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Aveda Pushes the Eco-Friendly Envelope Wed, Apr 15, 2009
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/2009/04/aveda.html From Vanity Fair: Sure, Aveda president Dominique Nils Conseil runs the first beauty company to offset 100 percent of its electricity with wind power, but for the 53-year-old executive, green living begins at home. Each day, Conseil and his wife, Misato, carpool to work—a practice they adopted instead of purchasing a second car (hybrid or otherwise). And for short trips around downtown Minneapolis, where the couple lives, Conseil opts to ride his bicycle. “I’d travel by bike to work if my commute didn’t include 25 miles on the highway,” he says. At home, the Conseils’ environmental efforts range from using energy-efficient lightbulbs to stocking the kitchen with products from the Wedge, a natural-food co-op. It’s with this same sensibility that Dominique oversees the daily operations at Aveda’s headquarters, in Blaine, Minnesota. Set on 58 acres (recognized last May as a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation), the complex includes Cafe Organica, a 150-seat restaurant that serves lunches made with seasonal produce from local farmers. (The restaurant is also open to the public.) Conseil, who joined Aveda in 2000, found it easy to embrace the company’s environmental and social values—from the use of soy ink on its eco-conscious packaging to its partnership with local communities to source native ingredients. “Every day I come into work and think, I’m so lucky to feel such a strong sense of alignment both personally and professionally,” he says. Since becoming president, Conseil has overseen the reformulation of several of the brand’s products to meet Aveda’s increased commitment to sustainability. What’s more, last April, during the company’s “Earth Month” efforts, Aveda raised $2.8 million for environmental causes through the sales of various products; all proceeds from the Light the Way candle, for instance, benefited the Global Greengrants Fund, which provides grants to community-based initiatives around the world. (The newest candle, which launches in stores and online this month, uses organic lavender and clary sage sourced from the South of France.) And the grassroots Caps Recycling Program, which began in 2007 at Aveda’s headquarters, is now a nationwide effort, with more than 100,000 pounds of product caps collected so far. Aveda’s recently launched Enbrightenment skin-care system, made with 100 percent naturally derived brightening blends, has already found success, and the company will debut its Sun Care hair line next month. The three-step program cleanses, protects, and re-moisturizes dry locks after a day at the beach or pool with ingredients such as green-tea extract, organic sunflower-seed oil, and shea butter. Despite the brand’s constant innovation and expansion, Conseil keeps a grounded perspective about the future. “The road to sustainability is a long one,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop pushing the envelope.”