Building and maintaining a brand that is both successful and sustainable is a feat that many companies are aiming to accomplish today. While sustainability initiatives in the past might have looked more like an annual celebration or community event, today, talk of sustainability within business is prevalent as it has played more of a core role in societal efforts to combat damaging habits that hurt the Earth. 

Force for Good 

For Nu Skin, a local company and 2019 recipient of a Green Business Award, sustainability is more than just a buzzy trend or promotional campaign, it’s foundational to business. It’s not only important, it’s critical to the way business is run. With a mission that has always been to be a force for good in the world, Nu Skin is committed to keeping global communities clean, safe, and protected for the future.

Commitments and Pledges

During one of its biggest events, Nu Skin LIVE 2019, Ritch Wood, CEO, introduced five specific pledges the company is making towards sustainability. 

• Nu Skin will create an environmental impact scoring system, and the company’s top 20 products will have an improved environmental impact score by the end of 2020.
• Nu Skin will assess and score 100 percent of its products beginning to end, mindfully making changes to benefit the planet by 2023.
• Nu Skin will change all its packaging to be reusable, recyclable, recycled, refillable or recoverable before 2030.
• Nu Skin is aspiring to build a global network of zero-waste facilities to reduce its carbon footprint.
• Nu Skin will invest at least 50 percent of its Foundation giving in communities and people that are providing essential resources to our planet and its inhabitants.

The event itself also introduced many milestones within the company’s sustainability efforts. With over 12,000 people in attendance, Nu Skin LIVE was the first multi-venue event to be energy neutral through the purchase of solar renewable energy credits. 

During the event, Nu Skin worked to divert an estimated 75 percent of the event’s waste from the landfill by reusing, recovering, recycling and donating materials that would normally be thrown away (food, materials, swag, event props, etc.) Nu Skin supported Utah Food Services and its food rescue initiatives by donating excess food to the organization. 

Increased Recycling

In efforts towards increasing recycling within its facilities, Nu Skin has partnered with one of the only companies in Utah who accepts all types of plastic, allowing the company to increase recycled material to a notably higher amount. Each employee at the global headquarters has also received a personal recycling bin at their desks, and there has been an increase in the distribution of large recycling bins across the campus. 

Zero-Waste Facility

These efforts are part of Nu Skin’s ongoing commitment to building a global network of zero-waste facilities. This means that Nu Skin is working to divert at least 90 percent of its non-hazardous waste from landfills by reducing, reusing and recycling, as well as tracking the progress. 

As a company-wide Earth Day initiative this past year, Nu Skin removed single-use cups and straws from its Provo campus and provided reusable “Think Green” cups for all its employees. Through this, Nu Skin saved approximately 3 tons of plastic annually, and 2.23 tons of paper annually. 

Carbon Footprint Reduction

In recognizing the threats of climate change, Nu Skin’s facilities were built with sustainability in mind. Its two main locations are LEED Gold Certified, which means lower uses of energy, water, and other resources, as well as higher recycling capacities. 

Controlled Environmental Agriculture

Nu Skin has increased its sourcing responsibility and has invested in controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) technology, which uses a fraction of the water and land required in traditional farming to produce ingredients that are also free of herbicides and pesticides. Nu Skin will begin adding CEA-sourced ingredients to its products in place of traditionally grown ingredients. 

Leaders in Sustainability

Nu Skin has and continues to invest in people, communities, resources, and initiatives in efforts to increase sustainability and have a more environmentally focused business. “We look forward to doing even more; to continue putting forth efforts and making improvements to become a leader in sustainability,” says Ritch Wood. 

Nu Skin is just one of many companies in Utah that are making strides in sustainability. To learn more about how you can make your business more sustainable, click here.