For many people during this pandemic the notion of shopping for sustainable or ethically sourced grocery products was probably tossed in favor of old comfort foods and just making sure our shelves are stocked.
Plus, shopping for more sustainable products is certainly harder than just grabbing the big CPG brands right there on display at your local grocery store. Or, at least it was. Today a startup called Hive officially launched its online marketplace that only sells sustainable and goods that do social good. The company curates the products it sells by only stocking those that have low impact ingredients, environmentally-friendly packaging, a low-carbon footprint and a commitment to social good. Oh, and the products need to taste good, too.
But in addition to selling these types of products, Hive tells you how the company (and by extension you, for buying from them) is doing good in the world. At checkout, you get a full report on your cart that shows how your purchases made a positive impact in terms of recycling, fighting deforestation or causes donated to. As you buy more, Hive keeps track to show you the cumulative effects of your purchases (and the positive reinforcement could keep you shopping on Hive!).
Of course, there are some products on Hive that are better for the planet than others. Take for example, chips, which come in plastic bags that can’t be recycled by most curbside pickup services. In these cases, Hive has partnered with TerraCycle. So if you purchase a bag of chips, you can pay an additional $1 and Hive will send you a pre-paid envelope. Put the chip bag and any other hard-to-recycle items you purchased from Hive in the bag and send it back to the company. Once they have a critical mass, Hive sends it to TerraCycle to be turned into something else.
Hive’s launch comes at a time when many food businesses are looking at what they sell and how they sell it. Zero Grocery recently raised $3 million for its plastic-free grocery stores. And if the name TerraCyle sounds familiar, that’s because it’s powering the new Loop service that sells well-known CPG brands in re-usable containers.
Hive is also coming along during a renaissance of sorts for smaller CPG brands, many of whom feature more sustainable attributes like upcylcing and plant-based ingredients. Many are also selling direct to consumers through their own websites. By stocking all these products together on a single marketplace, Hive creates a one-stop shop for conscious consumers.
Hive’s market is open to the public and shipping nationwide. The company is using ground shipments, so orders typically take two to five days to arrive. Which will give you plenty of time to think about the good your Hive purchases are doing.
