As we close the door on 2022, we feel extremely grateful for our team, partners, customers, brand ambassadors, and followers – all of whom have been integral pieces of last year’s growth. Without them, we’d be nowhere… and sustainability would be a whole lot less cool!

Looking back on a long twelve months, we’ve done a lot: we’ve worked hard, taken risks, made mistakes, celebrated big wins, and grown our movement. Here are some highlights. We started 2022 with a bang, completing our Seed Round of funding, in which we raised over $2mm from investors including Mark Cuban and Wyc Grousbeck. From there, we launched PET cups – recyclable and more affordable – for customers who don’t have access to composting. We piloted our first Closed Loop Collection program with Princeton University, helping their Class Reunions reduce its plastic waste. As importantly, we analyzed the program, identified where we felt short, and have designed a more impactful version for 2023’s Reunions. Last summer, we hosted two killer events in NYC – packing two classic venues with over 2,000 attendees each! We grew our Ambassador Program to over 2,500 college students across more than 400 colleges and universities. In fact, the program grew so quickly that we decided to tier it, introducing Campus Managers as leaders on their respective campuses to organize their school’s Ambassadors and get the most out of the program. A few months later, we launched a new website – full of new merch like hoodies, tees, and sweatpants – that reflected our brand’s maturity. Towards the end of 2022, we launched cups in our first professional sports stadiums: the American Airlines Center in Dallas, home to the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars. And, to top it all off, our co-founders, Pete and Misha, were named to Forbes 30u30 in their Social Impact category. Currently, we’re setting up our US-based facility in New Jersey, closing our second round of funding, growing our team, and locking in new customers for 2023!

Above all, this year has made us recognize the power of community – that there’s incredible strength in numbers. And, ultimately, Earth Brands was created with that belief: that individual decisions, summed together, can make a non-negligible difference on pollution and the environment. 2022 has shown us that we were right in that belief, but that we have a long way to go. So, here’s a little sneak-peek at what’s to come in 2023. This year, we are determined to launch new products – both new cups made from marine-safe materials and new products/offerings in themselves – launch on the shelves in major retailers across the country, launch on instant delivery apps to give college students across the country quicker access to our cups, and work with more customers to set up Closed Loop Collection Programs around their venues. From there, we want to deliver usable metrics to our customers – sustainability reports that show the impact of their decision to switch to Earth Cups, and the commitment to environmental protection therein. 

Thank you for your help and support throughout this journey, however big or small; let’s keep growing our movement and creating disruptive change in the plastics industry! We’re so excited for what’s to come in 2023: to the moon! 

Cheers,

Pete & Misha, the Earth Brands Team, and Mumble, our new AI friend :)