Our Sustainability Journey

Here at Portland Juice Co. we are passionate about doing our part in fighting climate change by finding sustainable solutions in the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of our products! We strive to improve our current practices and want our customers to be informed during our sustainability journey.

Bottles

At the start of 2019 we made the difficult decision to say good-bye to our glass bottles. We had been using glass bottles in previous years, waiting to receive more participation in the bottle return system. Unfortunately, we were not receiving enough bottles which put a significant financial strain on the packaging aspect of our business. Rather than compromising the integrity of our juice by cutting back on the costs of our produce, we opted to find a safer plastic bottle option. This is when we made the switch to our #1 PET and BPA free bottles.

While #1 PET means that it is a single use plastic, it is super easy to recycle! Our bottles are accepted at most all recycling centers where it will be shredded and reprocessed into new bottles!

Bisphenol A or BPA is a toxic industrial chemical used in some plastics. As a result, we have chosen BPA free bottles because of the toxicity of BPA that can seep into the food that the container holds.

Our team is constantly looking for ways to make our business more sustainable. We looked at many bottle options and did lots of research on the different kinds of plastic. We have hopes of switching back to glass bottles soon! If you have suggestions as to how we can improve the way our packaging impacts the environment, please reach out.

Organic Certification

Did you know that by eating organic foods you are making a more sustainable choice compared to inorganic options? Organic farming is a much more sustainable alternative to conventional farming. Conventional farming can lead to a soil erosion, water pollution and a decrease in biodiversity. As food demands increase, agriculture will continue to have significant contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. Organic farming can help us to mitigate these effects.

Snacks

While making the hundreds of bottles of juice that we cold-press on any given day, we go through a lot of organic produce. All those fruits and veggies provide our delicious juice. But what is left of that produce and what do we do with it? Well in previous years we had no use for all of that drained out produce pulp. Our leftover pulp recycled into the compost bin, we sought out new solutions.

Recently, through dozens of recipe iterations, we came up with delicious snack options that are almost entirely made with the leftover pulp from our juicing process! These snacks are organic and vegan, so they can be enjoyed with the bliss of knowing you are making a sustainable, healthy, and tasty choice. Not to mention, they are almost raw! Use them as a topping for yogurt, scoop up some dip, or find new ways to enjoy them!

Extra Pulp

We do take requests for the extra pulp that is left over from our juicing process. Have an interest in using organic pulp in your garden or for something else? Let us know via email to [email protected].