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You may know how to reduce your own carbon footprint, but what about your dog’s?

With the looming climate crisis, we should all do our best to support environmentally friendly products. However, this can get tricky when it comes to the world of pets. Sure, there are little things we can do. You’re probably familiar with re-using old grocery bags for pet pickup instead of buying a whole roll of doggie-specific bags. But, it can be hard to tell where to go from there.

Thankfully, some up-and-coming pet brands, along with a few old favorites, are working to be more sustainable.

Using Larvae in order to Reduce Food Waste

Cats and dogs are responsible with regard to 25 percent to 35 percent of the environmental impact associated with meat consumption in the U. S. This equates to 64 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. While your own dog may not make a large individual impact, those are usually pretty startling numbers. Some pet brands are leaning towards insect-based alternatives regarding the health of the planet.

“Birds, companion pets and other animals naturally love in order to eat grubs, ” said  Sean  Warner, CEO and co-founder of  Grubbly  Farms , which is now offering dog food with a base of Black Soldier Fly larvae. This particular larvae has long been touted as a superior meals due to its protein and calcium contents.

“We surveyed our own current customer base plus found that the majority have dogs, so it was a natural next step to expand into the dog foods space. Pet parents care deeply regarding their pet’s nutrition and are constantly seeking ways to provide healthier options for them. With  Grubbly, the customers can better nourish their pets and feel good about lessening their environment impact while doing so. ”

The larvae within the food not only offer a highly digestible protein intended for pets. They also reduce impact on landfills by recycling meals waste. Additionally , this provides cleaner air simply by producing 20 times less co2 than beef. It also uses 2, 000 times less water than beef production. Plus, grubs serve as a direct replacement for fishmeal, protecting over 150, 000 pounds of fish every year.

Grubbly  has plans to introduce dog foods which will recycle over 80 pounds of food waste with every bag. This means the CO2 produced by driving 1, 244 in the average car. To date,   Grubbly  Farms  has recycled over 13 million pounds of food waste.

More Bees, Less Plastic

Project Hive Pet Company is a pet company that includes sustainability efforts in its mission  statement: to help save the particular declining native bee populations. Project Beehive donates one percent associated with sales to  The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund to  establish wildflower habitats to aid native pollinators.

“While  making all of our toys and treats within the U. S. helps reduce freight emissions,   we are still mindful from the emissions created  by shipping products around the  Oughout. S. and they are working to mitigate and offset those greenhouse gases, ” said co-founder Melissa Rapaport Schifman regarding the impact of carbon emissions on the planet.

Earth Animal was one of 20 family pet food brands that announced this past March that they had recovered two, 000 tons of plastic waste materials from nature, the rough equivalent associated with 111 million plastic bottles or one billion plastic hand bags in weight. In an effort to tackle the issue of plastic pollution, the brands reduced the plastic in their packaging and supply chains and financed the particular recovery of discarded plastic material waste through rePurpose Global ’s waste cleanup projects.

Even some old classic brands are trying to make a change. Purina announced that they have reached their goal associated with zero waste for disposal across almost all manufacturing plants within the company.   Purina also noted that they are functioning towards zero environmental effect in the operations by 2030 as well as being committed to sourcing ingredients responsibly, reducing drinking water use, plus achieving 100 percent renewable electricity for all its sites.

Making a Change at Home

One of the most important things you can do to back up sustainability whenever caring for your pet is to pay close attention to the brands you are supporting. There is an increasing number of organic, sustainable dog goodies on the market, along with eco-friendly playthings and biodegradable doggie luggage . There’s now a diverse range of eco-friendly pet products some might not think to look to get, too. This particular includes  cleanup supplies , pet beds , and even green dog collars and leashes . Consider also changing your dog’s routine to assist the environment. Leash your canine companions when in areas with protected wildlife for everyone’s safety, plus consistently clean up pet waste materials to prevent harmful runoff into local water sources.