OUR CHOICES REFLECT OUR VALUES ~ WITHINUS TEAM

At withinUs™, we value quality, transparency, and sustainability and are committed to offering premium grade products to our customers and retailers.

We often get asked why we do not offer lower-priced collagen products (such as bovine collagen), and the answer ties in with our values.
Bovine collagen is produced from farmed cattle hide and bones. Cattle farming is one of the leading contributors to clearcutting, water consumption/use, and greenhouse gas emissions. 

When it comes to collagen peptides, TruMarine collagen sourced from the scales of wild-caught fish is the absolute highest-quality collagen available, with clinically proven benefits and superior absorption rate (absorbed 1.5 x more effectively) when compared to all other collagen sources, including fish skin collagen. 

© Britney Gill Photography 2019

A majority of collagen supplements on the market are sourced from land animals such as bovine (cow), porcine (pig), and avian (chicken), with bovine collagen being the most common. Yes, the price point on bovine collagen may be attractive (it is mass-produced, and therefore available at a lower cost), but this collagen source is low grade has tremendous negative effects on our planet.

© Britney Gill Photography 2019

More than ever we are recognizing that our actions affect the earth, the environment, and all living things. With this in mind, it is extremely important to be mindful and educated  when selecting products to purchase and consume. Questions to consider:

What is important to look for when purchasing products?

What are the possible environmental impacts that this product may have on the planet? 

Can our choices as individuals make a difference on a global scale?

At withinUs, we have done extensive research on sustainability and environmental impact and want to share some of the key points we have discovered.

© Britney Gill Photography 2019

Did you know?

• Over 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food (growing practices, processing, and distribution). Of that 25%, beef and lamb production creates up to 50% of those emissions (2). Chicken and fish create approximately 4 times fewer emissions (in comparison to beef and lamb). (3)
• The United States is home to 94.8 million cattle as of 2019 (4). The clearcutting necessary to accommodate the increasing space for farmland contributes significantly to the production of global greenhouse emissions (5).
• Transportation of these food products from other countries (specifically from Brazil) is also a major factor in global emissions. Brazil is currently the 1st largest producer of cattle, followed by the European Union (6).

What makes withinUs™ TruMarine® Collagen a premium supplement choice?

At withinUs, our values are reflected in the products we offer to our customers, which is why we only offer the best - a premium, wild-caught, sustainably-sourced marine collagen. We never source from farmed fish or land animals, and we do not manufacture fish skin collagen (lower grade). 

While our collagen source does rely on natural resources, we are extremely aware and selective about how these resources are obtained. We ensure that the fish source we use is abundant so we are not contributing to overfishing in our oceans, and all fish are line caught in the deep waters of the South Pacific Ocean.

Read more about what makes TruMarine® Collagen a premium source HERE. 

References: 

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29969294

(2) Poore, J and Nemecek, T. Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 360 (6392), 987-992.

(3) Weber, CL and Matthews, HS. Environmental Science & Technology 2008 42 (10), 3508-3513.

(4) https://www.statista.com/statistics/194297/total-number-of-cattle-and-calves-in-the-us--since-2001/

(5) Pendrill, F, Persson, UM, Godar, J, Kastner, T, Moran, D, Schmidt, S, Wood, R. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. Global Environmental Change 2019 56, 1-10.

(6) United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service October 10, 2019. Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade