dation as a result of conventional farming,” Karamooz says.
In terms of operations, the company’s goal is to attain 100
percent renewable energy for its facility. To further minimize its
carbon footprint, the company uses 100 percent postconsumer paper, printed with soy ink, and fully biodegradable
ingredients. “Among the most harmful things to the
environment is disposing complex compounds into the waste
water that are hard to remove or take years, decades, or
centuries to decompose. For example, many municipalities
have begun to detect traces of prescription drugs in their water
supplies recently. Another recent example is passage of the
Microbead-Free Waters Act that is intended to eradicate the use
of synthetic plastic microbeads in personal cleansing products
by January 2018,” she says.
Hickman, on the other hand, says Szep Elet’s green initiative
is evident in its products. In fact, ilike Organic Skin Care’s
Carotene Essentials Moisturizer was recognized by the 7th
Annual Beauty with a Conscience Awards for purity of its ingredients. “Besides implementing earth-friendly practices in our
office and business practices, we continue to develop and
provide products that have a real impact on both personal and
planetary well-being,” she says.
Strengthening Initiatives
Implementing environmental best practices require
commitment and dedication, especially since challenges are
bound to arise in the process. “To us, the biggest challenge is
finding suppliers who adhere to our strict eco-friendly
standards. Therefore, we spend significant time vetting our
supplier’s credentials and certifications to ensure that their
social and environmental standards have been validated by
trusted third party entities,” Karamooz says.
Hickman, on the other hand, believes that in order to have
a successful green initiative, one must focus on educating
guests and staff members in order to help them change habits.
“People are creatures of habit—both in what they do and
what they believe they know. Eco-focused initiatives, whether
in the form of how we go about our daily lives or introducing
products that challenge commonly held beliefs, requires that
we first change our habits that are usually driven by short-term
VIDA KARAMOOZ, PH. D.
CEO • Blue Beautifly • Oakland, California
“With an ecofriendly mindset,
we are keenly concerned
about the air and water
pollution caused by
chemical fertilizers and
pesticides due to
oversprays and run off.”
March/April 2016
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PULSE 57