GBN LA Exhibitor Spotlight: Codex Beauty
To better introduce you to our amazing Green Beauty Night exhibitors, we sent all of them this questionaire to share more about what they do. Here’s what Codex Beauty had to say!
1. What does ‘sustainability’ mean to you?
We carefully consider the environmental impact of our operations, from raw materials sourcing to water consumption and waste production in manufacturing to packaging that minimizes the carbon footprint of transportation and disposal. We only work with companies that are equally committed to promote sustainability. We audit all our suppliers to ensure that they support and monitor sustainability in their operations, that they treat their labor force with equality and dignity, and that they are committed to using their local community as suppliers and workers.
2. Why do you feel your company is a ‘sustainability’ leader? What does your company do to be “green”?
Sustainability is one of the key tenets of our Codex Beauty Code: We embrace our responsibility for environmental stewardship, and we are committed to integrating environmental practices and sustainability principles into our core business strategy. From wild harvesting of organic raw materials to green polyethylene packaging material, our goal is to have a zero carbon footprint and zero contribution of plastic into the ocean, and to support the preservation of the arctic wilderness.
Sustainable Packaging i) Green Polyethylene Containers
Our tubes are made from green polyethylene, a plastic resin produced using sugarcane ethanol, a renewable raw material. Traditional polyethylene is produced from fossil fuels, such as oil or natural gas. By being plant-based, the production of green polyethylene captures and fixes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Green polyethylene maintains the same properties, performance and versatility of application as traditional petroleum-based polyethylene (fossil origin) and is recyclable through the same recycling chain as traditional polyethylene. Therefore, our customers can leverage already existing recycling programs. In 2020, Codex Beauty will partner with an international recycling corporation in order to facilitate the return of its primary and secondary packaging as well as minimize both ocean plastic and landfill waste.
We have been granted approval to use the Carbon Footprint Standard for all our tubes: CO2e Assessed Product logo. The Carbon Footprint Standard is an internationally recognized standard for demonstrating low carbon credentials.
ii) Recyclable, Lightweight Paperboard
Our carton is made from renewable fresh fiber that originates from sustainably managed forests. Our lightweight and recyclable paperboards are a good example of products that are sustainable throughout their life cycle.
Our packaging cartons are PEFC certified. PEFC, The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, work throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice in the forest and to ensure that forest-based products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards.
Transportation:
Our packaging is designed to provide robust product protection while reducing carton weight and volume, in order to maximize the number of products on a pallet and minimize its weight. Our shipping packaging is also designed and optimized for this purpose. For example, our initial shipping box size was selected to provide flexibility in the number of products shipped, without wasting filling material (too big) or wasting cardboard by requiring two boxes to ship larger orders (too small). We will revisit this design every six months based on our customer purchasing habits and our shipping statistics, so that if the box is too large, we can create a smaller version for single product orders. Our goal is to optimize the packing density for shipping of both the carton (secondary) and shipping (tertiary) materials so that the fuel usage to transport the products themselves is minimized. Our aim is to reduce our carbon footprint by using the most efficient transportation means and routes: for example, by choosing environmentally friendly options such as sea or ground freight instead of air freight. Whenever possible, we streamline our logistical supply chain and work with high quality local and global suppliers. As our company grows in sales volumes, we will constantly monitor our production locations and corresponding logistical routes to maximize our impact on sustainability.
CEO Founder and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Paldus
Founder and CEO Barbara Paldus is a scientist, entrepreneur and passionate investor in natural beauty. Prior to launching Codex Beauty, Paldus spent two decades leading innovation in the fields of spectroscopy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. By the age of 34, she had co- founded two Silicon Valley companies that, among many breakthroughs, helped paved the way for carbon cycle measurements, food integrity testing, accessible vaccines, personalized medicine and cell therapy. Paldus has been awarded more than 30 U.S. patents and numerous honors for achievements in science and holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
