Elric Centers is the Sustainability Manager at OLIPOP, where he’s been a key player from the start. His journey began in Michigan, influenced by his parents’ educational philosophies, and later took root in California, where his passions for wellness and entrepreneurship flourished. With a background in the food and beverage industry, including founding his own kombucha brand, Elric now leads OLIPOP’s sustainability efforts, championing practices that benefit both people and the planet.
Through this article, Elric highlights OLIPOP’s journey as a company dedicated to more than just producing beverages. Since its founding in 2018, OLIPOP has aimed to positively impact both consumer health and the environment.
OLIPOP Sustainability Manager Elric Centers shares exactly what they’re doing, and how other companies can get started.
Since OLIPOP was founded in 2018, we’ve made it clear we’re not just your average soda company. Cracking open a cold, fizzy can is magical on its own, sure, but we’ve always wanted to do something more than become one of the best beverage companies in the world. The question we’ve asked ourselves from the beginning is: How could we become one of the best beverage companies for the world?
We understand that in our modern world, it can be complex to make consistent, healthier dietary choices in a market saturated with highsugar, low-nutrient options
To answer that, we at OLIPOP set out to identify a few objectives that have always served as our North Star: to positively impact consumers’ health at scale, to democratize access to delicious, science-backed products that contribute to well-being, and to foster a positive global footprint. Put simply, our commitment is to nurture the health of both people and the planet.
As the Sustainability Manager here at OLIPOP, I’m grateful that this is my full-time job. It’s also my life’s work. In both my personal and professional life, I’m committed to fostering a world where sustainability and wellness go hand in hand, where we can all adopt practices that benefit both people and the planet. Take our B Corp Certification, which OLIPOP is proud to have achieved back in 2023 — and which helps bring to life our goals as a company and keeps us in check.
As a Certified B Corp, we’re held to a high standard of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, assessed across categories like governance, workers, community, the environment, and customers.
Our journey to B Corp Certification was about more than just achieving a flashy award to hang on our wall; it was about embedding a deep commitment to sustainability and social impact into the core of our business. This journey took us years — literally — and was not without its challenges. But that hard work was well worth it: When we first embarked on the B Corp Certification process, we scored 55 points on our initial assessment.
Achieving the minimum score of 80 that’s required to become certified seemed daunting, but on July 12, 2023, OLIPOP passed with flying colors, earning our B Corp Certification with a score of 91. Of course, we celebrated with a virtual cheers, enjoying our nightly OLIPOP-over-ice in a fancy glass.
B Corp Certification was a major moment for us as a company, to be sure. It launched a sea of important initiatives within our operations while validating much of what we were already doing. But B Corp alone isn’t enough for a company as ambitious as we are, and we work toward impact in other ways, too.
The first is our dynamic, inclusive approach to customer health. We understand that in our modern world, it can be complex to make consistent, healthier dietary choices in a market saturated with high-sugar, low-nutrient options. That’s why OLIPOP is at the forefront of the transformative “Food as Medicine” movement. This principle guides our mission to improve public health through nutritionally enriched beverages. Rooted in the idea that dietary choices can significantly influence health outcomes, this movement drives us to offer products that not only delight the taste buds, but also nourish the body.
And the numbers don’t lie: In fact, in 2023, OLIPOP added 1.9 million pounds of fiber to the American diet. Conversely, with people switching from traditional soda to OLIPOP, the brand has helped remove millions of pounds of sugar from the American diet. The brand has achieved 14% household penetration as it meets the shifting consumer demands for a healthier soda alternative. Furthering OLIPOP’s commitment to health and accessibility, tens of millions of Americans can be reimbursed for OLIPOP through their “Food as Medicine ‘’ benefits via our health insurance network partners.
But we know that none of this can be accomplished alone. Humans are communal creatures, and our sense of social responsibility means that we work tirelessly to support national and local impact-driven organizations with meaningful engagements and generous donations. We’ve donated to a variety of charitable causes, including initiatives for nutrition access and education, greenhouse gas reduction, regenerative agriculture, and “Food as Medicine” programs. We’re only just getting started. As we reflect on the last six years, we know we couldn’t get here without the support, encouragement, and motivation of others, and as we look ahead, we want to inspire others to do their part to make their corner of the world a little bit better tomorrow than it is today. Here are a few suggestions for those companies just getting started:
• Draft a sustainability strategy and live by it each day. A thoughtful, meticulous strategy should promote values that guide decisions within the organization, from hiring and compensation to decision-making and safety standards. By aligning your sustainable values across all levels of the company, you’ll create a strong foundation for planet-friendly operations that serves as your baseline, not you’re ceiling.
• Seek out suppliers who are aligned with your mission to achieve those goals. Internal commitments are vital, but their value diminishes if your practices don’t extend beyond your own operations. As you build or maintain your supply chain, work to partner with suppliers who share your sustainability goals. Develop a Code of Conduct for your partners that covers key areas like labor conditions, environmental standards, diversity, compliance, and more.
We remain committed to advancing consumer health and global well-being on this incredible journey, and this is just the beginning. You can stay updated on OLIPOP’s journey by following us on Instagram or LinkedIn, checking out our website and subscribing to our newsletter. I look forward to sharing more of this exciting journey with you — cheers!
