Now more than ever, it is crucial for each and everyone of us to make conscious decisions in our everyday lives in order to reduce our environmental footprint. Here at Näak, we really value the environment and the planet we live on. From the development of our products to our packaging solutions, we try to remain as eco-friendly as we can. In light of Earth Day, we wanted to share with you how we take care of our planet, and perhaps this article can inspire you to be a little greener in your day-to-day life!

Choosing cricket

When we were in the first stages of product development, it was important for us to create an energy bar that was a healthy, delicious, and eco-friendly alternative to most bars on the market. For that reason, we chose to use crickets as our superstar ingredient in our very first product, and in each product we have developed since day one.

Cricket is a superfood for the planet. In terms of resources, cricket is much more sustainable than any other traditional animal farmed. For instance, cricket requires 12X less food than beef, 4X less food than pork, and 2X less food than poultry for a same weight gain. In addition, it is estimated that the production of 1kg of meat requires 20 000L of water for beef, 3 500L of water for pork, and 2 300L of water for chicken. On the other hand, only 10L of water is needed to harvest 1kg of cricket!

Not only does cricket farming require less food and water than traditional animal farming, it also requires 13X less land and produces 100X les greenhouses gases than beef farming. More information is this article! 

To really understand the impact of replacing beef with cricket, you can take a look at our counter, which shows how much food, water, land, and greenhouse gases we have saved since the very first Näak bar was made!

Made in Canada

In an effort to reduce our environmental footprint, all our products are made in Canada, and they are made using Canadian ingredients! For instance, the crickets we use are raised in Ontario.

Transporting foods long distances uses tremendous amounts of energy. To put this into perspective, it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a 5 calorie strawberry from California to New York. Hence, choosing local ingredients and producing our products here in Québec is one way for us to be more eco-responsible!

Package-free alternatives

A great alternative and ecological solution to limit our environmental impact that we have put into place is offering our products in a package-free version. For instance, you can purchase unwrapped energy bars on our website or buy cricket powder in bulk in order to reduce packaging. In addition, we sell these same products in many zero-waste stores around Montreal for those who do not wish to order online. If this is your case, you can find stores that carry Näak products near you on our store locator here!

Recyclable packaging

Our Näak products are sold in packaging that can be recycled. Every time you consume a bar and recycle the packaging, you reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, you conserve natural resources such as timber, you save energy, and you prevent pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials!

Monthly resolutions

Not only do we ensure that are products are made using sustainable ingredients and recyclable packaging, our team here at Näak also tries to adopt eco-friendly habits in their day-to-day lives. Every month, each team member sets a new goal to reduce their environmental foot print. Some examples of resolutions include taking a bike to work, carrying reusable utensils everywhere, eliminating the use of paper towels, and more. While these monthly goals may seem "small", let's remember that lots of small changes can lead to bigger ones!  

Help us spread a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, order your environmentally friendly products here!