Burt's Bees

Burt's Bees has made ingredient commitments to lower its environmental impact, including by avoiding parabens, phthalates, other petrochemical-based ingredients, and uncertified palm oil. While it has made these commitments, it still uses some ingredients that pose a significant threat to the climate, including other petrochemical-based ingredients and palm oil. Its products incorporate bio-based and/or biodegradable ingredients. It carries products that have certifications from Leaping Bunny.

Burt's Bees hasn't made any efforts to concentrate its products or minimize its containers, which increases shipping emissions and packaging volumes. It has made efforts to reduce virgin plastic in its product containers, but doesn't provide details. It uses eco-friendly materials in its product containers, including ones that are recycled or recyclable.

Burt's Bees' parent company, The Clorox Company, shares information on its overall energy strategy. It uses some renewable energy to power its production sites and corporate offices and has committed to maintaining its use of renewable energy in North America. It implements energy efficiency measures in its production sites and corporate offices. Burt's Bees has a global production span, which is standard for the industry. The Clorox Company tracks water withdrawal across its supply chain.

Burt's Bees utilizes alternative models to avert waste for some products, including by offering some refillable products and a takeback program. Its takeback program, a partnership with Terracycle, allows customers to send old packaging in for recycling.

Burt's Bees offers seasonal products or frequent releases, which can encourage overconsumption and production of excess inventory.

Commons is still evaluating this brand's marketing emails.

Burt's Bees has a sustainability page with high-level details on its climate strategy, but this page is hard to find on its website. Its parent company, The Clorox Company, publishes a detailed annual report with a clear, impact-driven strategy and progress reporting. Its last annual report was published in 2023. Burt's Bees shares a complete list of ingredients used in its products, on a per product basis.

Burt's Bees' parent company, The Clorox Company, internally measures and publicly reports its company-level emissions in partnership with, or with auditing from, a third party. It includes a breakdown by scope and identifies its top driver of emissions. The last reporting period was 2023. In its most recent update, its estimated emissions footprint was 3,604,975 tons CO2e.

Burt's Bees' parent company, The Clorox Company, has SBTi-approved emissions reduction targets for the medium-term (5-10 years). It has reported on its progress within the past year, and it has achieved its scope 1 and 2 targets but is off track for its scope 3 target. Commons couldn't find evidence that this brand offsets any emissions.

Burt's Bees' parent company, The Clorox Compnany, publishes information about its supply chain partners, disclosing their geographic locations. It traces some of its supply chain, including wax and butter sources. It publicly shares a supplier code of conduct, which disallows unauthorized subcontracting, ensures the right to collective bargaining, prohibits forced labor, prohibits child labor, establishes grievance mechanisms, and includes environmental clauses. Its code of conduct doesn't ensure a living wage. The Clorox Company doesn't have a stated policy of regularly auditing its supply chain partners. This may increase human and environmental risks.

Burt's Bees' parent company, The Clorox Company, discloses all of its trade association memberships, including those that are climate-obstructive. It's a member of 3 large climate-obstructive trade associations: US Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, and Personal Care Products Council. It isn't a member of advocacy organizations advancing climate policy. The Clorox Company employs state lobbyists with few fossil fuel aligned clients. It didn't donate more than $100k to climate-obstructive candidates or PACs from 2018-2024.