LOS ANGELES — Vital Pet Life, a women-owned pet wellness brand, announced April 15 it has upgraded its membership status with the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) to the Guardian level. Vital Pet Life first joined the PSC in 2023 as a Champion-level member.

“Vital Pet Life is proud to continue our work as a sustainability leader within the pet wellness industry. Our PSC membership is an important part of that journey to elevate our corporate social responsibility,” said Donie Yamamoto, chief executive officer and founder of Vital Pet Life. “We couldn't be prouder that our work, which has been focused on operating in the most sustainable way, now joins the ranks of others with similar goals.”

The PSC is a nonprofit pet industry organization providing tools and resources to help its membership base of nearly 200 companies reduce their environmental impacts and enhance their social responsibility initiatives.

“In order to achieve Pet Sustainability Accreditation, Vital Pet Life completed a thorough assessment of its business operations and passed a rigorous third-party verification process. Companies accredited through the program demonstrate year-over-year improvement and are committed to business practices that are better for the world around us,” said Hannah Tirrell-Wysocki, accreditation manager for the PSC.

Vital Pet Life is focused on providing sustainable and transparent pet wellness products, including fish oils and other pet supplements and grooming products. The company has partnered with rePurpose Global, as well as the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and How2Recycle, to address its plastic packaging waste, and its products are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Seafood Council (ASC). Vital Pet Life products are also validated for origin transparency by ORIVO.

“We are thankful to the Pet Sustainability Coalition for their collaboration, leadership and this recognition,” Yamamoto said.

Earlier this month, Yamamoto was named among Inc.’s 2024 Female Founders 250 list, joining two other pet industry entrepreneurs who were recognized for their business leadership. The company has also been included in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States for three consecutive years.

Read more about sustainability efforts across the pet food and treat industry.