Pangea Organics Founder Joshua Onysko’s Haircare And Body Care Brand Alpine Provisions Reduces Its Environmental Footprint

In the year and a half since Pangea Organics founder Joshua Scott Onysko expanded his beauty operations with the launch of haircare and body care line Alpine Provisions, he’s been digging into replacements for its plastic packaging.

The vegan multi-brand beauty entrepreneur felt he couldn’t consciously put the cruelty-free label on his products if he depended on plastic. According to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, plastic debris kills at least 1 million marine mammals annually. It’s estimated some 100 million tons of plastic are littering oceans around the world, and over 300 million tons of plastic are produced yearly, half of which in single-use formats.

“My ethic is to do no harm, and I can’t claim that knowing I’m contributing to a problem that is growing day by day,” says Onysko. He’d originally planned to bring Alpine Provisions to market without plastic containers, but he explains, “To do it right, I knew it would take an appropriate amount of time and money.”

Now, Onysko has dedicated the time and money into overhauling Alpine Provisions’ exteriors. The brand’s hand soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and hand sanitizer bottles have transitioned to aluminum. However, their pumps are still made out of plastic. Lip balm, deodorant and bar soap are housed in paper. Alpine Provisions will increase consumer education to urge people to reuse its plastic pumps.

In a decade-long effort, Onysko has been moving his company’s office and shipping materials to eco-friendly options. The effort was capped off recently by a switch from plastic to biodegradable paper tape. Pangea Organics was established 19 years ago.

Onysko hasn’t found green swaps overly expensive. Per packaging unit, he estimates they add 40 cents to 50 cents. However, Alpine Provisions’ expenses piled up because it sought to improve environmental impacts while maintaining its stylized aesthetics. The brand’s packaging features detailed graphics created by tattoo artist Marisa Aragon Ware of animals that inhabit Colorado mountains.

“My ethic is to do no harm, and I can’t claim that knowing I’m contributing to a problem that is growing day by day.”

“We devoted a large amount of time to R&D [and] the function of items,” says Onysko. “It was expensive because we used bottles made in Europe from a sustainable facility. When you hold them, [they’re] stunning: the quality, the print, the texture. We went the most upscale we could.” Alpine Provisions has begun a Kickstarter campaign to fund its packaging transformation and promote the plastic-free cause on social media with the hashtag #LifeAfterPlastic. The brand’s objective is to raise $100,000 by June 4. As of Tuesday, 233 backers pledged it $41,449.

Alpine Provisions’ repackaging is paying off. The brand has accumulated around $2.5 million in retail orders. Among the retailers ordering is Onysko’s dream distribution partner REI. In July, Alpine Provisions is scheduled to enter REI’s nearly 155 locations nationwide. Onysko praises the outdoor recreation company for its extensive six-month vetting process. “I give [REI] at a lot of credit,” he says. “They treated our product line exactly as they would climbing equipment that people trust their lives with.”

Alpine Provisions’ packaging remodel was rolling prior to the pandemic. Once the pandemic took hold, though, the brand was fortunate to have items relevant during it. Onysko says, “We make hand soap and hand sanitizer, so the timing was actually perfect.” The revamped items aren’t available for consumers to purchase on Alpine Provisions’ website until July 15, but they’ve snapped up $50,000 worth of them in pre-orders. The hand sanitizer, body wash, shampoo and conditioner are natural and biodegradable. To help amid the current crisis, Alpine Provisions has spearheaded an initiative it calls Lather It Forward allowing people to by packs of essential products for those in need. So far, it’s provided 15,000-plus packs of essential products.

In addition to Alpine Provisions and Pangea Organics, Onysko’s beauty enterprise includes luxury fragrance line Un Jeu D’Echecs and premium matcha specialist Chasen + Stone. Due to its elevated prices—a 50-ml. fragrance runs $180 to $220—and focus on a scent category that’s been hit hard of late, Un Jeu D’Echecs has been affected substantially by the coronavirus outbreak. In contrast, Onysko reports Pangea Organics’ sales are up, although he declined to disclose how much they’re up. The original brand’s 100 stockkeeping units are receiving a plastic-free makeover expected to be completed in January. Chasen + Stone’s packaging is also getting an update slated to be finished in six months.

As for what’s next for Onysko, he says, “The fringe predicts the future. I’m constantly examining what the fringe is. This [plastic-free] conversation right now, we’re going to laugh at an expo in a few years because this will be the norm.”