic alternatives and recycled/recyclable materials
• Use refillables
• Ditch single use items
• Recycle whenever possible
  

Cardboard:
Must be dry and clean
Remove any tape and labels from the outside of the box

Glass:
Remove any labels from the outside of the bottle
Make sure the inside of the bottle is clean and rinsed out
Check with your recycling program on sizes and types of glass accepted

Aluminum:
Remove any labels from the outside of the container
Make sure the container is clean
Check with your recycling program on types of aluminum accepted

Plastic:
Discard any unused portion of the product, and rinse and clean the container. Ensure it is truly clean and empty—packages with product left inside get incinerated because they can’t be recycled.
Remove any sprayers or twist on caps (those go in the trash/landfill), as well as labels and tape. Check with your recycling program to see if caps are accepted and instructions on recycling different types of plastics.

• Plastic containers #1, 2 and 5 when LARGER than a fist
• Stainless steel or aluminum
• Clear or frosted glass jars and bottles
• Cardboard & paper

• Plastic containers #3, #4, #6 and #7 larger than a fist
• Broken glass
• Dental Floss
• Aerosol cans
• Sponges + Brushes
• Single-use wipes
• Plastic + foil safety seals
• Plastic bag + wrappers
• Plastic with foil/metal inlay
• Nail polish + remover
• Toothbrushes
  

Put your dollars where your heart is without compromising on healthy looking hair. Learn more about the sustainable brands we carry.