In a successful business, ‘sustainability’ shouldn’t be just a trendy buzzword – it should be an initiative that is placed at the very core of everything the brand believes and does, which has always been the case at Nature’s Sunshine. As a complementary health brand, the company’s entire purpose relies on nature which is what consumers have come to know and appreciate. Over time, the company has evolved with many societal changes but at the forefront one thing has always emained the same, and that is their commitment to sustainability.

From farming to product formulations

The herbs that are used in Nature’s Sunshine’s formulations are only as powerful as the soil they are grown in, which is why sustainable farming and ethical harvesting have been a nonnegotiable. One example of this is their newest Power Beets formula, made from nitric-oxide rich beets that are naturally known to help support energy and endurance. The beetroots themselves are sourced from high Tibetan plateaus, grown at 10,000 feet where the cool 4°C average temperatures and nutrient-rich sky-high soil provide ideal growing conditions. In addition to this, Nature’s Sunshine partners with generational farmers who have perfected the craft of beet cultivation, ensuring a product that is not only eNective but ethically and sustainability grown.

Embedding sustainability in a brand’s DNA

For Nature’s Sunshine, sustainability doesn’t end at the farm. It’s embedded in everything from the 100% manufacturing facility to the use of 100% recycled plastic bottles. This reiterates the fact that sustainability is about building a business that lasts. In an age of noise, discount codes and digital overload, a brand with real substance cuts through. If you can’t earn a sale without a discount, a paid ad, or a hack, you don’t have a brand—you have a promotion. Building a brand today means standing for something and living it every day. For Nature’s Sunshine, this means that nature isn’t a commodity, it’s a ommunity everyone is part of and responsible for in one way or another.

Implementing positive change

Although sustainability has always been at the forefront, Nature’s Sunshine has always looked towards ways they can do better. In support of their evolving environmental eNorts, their international manufacturing facility is now 100% solar-powered, reducing their CO2 emissions by 42%. The company has also reduced the use of virgin plastics by over 225,000kg a year world-wide – converting to bottles made from 100% recycled plastic and introducing more flexible pouches that use less plastic. The packaging of the new Chlorophyll Stick Packs alone translates to the use of 90% less energy and water produce, 98% less post-consumer weight, 90% fewer pallets used in transport and 89% less shipping weight. The future of business and branding is about reflecting, pivoting, making change where necessary and always going back to the brand’s ‘why’. When we take care of nature, it takes care of us—and that’s a business model worth building.

Contributed by Stanford Webster, General Manager – Nature’s Sunshine Australia