Ursa Major is Plastic Negative

We’re proud to be the one of the first Plastic Negative clean skincare brands! In partnership with rePurpose Global, we’re removing two plastic bottles from nature for every bottle we sell, as part of our mission to help raise the bar for responsibility in our industry.

Plastic waste is a problem: 91% of plastic waste ends up in landfills, is incinerated, or flushed into our rivers and oceans, where it breaks down into harmful microplastics. The good news? There are simple, sustainable ways we can help. Step one: becoming plastic negative by removing more plastic than we generate. Step two: reduce our use of plastic materials (scroll down to bottom).

rePurpose Global is the world’s first crediting platform that helps both businesses and individuals offset their plastic footprint. Wondering what a plastic offset is? It’s a credit that funds the removal of plastics from the environment that would not have otherwise occurred without the offset. rePurpose Global’s mission is to enable small brands like ours (or even individuals like you!) to reduce their plastic footprint by funding offset projects that are sustainably integrated into local communities around the world.

We’re dedicating a percentage of every purchase to a plastic offset through rePurpose Global. These funds will support our chosen waste management partner, Taka Taka - an organization in Kenya that ethically recycles low-value plastic waste (low-value plastic is the plastic that would otherwise be landfilled, burned, or flushed into waterways and oceans).

Taka Taka is the only waste collector in Nairobi with a vertically-integrated system, meaning they manage the entire end-to-end process from collection to recycling. As if recycling could be any cooler, they have achieved one of the highest recycling rates in the world at 95%!

We’re committed to evergreen innovation, and continue to look for ways to optimize our packaging materials and production methods. So far, we have:

• Transitioned all 8 fl oz bottles to 50-100% PCR plastic (up from 21%)
• Launched new tubes containing 50% PCR plastic and 50% bioplastic
• Moved to carbon-neutral paper stock for the majority of our secondary packaging
• Produced over 90% of cartons with 100% renewable energy

Let’s go the extra mile! We’re on the path to offset every piece of plastic that our packaging has created since our launch in 2010. And we’re not stopping there: we’re moving away from plastic packaging altogether and reduce our single use plastic output by 60% by 2022.

We share your passion for a plastic-free future at Ursa Major. It’s been a long road and we’re grateful to be on this adventure with you. Stay tuned for more updates.