ABOUT US

Happy Seal started in 2016 as a small non for profit organization that supported primarily waterways cleaning in third world countries by selling green products as an independent group of environmental activists participating in different projects coordinated by other organizations. Overtime some of us decided to take a more hands-on approach by directly identifying sites that needed immediate attention. We chose projects that were too small for other larger institutions to prioritize such as local public parks, small forests, and unattended beaches.

Our primary workforce came from volunteering. However, when necessary we provided our staff with basic meals, camping style accommodation, and ground transportation to nearby communities. In addition, when manual clean up was not enough we rented equipment, containers, small boats, nets, etc.

Therefore, we financed our activities from three main sources, volunteers, direct donations from patrons, and by selling eco-friendly sustainable green products.

In 2018 we decided to focus completely on distributing eco-friendly products as our primary means of income and founded the company. In order to be congruent with our mission we purchase products from reputable suppliers that provide us with all the required certifications such as social responsibility, compostability, sustainable practices, etc. This thorough due diligence allows us to ensure that the manufacturers we work with are not greenwashing.

There are several certifications and standards that relate to our products such as:

Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) is a not-for-profit association that reviews and certifies compostable products that meet ASTM D6400 and ASTM D6868 conditions for compostability. The BPI certification program applies science-based testing to prove a material will compost in a municipal or commercial facility and leave no toxic or lingering plastic residues in the soil.
Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA) is a third-party organization that utilizes a nationwide partnership of compost manufacturing facilities to provide field disintegration testing for food service products. To learn more about CMA, please visit their website. To accomplish higher food waste diversion and minimize contamination in urban feed stocks, CMA and its affiliated members offer a program of technical review and field testing of compostable products to determine their feasibility as a feed stock when shipped to fully permitted industrial composting facilities.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is a market-based tool that supports responsible forest management worldwide. FSC certified forest products are verified from the forest of origin through the supply chain. The FSC label ensures that the forest products used are from responsibly harvested and verified sources. Please find a listing of our FSC-certified paper products below. Click here to view our certification.
TÜV AUSTRIA OK Compost is a certification program developed by TÜV Austria, certifies products and packaging to be compostable according to the European standard EN 13432.
SEDEMA Compostable Ciudad de Mexico is a mandatory certification issued by the Mexico City government in order to sell and distribute disposable products.

Finding green vendors that meet the mark is tougher than it sounds, only a handful are truly eco-friendly. We ensure that their claims hold true through all the supply chain. Our products have all the necessary certifications and meet all appropriate standards. Similarly, we are constantly researching the market for new options that can substitute plastics without losing the primary functionality of the product. Consequently, our catalogue is small and changes frequently. You will find our prices slightly higher than common plastics given the limited availability of raw materials and scale of these manufacturing processes.

Most of our products are made from sugarcane, bamboo, cornstarch, PLA, cPLA, PBAT, PHA, aluminum, and PLA/Water based coated paper.

Our supplier base is located mainly in China and India.

While eco-friendly products have significant potential, there are still barriers to their widespread adoption such as cost, lack of infrastructure, and awareness. To overcome these barriers continued research, development, investment, and education are needed. By working together we can help to create a more sustainable future.

WHAT OUR HAPPY CLIENTS SAY

Feedback from our guests about Happy Seal products has been fantastic. We have experienced increased loyalty metrics traced to our sustainable practices.
This partnership has been a sound return on investment.

Eligio Duarte

Sourcing, Grupo Posadas

Our younger client segment is demanding immediate actions to minimize our carbon footprint as a key driver on their stay selection. Happy Seal is one of our most trusted partners on this cultural change.