Beauty LaunchPad - November 2013 - 36

Conversations/Proﬁles

Green

GIANT

Earthly Body sees the light, converting its cosmetics
headquarters into a solar-powered plant. -FRANCESCA MOISIN

ommitment to our planet's sustainability has long been crucial to
Earthly Body (earthlybody.com) Founders Kevin and Mare Wachs,
manufacturers of superior hemp and argan oil-based skin and hair
products. All cruelty-free (as certiﬁed by PETA and Leaping Bunny) offerings
are made sans dyes, petroleum, parabens or sulfates, while Moroccan argan
kernels are grown and exported with respect for wildlife and land. Care thus
taken, most companies would be content-but this 20-year-old beauty group
towers above the norm. September marked the start of an impressive initiative
that will transform their 50,000-square-foot Chatsworth, California headquarters
into a fully solar-powered facility.
"Deciding to install a rooftop photovoltaic system stemmed from our
passionate belief that all aspects of our organization must reﬂect ecofriendly values," enthuses Wachs, who also serves as the company's
president. (The photovoltaic effect refers to the creation of electrical current
in a material upon exposure to light.) "Once completed, CO2 emissions at
the plant will be reduced by 1,834 tons over the next 25 years, which is the
environmental equivalent of planting 31.4 acres of trees."
Responsible for the realization of this custom design is Independent Energy

Earthly Body's

Solutions, a woman-owned construction ﬁrm with
50,000-square-foot
more than 15 years of expertise in alternative energy
headquarters will be solarpowered by early next
systems. "We ﬁrst experienced the purity behind
year-reducing carbon
women helping women while on a research trip in
dioxide emissions by 1,834
Morocco," Wachs reveals. Originally, the purpose of
tons over 25 years.
that expedition was to ensure that all Earthly Body-
purchased argan oil was ethically procured. But
after spending time at women-led argan cooperatives, it became clear that
production of this product is not only sustainable, it also helps empower the
country's female force. "In addition, our consumer base is largely female, so
selecting the most qualiﬁed all-woman ﬁrm to efﬁciently lead an operation of
this magnitude further enhances the project's importance," muses Wachs.
Once ﬁnished by early 2014, the revamped green factory will boast
a retail and education center, guest ofﬁces for visiting distributors and a
30,000-square-foot production warehouse. Future plans include a Wellness
Center accessible to both employees and the larger community. Proving that
when it comes to encouraging a sustainable work environment, Earthly Body is
solar light-years ahead of the competition.

Fun Facts
More than 100,000 individual solar
power systems will be installed by the end
of 2013.
The U.S. share of global solar installations
will reach a high of 13 percent, up from
ﬁve percent in 2008.
A solar project is installed, on average,
every four minutes in the U.S.

(Sources: Solar Energy Industries Association, BBC News)

"We ﬁrst experienced the purity behind the concept of women helping women while on a company-led research trip to Morocco,"
Founder Kevin Wachs says.

36 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD | NOVEMBER 2013

COURTESY OF EARTHLY BODY

Much of the argan oil coming from
Morocco is produced by women
cooperatives, which allows them to be
more ﬁnancially independent and send
their children to school.

Beauty LaunchPad - November 2013

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