Pela, maker of compostable alternatives to plastic, just announced their recent acquisition of Habitat Botanicals, a plant-based, plastic-free and cruelty-free company dedicated to quality personal care products.
“It is going to take strong teams, companies and partnerships to help a global community shift toward creating a waste free future, and we are grateful to have Habitat along with us on this journey,” said Pela Founder, Jeremy Lang,who grew up in Yorkton and attended the Yorkton Regional High School.  “It’s amazing what can happen when you have positive teammates with similar values working toward a common goal, like Habitat, and we are excited to work with them to provide more sustainable options to our community”.
Pela’s goal is to reduce a billion pounds of plastic from the waste stream, so the company went on a search to find like minded, ethical and environmental companies that will help them achieve their mission. That’s when they discovered Habitat Botanicals, another Canadian based company making positive changes in the way we produce everyday products.
“Pela is proud to welcome Habitat, our new sister company to our waste-free family,” said Pela CEO, Matt Bertulli, in a release. “Like any family dynamic there are different practices and products, but one thing that ties us together is our goal to reduce global plastic waste.”
Pela is most notably known for making the world’s first 100-percent compostable phone case. Since then, the company has expanded their line of products to include AirPods cases, a zero-waste liquid screen protector, radiation reduction inserts, sunglasses, and most recently, a guidebook on how to cultivate a positive outlook in life, curated to the world’s current status, called Pela’s Guide to Positivity. Pela’s products have not only wowed customers, but also big-time celebrities like Jay-Z, who in 2019 backed the company with his VC Firm, Marcy Ventures Partners.
Since 2017, Habitat Botanicals has been creating waste-free alternative bathroom products out of their Vancouver-based facilities. It all began with their flagship plastic-free deodorant, and they now offer everything from shampoo and conditioner bars all the way to zero-waste toothpaste, compostable floss and bamboo toothbrushes. If there is one thing Pela knows, it’s that plastic-free isn’t easy, which is why they are thrilled to take Habitat Botanicals along their path of breaking new grounds and making waste-free products the new normal.
“The mission of our business has always been to do as much good for the planet as possible,” said Habitat Botanicals Co-Founder, Jaymie Friesen in the release. “We have always wanted to give customers a quality experience. Between 2017 and now, we’ve experienced every growing pain a startup company could experience. But our new alignment and partnership with Pela marks a new era for Habitat… one where we can achieve our mission and goals better and more thoroughly than we could have ever dreamed of and we’re all extremely excited about it!”
Up until now, Habitat Botanicals was operating with limited resources, which in turn limited their potential in creating new products. Now, they have the ability to invest in the equipment and staff they need to keep up with the demand for their high quality, plastic-free products while being able to fulfill orders much faster. Habitat has already adopted Pela’s top-tier customer-service standards, with an average four minute response time 24 hours a day.
“Operational excellence is something we always strived for at Habitat but was challenging to achieve due to being understaffed and not having the operational experience to guide us through our startup growing pains,” said Friesen. “Pela’s team brings so much amazing talent and structure to our business – an invaluable resource that will bring our shipping times to the same day/next day timeline that we and our customers have always wanted!”
To celebrate the companies joining forces, Habitat Botanicals is offering customers a chance to choose free gifts with their order, with free options like plastic-free shampoo, conditioner or body wash bars, plastic-free deodorant, lip balm, zero-waste shaving kits, compostable bathroom bags, and more… some of which are up to a $40 value. And if you’re already a Pela customer or want to be, all Pela customers have the chance to try any of Habitat’s bath & beauty products for just $1 with Free Shipping.
These celebratory offerings can be found on Habitat Botanicals website, via social media, and through email, and after checkout on the Pela website.
Acquiring Habitat is a step in the right direction for both companies. As Pela navigates its way to eliminate a billion pounds of waste from our oceans, Habitat will be a key player in working toward that goal. In the years prior, Habitat Botanicals has displaced about 300,000 units of plastic from entering the ecosystem. After becoming a part of the Pela community they expect to replace 2,000,000 units of plastic just this year alone.
