One Step Closer Launches Zero Waste Packaging Campaign 

New campaign is aimed to mobilize industry & consumers around circular packaging solutions

OAKLAND, Cali., January 3rd, 2022 – One Step Closer (OSC), a mission-driven, natural products industry nonprofit, is excited to announce the upcoming launch of its newest impact campaign focused on advancing zero waste packaging solutions. The One Step Closer to Zero Waste Campaign aims to create a platform for action and generate inspiration for the reduction and/or elimination of single use plastics in our products, packaging, and personal lives. The campaign will run through January and February of 2022, leading into an in-person activation at Expo West in March.  

 The first part of the campaign, taking place in January, will center zero waste solutions for consumers, with the hopes of mobilizing global citizens to play a role in the packaging movement. The campaign will kick-off with a cross-collaborative giveaway featuring some of the OSC Packaging Collaborative’s very own who have generously donated various low/zero-waste products to be given away to a lucky winner. The consumer-facing portion of the campaign will highlight resources and ideas to reduce single-use plastic waste, share calls to action and policy platforms that are driving forward infrastructure development, and tell stories of brands who are actively working towards reducing their plastic footprint. Conscious and curious consumers will be able to engage with the campaign through the sharing of social and blog posts, webinars, volunteer events, calls to action, policy engagements, and more.

The second half of the campaign, taking place in February, will focus on creating a narrative that supports companies who are on a Zero Waste Journey, and to celebrate those who have made successful transitions away from conventional plastics, with the goal of inspiring brands across the globe with these stories of progress. The purpose of the industry-facing portion of the campaign is to celebrate industry progress, mobilize policy momentum and facilitate community impact. Brands can participate by re-sharing OSC posts and campaign assets, creating their own tailored assets (using the Campaign Guidelines/Partner Toolkit), engaging with legislators via ASBC or joining circular economy dialogues on key topics monthly. Brands who want to take their engagement a step further are called to make a commitment to transition at least one packaging material to a more sustainable option by the end of 2022. 

The campaign has already garnered support and engagement from over 50 brands who will all proliferate campaign messaging and materials throughout the duration of January and February. Additionally, 12 brands have pledged their support through sponsorship to help bring the campaign to life. The sponsorship roster features prominent industry players including: Elk, Numi Tea, REBBL, Kuli Kuli, Alter Eco, Sambazon, Perfect Supplements, Clover Sonoma Dairy, Organic India, PSI, Harmless Harvest, and Pathwater.

“In order to meaningfully address the plastics crisis, consumers need zero-waste packaging options. Likewise, businesses need consumers to demand more sustainable packaging. Numi is proud to join forces with OSC, industry partners, and consumers alike to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and drive the transition to a plastic-free future,” said Reem Hassani, Numi’s co-founder and Chief Brand Officer. 

OSC’s Packaging Collaborative embraces the spirit of collaboration to advance circular packaging solutions, with a shared sentiment that no one brand can tackle the issue alone. Partnership and collective action is key for creating impact, as seen by the collaboration behind the campaign.

“This campaign illustrates that a future without single-use plastics is good for both the economy and the environment. It’s a false choice that it’s one or the other,” said Thomas Oppel, executive vice president, American Sustainable Business Network. “As a proud partner in this campaign with One Step Closer, we and our members are deeply committed to harnessing the power of businesses to address this pervasive problem and reduce or eliminate unnecessary packaging.”

The idea for the campaign originated from The Redefining Flexible Films (RFF) Workshop that OSC co-hosted with Rainchild Design in 2020. It was an unprecedented effort to bring an industry together to address packaging as a system-level issue. Over the course of 9 months, participants worked through a unique design-thinking process and collaborated remotely, focusing efforts around the unique technical challenge of flexible film packaging. Ultimately, eight incubation projects were selected, including a consumer awareness campaign and targeted policy engagement on the topics of extended producer responsibility, infrastructure expansion, and material labeling. Learn more about the Workshop and read the white paper here. 

Check out the Campaign Landing Page here

Register for the Campaign here & download the Partner Toolkit here 

Media Contact: Alyssa Harding, Alyssa@osc2.org

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Seeding Change explores how businesses are working to create positive change

This Earth Day, Sambazon, the first company to bring açaí products to the marketplace, is proud to publicly debut Seeding Change, an award-winning, thought-provoking documentary that gives an inside look into how large corporations affect climate change, inspiring consumers to shop smarter. Directed by renowned filmmaker Richard Yelland, the film takes a first-hand look at mission-based businesses that are working to fight poverty through Fair Trade job creation, protect the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest and regenerate topsoil through organic and sustainable agriculture. Seeding Change will premiere on April 22, 2021through a variety of video on demand platforms.

“Making this film led me on an incredible journey, documenting every step these companies are taking to not only minimize the effects of climate change, but also improve human life around the world. You can’t truly understand the milestones a mission-based business is making until you see it first-hand.”

