These goals are big and aspirational, some are even uncharted territory for our industry, but we’re committed to finding science-backed solutions for a better future.
1. Ingredients Made Traceable® by 2022. We’re happy to tell you we can cross this goal off of our checklist. We showcase our 51 active and other ingredient suppliers and final places of manufacturing on our website for all to see.
We’re proud to have achieved this goal in 2022, but our traceability work does not stop there. In 2023, we are working diligently to understand what level of traceability we have beyond the final place of manufacturing down to the origin. This full level of traceability is where we can really have confidence in the safety, sustainability, and quality of our ingredients' full chain of custody.
2. Sustainable Packaging by 2025. Sustainable packaging doesn’t have a formal legal definition, so let us be clear, we count packaging that is recycled, recyclable, and/or refillable. Included in this goal are primary packaging (what the product is stored in), secondary packaging (any cartons for use in retail), and tertiary packaging (what the product comes into your house).
We use design principles outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which focuses on eliminating waste and pollution, circulating materials at their highest value, and designing products regenerative in nature. While we know refillable systems can often be more sustainable and reduce carbon emissions, it’s complicated. Initial testing we conducted of refillable pouches showed that the integrity of the nutrients in our formulas was not stable being stored and transported in pouches. The last thing we would want to do is ship our products in packaging that could compromise the formula and benefits, even if it is more sustainable. With that being said, we are exploring ways to approach refillable packaging in a way that would deliver sustainability benefits while still protecting your product. Thanks for your patience as we tackle this intricate process. (And in the meantime, we’re proud of our 100% PCR bottles and other packaging solutions.)
3. Net Zero Emissions by 2030. "Net Zero” is the science-based target developed by leading climate scientists. Is it possible to hit? No one knows, but we will try in earnest. Why? We use the latest science to guide our formulations; why wouldn’t we do the same for our sustainability program? The world is already feeling the dramatic effects of climate change. But modeling indicates that these impacts will become even more intense if we don’t limit the rise in global average temperature to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.6 To hit 1.5°C of warming or less, we must reduce global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gasses by about 90% no later than 2050, with about half of those emission reductions coming by 2030.
4. Clinically-Backed Formulas by 2030. Ritual set out to be a pioneer in the industry, conducting gold-standard human clinical trials in partnership with leading universities and research organizations from around the world. By 2030 we plan to have completed clinical trials for all existing products. We give ourselves three years after all future product launches to complete the product clinical study. We're also working to create standardized definitions for how brands can use the term "clinical studied."
Ritual has a university-led clinical trial on Essential for Women 18+ formula, published in Frontiers In Nutrition — a leading, internationally recognized, peer-reviewed journal — and uses clinically studied key ingredients with strategic doses and forms across the rest of our line. We have also completed two in-vitro studies on Synbiotic+ and one in-vitro study on Essential for Women 18+. Follow our progress towards publishing industry-leading studies for all our products.