GREEN INGREDIENT POLICY
At Aveda, we continually seek to increase the use of naturally-derived ingredients in our products.  ‘Naturally Derived’ means an ingredient meets a number of criteria, including:

•      Derived from a plant, non-petroleum mineral, inorganic or other natural
       source (e.g., water); and
•      More than 50% of the molecular weight comes from those natural sources;
       and other criteria must be met for suitability of use (for example, we avoid
       certain types of processing)

Aveda looks at our products’ environmental impact, and takes the following into consideration when formulating:
•      The raw materials for ingredients used in our products (for example, we
        do not use plant species we determine are endangered)
•      The impact on the communities and their ecosystems which provide the
        raw materials
•      The processing of raw materials into the ingredients for our products
•      The impact of the finished products on the people and the environment

Aveda tries to ensure our products will not only benefit our customers through exceptional performance, but will positively impact the people and economies from which the product’s ingredients are sourced.  Aveda firmly believes that we will succeed in this effort by striving to use what we call Green Ingredients in our products whenever possible.

“Green Ingredients” are one or more of the following:
•      Sourced from organic, sustainable or renewable plant-based origins
•      Represent ecological and cultural diversity by being sourced from different
        habitats all over the world
•      Provide fair compensation to suppliers
•      Do not negatively impact the ecosystems from which they are sourced
•      Are biodegradable
•      Involve environmentally responsible processing (for example, steam
       distillation rather than chemical extraction of essential oils)
•      Are animal friendly (Aveda does not conduct animal testing on its products
       or ask others to do so on our behalf except if required by law, and actively
       supports the development of alternative methods to animal testing).

To facilitate the choice of ingredients that meet these standards, Aveda is partnering with the EPEA, an environmental research institute located in Germany and led by Michael Braungart, co-author of “Cradle to Cradle” design principles for products.  Aveda is constantly evolving our ingredient sourcing process to meet our goals, helping to continually move our business toward our vision.  As we evolve, we continually measure our past accomplishments and plan for future improvements.

Aveda Green Ingredient philosophy in practice:
•      Since 2000, Aveda has substantially increased our purchases of organic
        raw herbal ingredients and organic essential oils from 20%-25% of total
        tonnage to 89-90% while also increasing our total tonnage significantly.  

The exact percentage varies slightly from year to year due to product mix and availability of certified ingredients.
•      Aveda has been phasing out parabens from its existing product formulas;
        as well as, developing new formulas without parabens, and now has more
        than 480 products formulated without parabens on the market.
•      Establishing the Soil to Bottle™ traceability, which allows Aveda to
        progressively document and expand the source of its ingredients while
        promoting quality through its supply chain.
•      Aveda established programs to promote sourcing GMO-free ingredients
•      Aveda is partnering with the EPEA Institute for ongoing evaluation of raw
        materials in Aveda products by application of the “Cradle to Cradle”
        design; to date EPEA has reviewed over 600 ingredients for Aveda.
•      Aveda is phasing out EDTA from its formulas and is in the process of
        replacing it with naturally-derived alternatives.
•      Aveda is the first beauty company manufacturing with 100% certified wind
       power at our primary manufacturing facility in Blaine, MN.*
•      Aveda pioneered the use of up to 100% postconsumer recycled content in
        its packaging.
•      Aveda pioneered the Aveda Caps Recycling Program
•      Aveda will continue to seek greener alternatives for certain ingredients in
       existing products applying EPEA Institute principles.
•      Aveda will continue to develop sustainable plant-based alternatives to
        replace petrochemicals
•      Aveda products are not formulated with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. 

*Per a review of WWD Beauty Report International Top 100 Cosmetic Manufacturers Corporate Websites in April 2007. The wind energy goes into a utility grid from which we draw power.

 

*From Aveda.com