Mary Kay Inc. Plants 200,000 Trees in Bitterroot National Forest
Pink Doing GreenSM Compact Recycling Program Culminates With Reforestation Project of Bitterroot Mountain Region During Earth Month
Dallas, April 22, 2009 – Mary Kay Inc. is celebrating 20 years of recycling efforts during Earth Month this year by completing a reforestation project in a national forest during two days in late April, thanks to compact recycling efforts by its nationwide Independent Beauty Consultants and their customers, as well as the Company’s employees.
Through its Pink Doing GreenSM Compact Recycling program, Mary Kay Inc. exceeded its 2008-2009 collection goal of 200,000 old compacts, succeeding in its pledge to add 200,000 trees to Bitterroot National Forest, the largest expanse of wilderness in the United States, which the U.S. Forest Service identified as in need of replanting. The 200,000 trees donated by Mary Kay fulfill the entire planting need in Bitterroot National Forest for 2009. Mary Kay is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation for the reforestation project.
“This commitment by Mary Kay to plant 200,000 trees in a national forest will have a positive impact on the planet for generations to come,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. “These trees will clean the air and water and will restore important environmental benefits to the area. We are pleased to be teaming up with Mary Kay to restore a portion of this forest.”
The replanting efforts in Bitterroot National Forest, an estimated 1.6 million acres of forest land that stretches across the southern Montana-Idaho border, will begin on April 28 and are expected to be completed within two days under the direction of the U.S. Forest Service. By adding to the tree canopy in Bitterroot, Mary Kay Inc. will help provide homes for countless species of wildlife, clean the air and prevent soil erosion.
“Sustaining the environment for future generations is an active priority for Mary Kay that we take very seriously,” said Mary Kay Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Beth Lange. “We also recognize the importance of working with communities at the local level and the power of engaging our global network of Independent Beauty Consultants. We have already seen success and impact with our Compact Recycling program on a national scale.”
Since initiating one of the country’s first comprehensive corporate recycling programs in 1989, Mary Kay Inc. has been seeking new ways to empower women with opportunities to enrich their lives and their communities. The Mary Kay recycling program has been embedded in all corporate processes and will continue to adapt with the Company as its sustainability efforts grow and change. For example, the Compact Recycling program’s success can be attributed to a nationwide cooperation on all fronts from employees to Independent Beauty Consultants to community organizations like the Dallas-based Citizens Development Center, who broke down all of the compacts for recycling.
As Mary Kay’s official corporate sustainability program, the Pink Doing GreenSM initiative will strive during 2009 to incorporate environmental improvement efforts that empower women to join the movement and make sustainability commitments in their own communities. Mary Kay also plans to continue the Compact Recycling program through July 2009.
About Mary Kay Inc.
Mary Kay, one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics, realized another year of record results. In 2008 Mary Kay Inc. and its international subsidiaries achieved $2.6 billion in wholesale sales worldwide. Mary Kay® products are sold in more than 35 markets worldwide, and the global Mary Kay independent sales force exceeds 2 million. To learn more about Mary Kay, log on to www.marykay.com or call 1-800-MARY KAY (1-800-627-9529).
About Mary Kay Pink Doing GreenSM:
The Pink Doing GreenSM sustainability program at Mary Kay continuously seeks opportunities to improve our environmental performance and is striving to find ways to be even more sustainable and green. For more information about Mary Kay’s Pink Doing GreenSM sustainability efforts, please visit www.marykay.com.
About the Arbor Day Foundation:
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org.