Behind the Brand: Discover Cabinet Health’s Sustainable Medicine System

Cabinet Health believes you shouldn’t have to compromise between your health and the health of the planet. This new-to-Grove brand — our first foray into FDA-approved OTC medicine — manages to marry sustainability with lab-tested results, all packaged in eye-pleasing glass containers that prove eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean eye sore.

By removing single-use plastic from its over-the-counter medicine packaging and batch-level testing all of its medicines for safety, Cabinet Health is tackling sustainability in an industry that’s yet to address it. We chatted with Cabinet Health co-founder Russell Gong to understand more about the plastic problem in healthcare, what sets Cabinet apart, and why you don’t have to sacrifice efficacy for sustainability.

Today, our pharmacy aisles are overrun with single-use plastic over-the-counter medicine bottles. Nearly 190 billion of them end up in our oceans and landfills each year. This is both an environmental and healthcare crisis. Yet, no plastic-free OTC medicine options exist. As the first and only sustainable healthcare company, Cabinet Health’s goal is to eliminate the 194B bottles of medicine plastic from the environment.

“Most people don’t think about medicine and healthcare when they think about the plastic problem,” says Gong. “But the sad truth is that healthcare is one of the most environmentally destructive industries in the world. The good news is, we believe it’s not too late!”

Cabinet has developed the only non-plastic packaging in pharmaceuticals with refillable medicine bottles and compostable refill pouches. Each Cabinet product reduces up to one pound of plastic from entering the environment. In addition to sustainability in packaging, Cabinet invests in plastic offsetting for any plastic still produced in their supply chain.

"We approach sustainability with small, but intentional steps,” Gong adds. “Step one for us is to get rid of the plastic bottle… starting with smarter plastic-free products, and then working throughout our supply chain to make higher quality and more sustainable outcomes overall.”

Did you know that every single day in the US, there are about five drug recalls, and about 100 recalls per year with risk of death? Cabinet’s the only fully transparent medicine company that batch-level tests all of its medicines through a third-party lab. These testing practices ensure each batch is free of allergens, carcinogens, and gluten, while also radically increasing patient safety and product efficacy while reducing drug recalls.

Your initial order will be sent with a child-resistant, shatter-tested glass medicine bottle. Medicine refills will be sent in a pouch made from compostable materials.

Are your products gluten-free?

For those with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, we know how hard it can be to find safe medications and products you can trust. Every single bottle of Cabinet medicine is tested for gluten by an independent third-party lab. All products that meet or exceed the less than 20 ppm (parts per million) gluten regulation set by the FDA will have a gluten-free tag on the label.

Where is Cabinet Health made?

Cabinet’s medicines are sourced from ethical, world-class manufacturers that have been audited by the FDA. The people who make Cabinet medicine in India are quite literally family to the founder, Achal Patel.

What steps are taken to ensure the quality of the medicines?

Cabinet is the first healthcare company to conduct batch-level quality testing through a third-party lab for allergens, carcinogens, gluten, and purity. This ensures that every batch of medicine that goes to market is high quality and free of harmful ingredients.