— Richard Yelland, Director

With the increasing frequency of natural disasters, temperatures rising, and indigenous communities at risk, Seeding Change challenges shoppers to pay more attention to the way they interact with our planet, starting with what’s on their shopping list. While there isn’t one solution to climate change, the corporations within the film are taking the first steps to show their consumers that they too are part of the puzzle, and they too can make a difference. By making the choice to buy from socially responsible businesses, they are sending a message to the world’s largest distributors that it’s time for change, environmentally, socially and economically.

Seeding Change is brought to life by social entrepreneurs and environmental activists sharing howthey have built their businesses by putting the planet and people first whether it’s reinventing their supply chains, creating safe work environments or implementing sustainable farming practices. Key players within the film include:

• Jeremy and Ryan Black, Founders of Sambazon
• David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s
• Gunnar Lovelace, Founder of Thrive Market
• Chris Mann and David Karr, Founders of Guayakí Yerba Mate
• Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani, Founders of Numi Tea
• Sarah Wallace, Founder of The Good Bean
• Rob Machado, Professional Surfer
• Paul Hawkin, American Environmentalist
• Jad Daley, President and CEO of American Forests
• Zach Bush, MD Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Hospice Care
• Mike Burbank, Wealth Management, Morgan Stanley
• Kelly Slater, Professional Surfer and Entrepreneur
• Mark Walker, CEO of OuterKnown
• Mark Gruin, Vice President of Rainforest Trust
• Lara Dickinson, Founder of OSC2
• Daron “Farmer D” Joffe, Director of Agriculture Innovation, Coastal Roots Farm

By working with RoCo Films, the leading distributor of documentary films, Seeding Change will be brought to the forefront of university curriculums as well as distributed through a partnership with Net Impact, a non-profit organization for students interested in businesses that support social and environmental causes, to create a Seeding Change mentorship program for its 200k+ members.

To view the trailer and watch Seeding Change when it premiers on April 22, visit seedingchangefilm.com. Join the conversation by using #IVoteWithMyDollar.

The post New Documentary Inspiring Consumers to Shop Smarter for the Planet, Debuts on Earth Day appeared first on One Step Closer.

We are excited to welcome our newest Packaging Collaborative Member, East West Tea Company! East West Tea Company is the parent company of Yogi Tea and Choice Organic Teas, and for over three decades they have been making delicious, purposeful teas. Together, their family of brands works to create products that are good for people and the planet, and as a part of our Packaging Collaborative, they are continuing that strong sense of purpose into the scale of sustainable packaging solutions. Great to have you with us on this journey!

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In 2012, 22-year-old Katlin Smith was growing restless at her consulting job, so she started experimenting with grain-free, paleo-friendly muffin recipes in her Atlanta kitchen.

A buyer at a nearby Whole Foods agreed to sell Katlin’s muffin mixes and placed an order for twelve bags. She then hustled to expand the business: hand-mixing almond flour and coconut sugar in food-grade barrels, slinging wardrobe boxes of muffin mix into a rental car, and standing by helplessly while shoppers scarfed down more samples than anticipated.

8 years after launch, Simple Mills has expanded to include cookies and crackers and other treats; it’s available in 28,000 stores and does roughly $100M in annual revenue.

Original poste featured at https://www.npr.org/2021/02/12/967337497/simple-mills-katlin-smith

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OSC is  excited to announce that we have partnered with ForceBrands to power our new OSC Member job board, found on the OSC website. You can view it here: jobs.osc2.org

OSC Members now have the ability to post your open roles to the OSC job board for free, with the ability to cross-post to the ForceBrands job board at a 20% discounted OSC member rate. ForceBrands.com is the largest consumer brand job board with over 200,000 candidates from the CPG industry using it to find their next opportunity.

If you haven’t had a chance to use the job board yet and want to get set up, please email Simone Schroeder at simone@forcebrands.com and let her know you’re an OSC member and would like to get set up on the job board.

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Featuring Larisa Rapoport, CPA, MBA, CGMA, Partner @ Baker Tilly | Advisory, Tax and Assurance

The latest round of economic relief passed through Congress in late 2020 extends and expands the employee retention credit (ERC). This presents a significant opportunity for food producers. If qualified, a business can receive up to $19,000 per employee in refundable payroll tax credit over the course of 15 months (for 2020 and 2021 combined). Following are considerations in determining whether and how your business may benefit from the Employee Retention Tax Credit. There are nuances to each of these items.  

 Eligibility

When combining all related entities, did your business experience a:

• Partial or full suspension of operations as a result of a COVID-19 government order? Examples include:
  • Reduced production from compliance with social distancing (e.g. 6 feet apart) mandates, and
  • Supply constraints caused by government closures of key vendors.

        OR

• Significant decline (more than 50% in 2020 and 20% in 2021) in gross receipts compared to the same quarter in 2019 (or prior quarter for quarters in 2021)?

