Mary Kay looks for ways to make cosmetic products greener

NBC
Published: November 11, 2008

If you or anyone you know wears make-up, chances are at some point you have tried Mary Kay. 

With a sales force of close to two million people, it’s hard not to be familiar with the brand and it’s signature pink packaging.

But the Texas-based company also like things a little green.
At the Mary Kay distribution center in Carrollton, Texas they’re moving thousands of boxes a day, which means a lot of packaging.
But instead of just letting it end up in the trash.

“We know that what we do today will affect the next generation,“ said Crayton Webb of Mary Kay.

Mary Kay is leading they way with its pink doing green program.
Consultants and customers are encouraged to recycle compacts.

“We decided to engage in a compact recycling program, and we asked all of our independent sales force members to bring back their previous pink and black compacts and for ever compact we got back we pledged to plant a tree, up to 100,000 trees,“ said Webb.

And the most recent initiative.

“These peanuts are made out of corn and potato starch,“ said Shelly Miller of Mary Kay.

Bio-peanuts, the next generation in shipping supplies.
“We feel that protecting the environment and also protecting our product as best as we can is um the driver for making the decision to go with this product,“ said Miller.

Just one more way, the company known for making you look good is doing some good of its own.

“Mary Kay Ash said you can do it.  She would have been really proud of this because she believed in doing well by doing good,“ said Webb.
Mary Kay also offers premiere parking for its employees who carpool and incentives for those who use public transportation.