The Honest Company

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  Our vision of health & sustainability is to:

  • Reduce the ubiquitous presence of toxic chemicals in our our natural environment (air, soil, oceans, etc), man-made environments (homes, schools, offices) and our personal environments (industrial pollution inside our own bodies);
  • Protect natural resources by minimizing waste and maximizing use/re-use;
  • Support peace, security, and social justice; and,
  • Promote diversity and productivity through all facets of life – from cultural to ecological.

We are committed to operating with integrity & transparency, and with humble honesty, as we strive to always create better, do better, and be better.

Below you'll find both our current standards and what our dream goals are for the future.

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  Product & Packaging

  We love plants and all things living. We design to maximize their usage in our products, and actively focus on minimizing the presence of petroleum in our products and packaging. One day (in the near future) we'll be 100% plant-based and sustainably-sourced, inside and out.

  With that goal in mind, we:

  • Source natural, organic, sustainably harvested, renewable, pure raw materials for our products
  • Track all the materials, ingredients, and packaging used in our products to help us report on and understand trends in our cradle-to-grave impact
  • Reduce toxics in all products and packaging, adhering to Our Principles
  • Commit to dramatically reducing petroleum-based plastic (virgin) in our packaging
  • Use the highest percentage available of post-consumer resin (PCR) bottles
  • Use 100% renewable and/or recycled materials in all products, packaging, shipping materials, and office materials
  • Specify and closely monitor the quality-control standards & protocols in our manufacturing to ensure highest quality, cleanliness, and overall product & ingredient integrity
  • Use re-usable packaging, higher post-consumer recycled or FSC-certified materials, shipping material, & fully biodegradable pillow pack materials

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  Business & Operations:

  We know a sustainable product isn't only what's inside or how it's wrapped, this includes how it's manufactured, employee work environments, waste management, energy usage, and much more.

  To excel in every facet, we focus on:

  • Ensuring all the electricity used in our headquarters and warehousing is from 100% renewable sources – we use 100% renewable California Solar (by purchasing REC) – reducing dependency on conventional fossil fuel energy (coal & petroleum) sources
  • Making efforts to continually reduce our carbon footprint by the way we run our business, and purchasing the necessary carbon offsets for operating our business operations, manufacturing, product shipping, and corporate travel at year end
  • Utilizing electronic and fully automated management systems to dramatically reduce paper, printing, and copying usage and supplies
  • Employing warehousing facilities that use natural daylight, energy efficient lighting, electric forklifts, and full recycling programs for all corrugate shipping boxes
  • Seeking partners who abide by our Supplier's Code of Conduct that addresses three major areas: human rights, environment, and documentation.

  Supplier's Code of Conduct: The supplier must comply with applicable environmental laws of their country, have a written environmental policy, and implement a system to minimize or eliminate negative impacts on the environment. Partners must: 1) Publicly disclose environmental impacts and activities through regular reporting; 2) Eliminate toxic and hazardous substances from products and operations; 3) Increase efficiency and thereby minimize pollution and waste; 4) Reduce use of natural resources including raw materials, energy and water; 5) Take responsibility for proper waste management and any environmental problems associated with disposal of wastes.

  • Ensuring all built and renovated offices spaces utilize low-impact, non-toxic, and sustainable materials – from furnishings and water filtration, to interior lighting, no-VOC paints, and beyond
  • Incentivizing eco-friendly transportation like biking, ride-sharing, public transportation, and alternative fuel/hybrid vehicles
  • Seeking the most-credible suppliers and raw materials manufacturers who are geographically located as close to our operational headquarters as possible (micro is the new macro!)
  • Shipping efficiently by shipping as infrequently and as short of a distance as possible and by encouraging our customers to bulk order and avoid expedited shipping
  • Choosing ground shipping whenever possible, as expedited air frieght generally uses six times more energy than ground shipping (we offer air shipping, despite its high environmental impact, as we understand the need for customer satisfaction and convenience as one of our important business promises)

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  Formal acknowledgements and associations

  • PETA: Cruelty Free & Vegan
  • Renewable Energy Credits
   

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  Honest Goals

  It may be a bit unconventional to include goals directly in our business standards, but we never intended on being conventional. Listing our goals here serves three purposes: 1) It lets you know more about where we're headed; 2) Gives you an opportunity to dream with us (really, we'd love to hear your ideas); 3) And – honestly – when you make your goals public, you're much more likely to reach them.

  Let's be better by trying to:

  • Have ALL our body/personal care to meet the NSF standards ... we are half way there now
  • Because we love plants and because of their renewable & sustainable reality (not being a non renewable fossil fuel), have all our product, and our packaging, made entirely (yes – 100%) of plant-based materials
  • Have our company receive Cradle to Cradle Certification
  • Officially complete our B Corps certification (we're on track to reach this goal in 2012!)
  • Have our offices and warehouse LEED certified
  • Work with only manufacturers who are ULE 880 certified