Type of Credit

It’s refundable, so businesses benefit even when taxes are not owed. It reduces payroll taxes, so having an income tax liability is not required.

Amount of Credit

• 2020: Up to $5,000 per employee, calculated as 50% of annual qualified wages, and
• 2021: Up to $14,000 per employee ($7,000 per quarter for the first half of 2021), calculated as 70% of qualified wages.

Qualified Wages

• W-2 wages and tips and certain health care expenses paid after March 12, 2020.
• Excludes: Wages covered by paid leave or work opportunity tax credits, and amounts paid with forgiven PPPL funds.

• If the average number of full time employees among the combined related entities exceeded 100 in 2019 (500 for 2021 wages), wages are limited to amounts paid to employees unable to work due to the circumstances described under “Eligibility”.

For more info, contact Larisa Rapoport larisa.rapoport@bakertilly.com to discuss further.

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In 2017, OSC launched the Rising Star Chapter for emerging, mission-driven Founders & CEO’s in the natural products industry. Together, this innovative group of leaders helped us establish how earlier-stage brands and their teams can better support each other and the larger community of environmentally and socially minded natural products companies. 

Recently, we celebrated the graduation of two Rising Star members, All Good, and PathWater, to the Core Chapter. We are now seeking nominations for new members to join the current crop of Rising Star brands, which include Beyond Broth, Imlak’esh Organics, Kuli Kuli, Nana Joes Granola, and The Town Kitchen, and Uncommon Cacao.

Scholarship opportunities are available for BIPOC and Latinx leaders.

To bolster the diversity of leadership in our industry, OSC has secured funding to underwrite 80% of the annual participation fees for BIPOC and Latinx founders and CEOs. 

Know someone who might be a good fit?

Send your nominations to Michael Anzalone, Rising Star Program Director (michael@osc2.org)

Or interested in participating yourself?

Contact Michael, by way of referral, expressing your interest.

Nomination Deadline: February 15, 2021

Download the OSC Rising Star Info Packet

About the Rising Star CEO Leadership Chapter

One Step Closer (OSC) is a trusted network of values aligned CEO’s and founders working together to support each other and address some of the greatest challenges facing food, agriculture, and our planet. Together, we work our business and industry challenges with a carefully facilitated agenda that involves thoughtful evaluation and meaningful connection.  

Our leadership chapters convene regularly to work through tough business and industry challenges with a carefully facilitated agenda that involves thoughtful evaluation and meaningful connection. Members also participate in committees across different chapters to inform future OSC programming and Collaboratives. A lot of the magic happens beyond these meetings with the ongoing growth of our community trust and connection. We continue to lean in to support each other and our impact work.

Member Benefits

• Monthly member meetings +  seasonal events & gatherings
• Custom development plan for each member
• Rotating ceo-founder buddy system with other RS members
• Present/attend OSC Core Member meetings
• Access to OSC University – continuing-education for you and your team
• Department Forums – online community for department specific connections (Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, HR/Admin)
• 6-month mentorship with a senior founder/CEO from the Core Chapter
• Ad-hoc advisement from Core Members 
• Preferred access to OSC events

Membership Criteria

• Leader currently engaged in the business. He/she must be a CEO, President, or C-level founder
• Leader models sustainable and/or J.E.D.I. values in their life and business
• Leader demonstrates high integrity, humility, and openness to giving/receiving constructive feedback
• Company is approx. $1-$10 mil in revenues (special considerations made for BIPOC and Latinx leaders)
• Company has a socially conscious and/or sustainability mission
• Presence in the natural products industry, CPG or other strong sustainable cause
• 100% non-GMO Food or agricultural products
• Organic or strategy to move toward organic
• Addressing a food system issue within the DNA of their company
• B-Corp’s preferred or on the path to it
• Non-competitive with other members – current members will validate

Annual Membership Fees

$3,500 – $4,500 per year, with no additional cost for a second founder. 

Scholarship opportunities are available for BIPOC and Latinx leaders. Approximately 80% of annual membership fees will be underwritten.

CONTACT: Michael Anzalone, Rising Star Program Director (michael@osc2.org)

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More than a third of registered voters have already voted in this year’s election

Originally article by: Ethan Cohen, Liz Stark and Adam Levy, CNN

Pre-Election Day voting is skyrocketing nationwide amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and states are reporting record-breaking turnout as voters are energized to vote by mail or early in person before November. As of Wednesday afternoon, over 35% of registered voters have cast ballots ahead of the Nov 3 election day.  Early estimates indicate that voter turnout could reach 150 mil+.

Notable stats include:

• Montana, Washington, and the state of Colorado maintain the highest early voting turnout
• In an additional 13 states, at least 40% of registered voters have also cast ballots.
• Besides Colorado — North Carolina (roughly 50%), Texas and Florida (both 48%) are seeing the highest turnout as a share of registered voters so far

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