Zero Waste Enthusiastic
Philosophie is a sustainable wellness brand that seeks to incorporate superfoods in an eco-friendly diet. The Zero Waste Lifestyle System is honored to get the views of their founder, Sophie Jaffe. Here she will discuss about Philosophie’s eco-conscious mission and share tips on shopping smart for a healthy diet.
Sophie Jaffe on Philosophie, a sustainable wellness brand
Across the planet, we are waking up to systems in place that no longer serve us as a collective; we are pulling many things up from the darkness into light. The state of our Mother Earth has always been present and there are MANY doing all they can to fight climate change and spread more sustainable and eco-friendly practices, but more are joining the cause.
We can become part of the change by using more reusable products, shopping with reusable bags and totes, refusing bags and utensils if you order takeout, buying more sustainable products in your home to clean up messes, and become more mindful on your food consumption.
As the founder and creator of a superfood wellness brand and a mama of three, it’s extremely important that I make sustainability a key factor in my life. I’ve made it a mission to make more conscientious choices so I can create the best environment for my little ones and my Philosophie community. The goal is to make lots of little daily changes to be more eco-conscious and choose goods, products and food with more intention.
Why do I run a sustainable wellness brand?
I don’t need to be the first to tell you that climate change is real and scary. It’s so important now more than ever to be part of the solution and not the problem. I want a world that my children’s children can grow up in and experience the beauty of this planet.
Plastic pollution affects our lives every day and you may not even know it. Plastic is linked to cancers, can impact fertility and kills thousands of marine animals. It’s predicted that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean if we continue our plastic use.
As the food we eat plays such a large role in shaping how we use and treat our planet, it’s essential that we make environmentally conscious choices while gathering all the ingredients for our yummy recipes. I make it a point to research who and where I source all our ingredients from for Philosophie.
This is also important when it comes to your food waste within your own home. Mamas, I know how challenging it is to get your kiddos to eat everything on their plate. In my own home, we are always looking for new and fun ways to use leftovers which often look like using leftover fruits and veggies in smoothies, soups or bowls. When you make your leftovers into an entirely new meal it makes it a new experience for the whole family to enjoy!
Shop smart for sustainable wellness!
Here are my top tips for keeping your carbon footprint low while shopping for nutrient-dense foods:
1. Always ask questions about your food. What ingredients are used and where do these ingredients come from? Are they sustainably grown and harvested? This is so SO important, especially for ingredients like palm oil (which is oftentimes unsustainably harvested, harming natural ecosystems and beautiful creatures like orangutans).
2. Shop the Farmer’s Market. By hitting up your local Farmer’s Market, you have access to an abundance of amazing fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts AND you can learn exactly where and how they were grown. Local, organic produce has a much smaller carbon footprint than larger grocery chains that ship theirs from far distances. And make sure to bring your reusable totes wherever you go!
3. Subscribe to a CSA Box. CSAs (community supported agriculture programs) connect local farmers with people looking to buy local, in-season produce. As a member, you purchase a portion of a farm’s crop before it’s grown each season, which allows the farmer to buy all the seeds, water, and equipment upfront and avoid relying on loans and banks. This beautiful arrangement helps people be so much more connected to our planet and what we put on our plates.
Practices in place
I’ve been deeply inspired by my kid’s school, Waldorf where gardening and the outdoors is integral to the Waldorf curriculum and serve as a beautiful intro into the science world. As a zero-waste school (where EVERYTHING is reusable), they cultivate an early appreciation for nature and teach the kids that the world is innately good and needs us all to work together to protect and support it. This has helped ME be less wasteful and more mindful of every single thing we use and don’t use in our home and for Philosophie.
A part of nourishing ourselves is respecting and protecting this beautiful blue planet that we call home, I feel it’s SO important to ensure that the Philosophie products also support the environment. All of our superfood + protein blends come in 100% biodegradable kraft paper, created with long, unbleached fibers from maritime pine that require minimal chemical processing and keep the wood’s gorgeous natural color.
The paper itself actually decomposes naturally, just like the leaves of a tree, and will return to its original state of cellulose fibers in several weeks—completely safe for the environment! And while these bags are green and can be put back into the earth, their fibers are super strong so they can be reused again and again! All our jars of supercharged raw honey and our superfood coconut butter come in reusable glass jars.
