This Earth Month, we spotlight our commitments to the planet—and pledge to do even more.

You may not know that Pipette is part of a larger biotech company, Amyris, which creates sustainable solutions for a growing world. Amyris is an integrated renewable products company that received early funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop one of the world’s leading anti-malarial treatments. This sustainable and affordable cure has enabled the manufacture of millions of anti-malarial treatments, saving thousands of lives. At its core, Amyris has always been focused on using inspired science to create better, more effective renewable products. Pipette was born out of Amyris’s commitment to people and planet—and our desire to bring our innovative problem-solving approach and rigorous scientific research to baby care. A hero innovation of ours is 100% sugarcane-derived squalane, which is the most sustainable, dependable source of plant-based squalane available. (More on our squalane’s genius in a minute!) Using innovative biotechnology, we created a line of squalane-based products with clinically proven results. Most importantly, they’re safer and better for families and for the environment. We formulate using rigorous ingredient selection guidelines and proudly ban over 2,000 potentially irritating, harmful, or environmentally suspect ingredients commonly found in baby care and cosmetics. This is our promise to you—now, and always.

Ethical from the ground up

Our proprietary hero ingredient, squalane, is 100% plant-derived from renewable sugarcane. The sugarcane we use is grown in Brazil and is one of the most sustainable, ethically produced sources of sugar—and therefore one of the most sustainable sources of squalane. Little to no irrigation is needed to grow the sugarcane due to the naturally abundant rainfall in Brazil. And because sugarcane grows like a weed and is a rapidly renewable crop, there’s always plenty of it, ensuring that the squalane we produce from it is readily available and affordable for all.  Our crops are also grown on established farmland far from the Amazon rainforest, because we have a zero-tolerance policy for deforestation.

Made with renewable energy

The sugarcane field we utilize is right next to our production facility, where the sugarcane bagasse (the dry, fibrous material that remains after the sugarcane juice is extracted from the stalks) is used for energy co-generation. Any excess energy our facility produces is released back to the power grid—so we’re replenishing our energy resources, not simply using them up. Our production facility was Brazil’s first biomaterial producer to be certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials. And in here in the U.S., our Emeryville, California research lab is My Green Lab certified, which helps us reduce the environmental impact of everything we develop. And we’re proud to say that we are certified Platinum, the highest possible rating!

Responsible, minimal packaging

Many of Pipette’s products are made without outer packaging in order to reduce waste. When you do see an outer carton, you can rest assured that it’s made from sugarcane-derived paperboard. The material is made from 100% pure sugarcane bagasse (yep, that fibrous pulp has multiple uses!). This means that since it’s made from a byproduct of the sugarcane pressing, it leaves nothing to waste. Our cartons are tree-free, completely recyclable, and from a rapid renewable resource. We also use no bleaching chemicals or dyes and choose not to use any metallic inks on the packaging, so the recyclability of components is not affected.

What’s PCR, anyway?

And why is it important for our planet? We’re glad you asked! Post-consumer recycled content, often referred to as PCR, is material made from the items that have been previously recycled. Plastics take an environmental toll on our landfills and oceans—which is why we use PCR plastic in our bottles and tubes as much as possible.  Even so, our packaging is a work in progress: we are committed to increasing the amount of PCR used in our bottles and tubes, and we’re investigating innovative sustainable packaging materials and designs from manufacturers who are leaders in reducing environmental impact. We strive to use the most sustainable packaging options available for our formulations and continue to strive to improve as new technologies emerge.

Our EWG Verified™ products

Ever wondered what that little round EWG Verified™ seal is on our bottles? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit watchdog organization dedicated to research and education about the health and safety of consumer products. Since 1992, the EWG has shined a spotlight on outdated legislation, harmful agricultural practices, and industry loopholes that pose a risk to our health and our environment. This is why the vast majority of Pipette’s products are EWG Verified™, which means they have passed the EWG’s strictest safety standards and are free of EWG’s chemicals of concern. Curious why a couple of our products don’t have the EWG Verified™ seal? At this time, the EWG verification process doesn’t extend to OTC (over the counter) products for children or sunscreens with an SPF higher than 30; but the ingredients in our OTC products are chosen according to the same stringent safety guidelines as our EWG Verified™ products, and we ban over 2000 potentially harmful or environmentally questionable ingredients from all our formulas. All ingredients in our OTC formulas can be looked up in the EWG’s Skin Deep database, and receive excellent ratings.

Carbon Neutral Shipping

In 2020, we instituted carbon neutral shipping for all our products (at no cost to you!). What does that mean? It means we offset any carbon dioxide emitted from shipping to you by funding reforestation projects and planting trees—which help pull carbon back out of the atmosphere, which in turn helps combat global warming. Happy families, happy planet—it’s that simple.

Reduce, reuse…upcycle!

Once your products arrive at your doorstep, that’s where you get to step in and help the planet. When you’re finished with your favorite Pipette product, you can recycle anything that comes in a hard, non-flexible bottle or tub. (We’re still working hard on making our flexible tubes for lotions and creams recyclable–we’re laser-focused on finding a solution, so stay tuned for improvements here. You can, however, recycle the caps of all tubes, so be sure to put those in your recycling bin!) And recycling’s not the only way to give your bottles a second life. Here, our three fave alternate uses for empty Pipette items—just grab some paint and get crafty with the kiddos!

• Baby Balm jar: Your new home for bobby pins and hair clips
• Baby Shampoo + Wash bottle: Bud vase for spring flowers
• Keepsake Box in our Welcome Baby Keepsake Set: Sturdy container for baby photos and milestone memories