Our Pursuit of Total Sustainability: Q&A With Sean Lavin, VP of LIV Mission

Hey LIV fam! It’s been just a few short days since we launched Seaberry, with packaging made of 100% environmentally sustainable materials. From inspiration to execution, creating our first Multiplier with fully compostable sticks and 100% rPET plastic cartons has been a labor of love and a year in the making. In 2019, the Liquid I.V. team went on a life-changing giveback trip to Nepal. After witnessing such unsustainable amounts of waste and air pollution, we knew we had to do more to minimize our footprint. Cut to: One year later, we’re thrilled to share Seaberry Hydration Multiplier, another big step in our pursuit of total sustainability. 

To get the full play-by-play of our sustainability initiative, we sat down with Sean Lavin, VP of LIV Mission and the man behind every compostable stick and rPET plastic carton. Fun Fact: Sean became Liquid I.V.’s first official employee when he was hired as Operations Manager in 2016! As VP of Mission, Sean’s work encompasses every aspect of product innovation, global sustainability, and giveback. Keep reading to find out what steps we are taking in our pursuit of total sustainability, straight from our VP of Mission! 


What do we mean when we talk about sustainability at Liquid I.V.?

To Change The World, you need to serve both people and planet. Advancements in sustainability and understanding how we source healthy ingredients are integral for our products. 

Sustainability is like feeding the world a nutritious meal. In nature, there is no concept of waste. Everything is food for something else. By returning valuable nutrients to the soil and other ecosystems, we can enhance our natural resources. At Liquid I.V., we are committed to participating in the innovation of new sustainable technologies and packaging to push the envelope for rapid change. 

 

How does sustainability tie into our mission to Change The World?

Our mission is to help people everywhere live better lives, and sustainability is an important piece of that puzzle. We want to develop an infrastructure with partnerships and suppliers to reduce the negative impact of trash in impoverished areas. 

Additionally, since we are producing a product that can save lives, we have a duty to maintain the integrity of the formulation and functionality at all times. When it comes to peoples’ wellbeing, quality is paramount. That’s why we will never substitute sustainability for quality. We need both. 

 

What kind of research did we do to make sure we were building a strong foundation for our sustainability initiative? 

To really hold ourselves accountable in achieving the most aggressive sustainability goals, we needed to work with experts in this field. With the help of top sustainability specialists, we were able to define our baseline and understand how everything could be measured as a carbon footprint. Once we were able to isolate areas that we could impact and control, a plan was put together to make changes that will eventually make us a wellness industry leader in sustainability. 

 

What actions are we taking in our pursuit of total sustainability? 

 We are developing more sustainable packaging that ensures safety, better customer experience, and maintaining performance qualities. To deliver on our commitments, we’re focusing on three areas:

  1. Using recyclable and biodegradable materials. Some of our packaging is ready to be recycled, and we’re innovating to develop new materials so that it can all be recycled, wherever it is used. 
  2. Developing innovative packaging formats. We are designing packaging that makes separation and recycling easy, as well as shifting to biodegradable or compostable materials.
  3. Understanding the environmental impact of our packaging. It is vital to learn how we can measure the environmental impact of each stage of a product’s life cycle. 

 

What are you most excited about regarding the future of the LIV sustainability initiative? 

The dream is to inspire people to nurture our planet and increase global awareness.

 

There you have it, LIV fam: a full rundown of where we are and where we’re headed in our ongoing journey toward total sustainability! 

 

 

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