Meet The Man Making Multivitamins Healthier For Us & Our Planet

When Lee Robertshaw discovered that most multivitamin supplements were not as healthy as he thought, he set about creating his own vitamins brand and succeeded. Together Health multivitamins are made with real ingredients, no artificial additives, transparent sourcing and plastic free packaging. 100 percent clean and pure, they work in harmony with your body and are on a mission to bring the best nutrition to the most people. We sit down with him and talk all things sustainability, plastic pollution and their charity partner Vitamin Angels.

Interview: Together Health Founder Lee Robertshaw

What was the motivation behind starting Together Health?

It all began when I was searching for a daily multivitamin – what should have been a simple task turned into a real eye-opener. I discovered that most health supplements were anything but healthy – they were filled with mega-dose isolated vitamins and artificial additives. After settling for an expensive product in a fancy glass bottle that still didn’t feel right, I knew I couldn’t be the only person frustrated by this. That nagging feeling that supplements weren’t natural or effective enough drove me to create Together Health – supplements I’d be happy for my family and friends to take.

How is your brand different from other vitamin brands?

We’re fundamentally different because we use food-based and natural source ingredients – our vitamin C is made with actual oranges and lemons, our B12 comes from mushrooms, our calcium from Atlantic red algae. Most brands use single-compound isolated nutrients that your body struggles to recognise. Your body evolved to get nutrients from real food. So, when you take a supplement made with food-based sources, your body recognises it immediately. Which means your body absorbs it better and it’s gentler on your system. We stay completely away from artificial additives and processing aids. And we’ve pioneered plastic-free, compostable packaging when the industry standard is still plastic bottles and blisters.

Where do you source your ingredients?

We go straight to the source and build relationships with suppliers who share our values. Our calcium comes from sustainably harvested Atlantic red algae, our turmeric from India where it’s been grown sustainably for thousands of years, our Omega 3 from algae grown on land rather than depleting fish stocks, our iodine from seaweed in Britain and the Nordic regions, and our Ashwagandha from a community in Rajasthan, India – largely made up of women – which provides economic opportunity, and a boost to the local families.

How sustainable is your packaging?

After years of development with sustainable material manufacturers, we’ve created plastic-free pouches made from renewable sources – cornstarch, paper and wood pulp. All three layers are compostable, so under composting conditions they’ll break down into just CO2, water and organic matter. Even if they end up in general waste, they won’t release toxic gases when incinerated. It’s not perfect – only a small percentage gets composted currently – but it’s a massive improvement over plastic.

What green business practices are you most proud of?

I’m proud of our partnership with Vitamin Angels UK. Every purchase helps provide nutrients to children and mothers at risk of malnutrition. We’ve provided over 32,500 nutrient grants so far. And the fact that all our products are vegan certified and we’ve eliminated plastic from our entire operation – that’s something special.

What makes you feel positive about a sustainable future?

The growing awareness and demand for truly sustainable products gives me hope. When we started, explaining why plastic-free packaging mattered was challenging. Now customers actively seek it out. Seeing other businesses follow suit and innovate in this space and knowing that every purchase from us contributes to fighting childhood malnutrition through Vitamin Angels – these things show me we’re moving in the right direction.

What are the facts that make you fearful?

The fact that less than 10 percent of plastic actually gets recycled in the UK, with over half of that exported to countries without proper infrastructure – that’s terrifying. And knowing that 25 percent of the global fish catch’s by-product goes into making fish oil supplements when we can get Omega 3 from algae instead. In fact, the only reason fish contain omega 3 EPA & DHA is because they feed on algae. These statistics show how broken our current systems are.

Tell us more about your work with Vitamin Angels.

We’ve partnered with Vitamin Angels UK since our very first sale. For every order, we make a donation that provides either a child with nutritious food, a pregnant woman with prenatal vitamins, or a child with vitamin A to prevent blindness. They reach over 70 million children and mothers annually in more than 70 countries. We’ve contributed 32,500 nutrient grants so far, but we have big plans to do even more.

Name three other favourite brands doing the right thing.

Innocent inspired me early on through radical simplicity and openness: plain-English labels that spelled out exactly what was in the bottle, candid impact updates, and early steps to lighten packaging and trace fruit sourcing. That ‘say-what-you-do’ approach – alongside community initiatives like The Big Knit and support for growers – set the tone for transparent, values-led growth. Patagonia literally gave the company away to fight climate change, with all profits now going to environmental causes through their ‘1 percent for the Planet’ initiative. They prove you can be wildly successful whilst being uncompromising on values. And Oddbox rescues wonky produce that supermarkets reject – showing brilliant circular economy thinking – finding value where others see waste. All three show that doing business responsibly isn’t just possible – it’s profitable and inspiring.

What are the biggest challenges in running a sustainable business?

It’s never the easy path. Finding sustainably grown ingredients that meet our standards is incredibly difficult. Developing our plastic-free packaging took years of testing and collaboration. Avoiding artificial additives means our manufacturing is more complex and expensive. But these challenges are exactly why it’s important – if it was easy, everyone would be doing it already.

What advice can you give to other businesses wanting to do better?

Don’t compromise on your values, even when it’s harder and more expensive. Be completely transparent with your customers – they deserve to know exactly what’s in their products and where it comes from. And remember that every decision impacts the planet. We consider the environmental impact of everything we do, from sourcing to packaging to shipping.

Three things we should all be doing to help in the climate change fight?

Switch to genuinely sustainable products – look beyond the marketing to understand what’s really in them and how they’re made. Support businesses that are transparent about their practices and impact. And value resources properly – see them as precious rather than disposable. Small changes in how we consume can have massive collective impact.

What are your views on the fight against plastic pollution?

Plastic is destroying our oceans, soils and air. The fact that it’s made from fossil fuels and barely gets recycled makes it completely unsustainable. We have to move away from it entirely, not just improve recycling rates. That’s why we went plastic-free – incremental change isn’t enough.

How could media and governments help improve the plastic pollution crisis?

They could help to make the better choice, the easy choice. The media should spotlight simple, plastic-free swaps and show exactly how to use them day-to-day. Governments should fund modern composting so certified items and food waste are collected and processed everywhere. Roll out consistent kerbside collections, back refill pilots in supermarkets, and use public procurement to buy plastic-free options at scale. Do this, and alternatives become convenient and trusted – so more people switch.

Stockists: togetherhealth.co.uk, Ocado, Superdrug, Morrison’s (selected stores), Holland & Barrett, Wholefoods, Planet Organic