Whether it’s mystery ingredients, wasteful packaging or food miles in the thousands, convenience foods and meal shakes rarely live up to the eco-friendly standards we’re all striving for.

That’s why we set out to create a 200 calorie shake that is actually good for you and for the planet. Every SUST flavour contains the most sustainable plant-based ingredients, with nominal food miles, zero plastic, 100% recyclable packaging and a carbon-neutral delivery service to boot.

But if you asked us which SUST flavour has the eco-friendly edge? Nutty Hemp, or Hemp & Chocolate, take the crown. These natural and nutty flavours are the ultimate in eco-nutrition, made with UK-grown hemp protein for an ultra-low carbon meal.

Why we’re so nutty about hemp…

As well as being one of the most planet-friendly plants on earth, it’s a powerhouse of plant nutrition. So in our quest to create the most sustainable nutrition shakes on the market, it’s fair to say we’ve become a little nutty about hemp.

Here’s why we love it—and why you should too.

1. It has low carbon emissions

We’ve always thought of plants as nature’s air purifiers, but hemp takes it to a whole new level.

Hemp has been scientifically proven to absorb more CO2 per hectare than any other forest or commercial crop. This helps to lower the concentration of CO2 from the atmosphere, making the air we breathe much cleaner. In fact, every tonne of hemp can remove 1.62 tonnes of CO2 from the air. That’s approximately the equivalent to traveling 4000 miles in a medium sized car. Impressive, right?

2. It replenishes the soil

Due to intensive modern farming and agricultural practices, the quality of vitamins and minerals in our soil is declining. The result? We’re losing the ability to support plants and grow healthy crops for food.

But hero-hemp is an eco-friendly answer to soil pollution. Its roots dig deep down into the soil, which loosens up the soil and makes it more welcoming for future crops. It also returns 60-70% of the nutrients that it takes from the soil.

Hemp plants can even grow in contaminated soil—absorbing heavy metals and toxins as they go—without any ill effects. Fun fact? Hemp was even used to remove toxic radioactive materials in the soil surrounding Chernobyl in the late 90s.

3. It doesn’t need pesticides

Pesticides are used to increase the yield of crops, by protecting them against damage from weeds, insect, rodents and germs. But pesticides wreak havoc on the environment; contaminating the air, ground and water and threatening biodiversity.

Thankfully, hemp is hardy. It’s actually a weed so doesn’t require any pesticides or herbicides to flourish. This helps to purify the soil even further, which benefits the plants that are grown next in the field.

Without the presence of pesticides, fields are greener, soil is healthier and the environment is safer for wildlife.

4. It helps to fight waste

Virtually every part of the hemp plant can be used, so when we use hemp, nothing goes to waste.

We use hemp seeds to make the hemp protein found in SUST; they’re packed with protein, fibre and omega-3 fats. But the outer fibre can be used to make textiles and rope, while the core can be used to make paper and animal bedding. And if that’s not enough, hemp seed oil can be used in beauty products, paint, cooking and adhesives.

It’s estimated that hemp can be used for over 25,000 products in total. That’s one powerful—and efficient—plant!

5. It’s good for you, too

Hemp’s not just good for the planet, it’s good for you, too.

Hemp seeds contain ample amounts of omega 3 fatty acids—even more than you’ll find in superfood-status chia or flax seeds. They also pack a mighty plant protein punch, boasting all nine essential amino acids and a better digestibility-corrected amino acid score than most other sources of plant protein.

And if that’s not enough to convince you, know that hemp is also an excellent source of magnesium, iron and zinc—all nutrients that can be harder to find on a vegan or plant-based diet.

Fancy reducing your carbon footprint SUST’S more sustainable flavours, Nutty Hemp or Hemp & Chocolate? Get started with a 7-day discovery box now. We’ll ship your discovery box in recycled and recyclable cardboard with our carbon neutral courier partner.