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Our Community Is Reducing Its Carbon Pawprint With These Upcycled Pet Treats
shameless-pet-treats-1

Pet parents everywhere are starting to think about the carbon pawprint of their furry friends. The only problem? Knowing how to get started. Luckily, reducing the environmental impact that comes with having a pet is much easier than you think.

Brands like Shameless Pets are using upcycled ingredients to create healthy and sustainable treats for dogs and cats. To help us out, the four-legged members of the Brightly community were given the (delicious) task of trying them out. Here’s what they thought.

What Exactly Are Shameless Pets’ Upcycled Treats?

Over 70 billion pounds of food waste enters landfills every year, releasing methane and contributing significantly to our greenhouse gas emissions. Shameless Pets is doing its part to stop food waste by upcycling food waste to create healthy and high-quality pet treats. At Shameless Pets, upcycling means rescuing and transforming misfit and surplus produce into snacks for your beloved animals. They prioritize working with North American suppliers to find creative, sustainable solutions to reuse foods that would otherwise go to a waste destination. 

Shameless Pets also ensures that said treats are packed with nutrients. Upcycled ingredients go through rigorous protocols and testing before starting their new life as Shameless Pets treats, resulting in delicious, sustainable dog and cat treats that are good for your pets and the planet.

Shameless Pets is one of the first pet care brands to receive certification from the Upcycled Food Association, the first third-party certification program for upcycled food ingredients and products. The brand is also a part of the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), which helps measure and verify its business practices.

Shameless Pets’ sustainability initiatives go beyond its ingredients. All treat pouches are made with 25% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and milk jugs. The brand also makes thinner treat pouches to reduce overall plastic usage, and the product line is powered by 80% solar energy, reducing fossil fuel dependence.

The Good

Shameless Pets’ healthy and sustainable pet treats contain at least 30% upcycled ingredients. Treats include upcycled ingredients like lobster, apple, bananas, pumpkin, salmon skins, sweet potato, sunflower meal, and more. All cat treats contain at least 20% upcycled sweet potatoes and are free of soy, wheat, and corn.

Our community of dog parents gave their pups Soft-Baked Dog Biscuits in Lobster Roll(Over), Blueberried Treasure, and Bananas for Bacon, while our community of cat-lovers fed their felines Shameless Pets’ new line of Air-Dried Cat Treats and Toppers in You Tuna Me On, Cluck’n Sweet Cat Nip, and Shrimp Purradise.

What Our Community Thought:

{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cI loved that the ingredients were upcycled, that the treats had health benefits, the shape of the treats (hearts), and that my dog loved them.u201d ",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": "u2013Grace Campbell",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cI liked the upcycling, high-quality ingredients, and the fact that these are made in the U.S. with renewable energy.u201d ",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": "u2013Alicia Jensen",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cI like the positive environmental benefits and the packaging!u201d ",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": "u2013Eleanor Simpsonu00a0",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cI loved what Shameless Pets is doing with rescuing and transforming misfit and surplus produce into high-quality treats!"",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": " u2013Mary Dimoro",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cI liked that they are sustainable, have a good ingredient list, and that the price is not too high.u201d ",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": "u2013Mary Olmsted",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Things to Work On

While our community really loved the Soft-Baked Dog Biscuits and Air-Dried Cat Treats, they did have some feedback about the packaging.

What Our Community Thought:

{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cMany pet treats come in plastic pouches. It would be nice if the treats came in a plastic-free container like a tin instead. I understand a low percentage of the packaging is recycled plastic, but there is room for improvement.u201d",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": " u2013Alicia Jensen",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cPackaging of the treats wasn't recyclable or compostable, and larger bag than necessary (though I did like the recycled mailer!).u201d ",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": "u2013Jessica Angley",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
{
    "type": "list_item",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "paragraph",
            "content": [
                {
                    "text": "u201cI think the packaging could be a little more sustainable.u201d ",
                    "type": "text"
                },
                {
                    "text": "u2013Eden Hirsch",
                    "type": "text",
                    "marks": [
                        {
                            "type": "italic"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

If your pets would like to try out some goodies from Shameless Pets for themselves, you can find the Soft-Baked Dog Biscuits, Air Dried Cat-Treats & Toppers, and the rest of their upcycled pet treats at a retailer near you (or on Amazon)!

Disclaimer: We did not pay our community members to review these products, but they did receive the products for free. Join our Brand Rep Program for the chance to participate in future product testing opportunities!

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