Throughout our company’s history of producing safe and effective personal care products, Dr. Bronner’s has used its resources to fight on behalf of the public good. We have done this in different ways, such as advocating for truth in the labeling of organic products; promoting fair trade & fair pay; opposing the factory farming of animals; ending mass incarceration through drug policy reform; addressing climate change through regenerative organic agricultural practices to heal soil, water, and farmworker communities; and by promoting access to medicines and therapies that can heal trauma and other illnesses.
We are conscious of the implications of approaching cold and flu season as Covid-19 is still spreading throughout the United States. As weekly averages of new confirmed cases continue to rise in many states, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to reveal lessons about humanity’s collective approach to existential public health crises.
Unfortunately, on top of more than 200,000 deaths and nearly 7,000,000 confirmed cases in the U.S. to date due to the virus, we have seen how the politicization of the pandemic has also led to the spread of misinformation causing people to question whether or not Covid-19 is real, and whether or not wearing a mask helps stop the transmission of this deadly disease.
In a recent article by one of our long-time allies in the natural products industry, John Roulac, founder of organic hemp brand Nutiva, calls out those within wellness communities who are sharing harmful propaganda, including disinformation that suggests masks don’t stop the spread of Covid-19, and that wearing a mask could even negatively affect one’s own health. He acknowledged that these unsubstantiated claims, along with the mishandling of the crisis by certain leaders, led to an explosion of Covid-19 cases and subsequent deaths from the virus in the Americas.
John writes:
“The basic tools of mask wearing and social distancing were subverted. Citizens of countries including Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and Iceland wore masks and slowed the spread. Today they go about their lives normally, while Americans undergo increasing turmoil.”
At Dr. Bronner’s, we unequivocally believe that Covid-19 is real and deadly. We also believe that wearing a mask prevents the spread of the virus by those who may be infected, whether they are asymptomatic or not. It is paramount that everyone, whether a wellness advocate within the natural products industry or otherwise, commit to taking individual responsibility to ensure collective health and prevent the spread of the virus by wearing masks in public and when around others who are not within your household or committed social bubble/pod. Everyone should also do their part to stop the spread of misinformation.
Humanity will get through this pandemic by acting together, with a shared interest in the wellbeing of everyone. This is no time for selfishness or denial of science. Let’s adapt to the present circumstances rather than pretend nothing is wrong—check out Lisa Bronner’s latest piece on how to keep your stash of reusable facemasks clean with Dr. Bronner’s.
Stay safe, everyone, and please take care of each other. Remember to mask up when you leave your house. It’s simple. We are All-One or None! Mask up to show it!