ELLSWORTH, Maine, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Desert Harvest, a manufacturer of nutritional supplements formulated with a proprietary super-concentrated aloe vera extract, today announced that it plans to phase out single-use plastic bottles for all of its products by the end of 2022. The decision makes Desert Harvest the first U.S. supplement company to abandon single-use pill bottles in favor of more sustainable packaging solutions.

The company is:

• Transitioning to plant-based compostable bags for all supplements beginning this spring with its flagship Super-Strength Aloe Vera Capsules, which are widely used to relieve chronic bladder pain and other symptoms associated with disorders such as Interstitial Cystitis that affects 12 million men and women
• Offering customers the option to purchase refillable, rechargeable, Bluetooth-connected smart bottles, including an app that tracks pill usage, pushes refill reminders, and more, with pre-orders now available at http://www.desertharvest.com/smart-bottle-pre-order
• Removing 1,000 pounds of plastic from the ocean for every bottle purchased through an agreement with ImpacX, its smart bottle supplier

Desert Harvest will be selling ImpacX's Vitamins.io bottle under an exclusive six-month agreement that will introduce the patented technology to the U.S. The bottle is designed to be recharged on a monthly basis and last for five years, at which time Desert Harvest will provide a prepaid return label for recycling.

The initiative positions Desert Harvest as a leader in eliminating the use of single-use plastic pill bottles and the associated impacts on climate change, from the greenhouse gases emitted during manufacturing to the methane emissions from the landfills where empty bottles are discarded. Millions of these containers wind up in the waste stream every year, both from the $31 billion worth of supplements sold annually and from the nearly 4.7 million retail prescriptions filled on a yearly basis in the U.S. alone.

The transition to sustainable packaging is also the latest in a series of moves that Desert Harvest has taken to reduce its carbon footprint. The company uses Cradle to Cradle-certified USPS recycled packaging, its office building/warehouse is powered by hydropower, its print facility is wind-powered, and plans call for replacing company vehicles with an all-electric fleet by 2025.

"As an aloe vera company, sustainability is really in our DNA. Aloe vera is a naturally sustainable plant that does not deplete nutrients from the soil, can regenerate after you cut a leaf off, and can survive easily with any amount of water," said Heather Florio, CEO of Desert Harvest. "Moving to sustainable packaging was a logical next step and one that we hope will encourage other supplement companies to follow the same path as a means of fighting climate change." 

About Desert Harvest
Desert Harvest is a provider of nutritional supplements and natural skincare products utilizing a proprietary, whole-leaf, super-strength aloe vera extract that delivers benefits not available from products made with diluted, partial-leaf aloe. Backed by science and extensive research, the company's products are used for underserved and under-recognized conditions ranging from interstitial cystitis to radiation dermatitis and other women's health and sexual health ailments. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in Ellsworth, Maine. For more information, visit www.desertharvest.com.

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SOURCE Desert Harvest