AVEDA SUPPORTS CLIMATE ACTION TO MEET THE PARIS AGREEMENT
learn more>>
We believe there is no responsible alternative to doing business other than through the pursuit of environmental sustainability and this belief guides every decision we make. we find inspiration for doing so in nature and believe that nature is not merely something to be cherished and protected, but also should be emulated as a model of sustainability. we also believe that profit and environmental responsibility will increasingly work together as more industries find out that "nature works"
for both sustainability and the bottom-line.
Aveda supports the development of renewable wind energy to help offset our carbon footprint over time. We are proud to be the first beauty company manufacturing products with 100% wind power**.
** First beauty company manufacturing with 100% wind power in our primary facility
renewable energy
supporting wind energy
We believe there is no responsible alternative to doing business other than through the pursuit of environmental sustainability and this belief guides every decision we make. We find inspiration for doing so in nature and believe that nature is not merely something to be cherished and protected, but also should be emulated as a model of sustainability. We also believe that profit and environmental responsibility will increasingly work together as more industries find out that "nature works" for both sustainability and the bottom-line.
All of our products are manufactured with 100% wind power through renewable energy credits and carbon offsets balancing our electrical and natural gas usage. We also purchase credits and offsets to cover the overwhelming majority of our US operations. That being said, there is still some way to go to achieve true “carbon neutrality” for our business, as we do not offset emissions from the transportation, use, disposal and other impacts of most Aveda products and the ingredients we purchase from suppliers.
here’s more about our offset purchases:
Our Minnesota locations:
Minnesota is the home of our primary manufacturing facility, our company headquarters, our Midwest Distribution Center, and the Aveda Institute Minneapolis. We purchase the following credits and offsets to cover the energy use of these locations:
Renewable energy credits
Electricity: we purchase wind-generated electricity directly from our electric utility, Xcel Energy, via a program called Windsource®, This program enables us to support the development of wind power equal to our energy use, helping address our carbon footprint because wind energy is produced without air emissions like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, uses no water, and doesn't need water treatment during production. In addition, a solar photovoltaic system on our headquarters rooftop provides a small amount of the energy we use.
Carbon offsets
Natural Gas: Aveda also purchases carbon offsets from NativeEnergy generated by wind farms to cover the carbon emissions resulting from the natural gas used for hot water and building heating systems.
U.S. corporate locations beyond Minnesota
Aveda purchases wind-generated renewable energy credits and carbon offsets from NativeEnergy for the electricity used and carbon emissions from use of natural gas at our corporate owned Aveda Institute in New York City, Experience Centers around the country, and our Los Angeles Distribution Center, which also generates a portion of its electricity with a rooftop solar photovoltaic system. As further explained below, some of the offsets we have purchased for this purpose are being realized over a period of more than two years.
Third party manufacturing offset purchases
Aveda uses third party manufacturers to produce some of our products. We purchase carbon offsets from NativeEnergy funding wind energy projects to cover the portion of the electrical and natural gas consumed for the manufacture of Aveda’s products at our third party suppliers that do not already offset their carbon emissions with wind energy.
Lifecycle Aerosol hair spray offset purchases
Aveda also purchases carbon offsets from NativeEnergy to balance the climate impact of our aerosol hairsprays, which are made by a third party supplier—not just for their manufacture, but also for the carbon emissions from transportation and use of these products as well.
Funding development of renewable energy projects
As mentioned above, some of our purchases have been invested in NativeEnergy’s Help Build™ projects that provide funding for the long-term development of new sources of renewable energy including wind energy that might not otherwise be possible. By investing in this way we purchase offsets that will be realized over time periods ranging up to 20 years during the life of these projects.
For example, part of our purchase helped enable the construction of two new wind turbines on family farms in Iowa. Aveda was one of the original supporters of the Greensburg Wind Farm in Greensburg, Kansas, constructed after the town was destroyed by a tornado, and helped to build the Indiana School Wind project, where a curriculum has been developed to teach students about wind technology.
Now that the projects are built, they will produce clean energy and avoid greenhouse gas emissions for years to come. Carbon offsets purchased through Help Build™ projects are independently verified annually to the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) over the life of the projects and retired each year. Aveda also purchases some offsets from wind farms in rural India and other locations which are purchased and verified to VCS annually, not over a multi-year period.
environmental health and safety
Aveda is proud to be recertified as a MNSTAR workplace!
MNSTAR, the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) Program, recognizes worksites where managers and employees work together to develop safety and health management systems that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards and result in immediate and long-term prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses.
To achieve MNSTAR status, Aveda's management and employees worked with MNOSHA's Workplace Safety Consultation to identify and eliminate current or future safety hazards. Key elements of this comprehensive program include: management leadership and employee involvement; an allocation of resources to address safety issues; systems that identify and control workplace hazards; and a plan for employee safety training and education.
MNSTAR began in Minnesota in January 1999, and is modeled after the federal OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), which began in 1982. Aveda is proud to be one of only 35 companies to currently hold MNSTAR status!