Vitamin Production: The Environmental Risks

Why Take Them?

Vitamins and supplements help fill the gap in nutrients, health, and daily functions that you are unable to receive in your diet or well-being. However, it’s important to recognize that taking vitamins should not and cannot replace the significance of balanced foods. 

“A multivitamin cannot replace a healthy, well-balanced diet. The body recognizes and absorbs the nutrients naturally found in foods much better than a supplement.”

- Mayo Clinic Health System

Supplements don’t carry the healthy substances that come with having a balanced diet and they may decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease more than the vitamins provide for.

The Environmental Footprint 

The dietary supplements industry makes billions off of using plastic containers, sourcing materials unethically, and driving unnecessary energy production.

1. Packaging

Almost every container for vitamins is made of plastic which adds to the growing waste crisis we see in everyday products. However, many businesses are reconsidering their packaging strategies to decrease their impact such as Seed, AG1, Mary Ruth’s Organics, and Form.

2. Sourcing Materials 

Many ingredients are farmed inorganically and conventionally meaning they use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Some supplements also require animals products such as fish oil which can lead to overharvesting and overproduction to combat the growing market for vitamins.

3. Energy Consumption

According to Forbes,” Vitamin production is far from eco-friendly as synthetic vitamins often rely on petrochemical-derived ingredients, consuming significant energy and resources. For example, producing vitamin C requires petroleum derived ingredients like acetone and involves energy-intensive processes and plastic packaging.”

Manufacturing vitamins contributes to the carbon emissions and consumption of natural resources, adding to the environmental burden.

4. Shipment 

So many vitamins and supplements are transported worldwide. Most use palm oil, one of the leading causes of deforestation globally.

Lower the Harm

1. Choose locally sourced and transported vitamins

2. Check for certifications

(Certified Carbon-Free, Fair Trade Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified, Climate Neutral)

3. Choose whole foods over diet

4. Support sustainable brands

(Orlo Nutrient, Garden of Life, Thorne, Ritual)

Conclusion

Choosing sustainable options in the supplement industry is a shift towards a more ethical and ecologically responsive approach. The more people that focus on environmentally safe brands will increase businesses’ drive towards generating more sustainable products. Making this choice will result in a more sustainable future and embrace a corporate approach to sustainability.