Seventh Generation Inc.

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Seventh Generation Inc.

Expert	Better World Shopping Guide
Score	A+

Seventh Generation, Inc.

Image:Seventh Generation Logo-.jpg
Type	private
Founded	1988
Headquarters	Burlington, Vermont, USA
Key people	Jeffrey Hollender CEO
Industry	Natural household products
Website	http://www.seventhgeneration.com

Seventh Generation, Inc. is a company that sells non-toxic, hypoallergenic cleaning, paper, and personal care products. The company was founded in 1988 and is based in Burlington, Vermont. The name "Seventh Generation" comes from the Great Law of the Iroquois; ^[1] "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." The company focuses on sustainability and the conservation of natural resources. Seventh Generation uses recycled and post-consumer materials in its packaging and biodegradable, phosphate and chlorine free ingredients in its products.

Contents 1 History 2 ETHICS 3 ENVIRONMENT 4 VALUE 5 People 6 Products 7 References 8 External links

History

In 1988, Jeffrey Hollender (an entrepreneur who sold his books on tape business to Time Warner) contacted Renew America, a mail order catalog that sold energy conservation products to raise funds for an environmental organization, asking to purchase an equity stake. Having done so the catalog was then renamed Seventh Generation (the name was chosen in an employee contest).^{[citation needed]} In 1989, the company had $1 million in sales.^{[citation needed]} Sales went on to increase to and leveled off at the $6 million mark by 1991.^{[citation needed]}

In 1992, Seventh Generation went public and the company began to develop products for wholesale.^{[citation needed]} By 1993, there were 27 branded products, sold at natural food stores across the nation. The company later sold its catalog business to Gaiam and concentrated solely on the wholesale business.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999, the company went private and launched its website.^{[citation needed]} By 2002, the company was profitable^{[citation needed]} and in 2006, Seventh Generation moved to LEED-certified offices on Lake Street in Burlington, Vermont.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009 the state of Washington banned the sale of phosphate products, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. An Associated Press dispatch reported that residents using hard water felt forced to purchase banned products out of state because of the impression that the non-phosphate products, including Seventh Generation, did not work well on dishes. The true culprit was their hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap.^[2]

ETHICS

- Summary – summarize the ethical issues of the product or company.

- Worker Treatment

- Human Rights

- Animal Rights

- Transparency in Communications (i.e. are they honest in their marketing and PR?)

- Community Support (i.e. do they support the communities they work in?)

ENVIRONMENT

- Summary – summarize the environmental issues of the product or company

- Clean and Renewable Energy

- Renewable Resources

- Waste Disposal and Recycling

- Environmental Stewardship (kind of a catch all for what doesn’t fit in the rest) Seventh Generation has received multiple awards that recognize their efforts to preserve the environment:

• 2002 Socially Responsible Business Award, "whose purpose is to recognize companies that have excelled in socially responsible business practices."^[3]

• 2004 Corporate Stewardship Award for Small Business from the United States Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship. Award recipients were selected based on "a demonstration of ethical leadership and corporate stewardship, making a difference in their communities, and contributions to the advancement of important economic and social goals."^[4]

• Fastest Growing Company in Vermont - 5x5x5 Award from Vermont Business Magazine and KeyBank for "achievements in keeping true to its mission to create healthy products that preserve the environment, every year since 2004."^[5]

• 2004 Annual Sustainability Award, Minnesota-based Alliance for Sustainability - "demonstrated the market for a wide variety of natural household products from toilet paper to dishwasher detergent."^[6]

• 2004 Terry Ehrich Award - Jeffrey Hollender won the award from the Board of Directors of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility for "having created a business model that encompasses a healthy and productive workplace, welcomes and promotes flexibility for employees, and has a key focus on the importance of life-friendly policies. His business practices are a model for others to emulate, and he does an extraordinary job of "walking the walk.""^[7]

• Fast Company Fast 50 - Jeffrey Hollender was selected as "one of the doers and the dreamers, the truth tellers and the trendsetters."^[8]

• Top 10 Responsible Brands in America 2004 – voted the 7th most responsible brand in America by the College Explorer study sponsored by Alloy Media & Marketing. The study utilized only write-in answers as opposed to multiple choices.^[9]

• "Pioneer of Precaution" Award 2006 - from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), Environmental Research Foundation (ERF) and Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN).^[10]

• Best Bosses Award 2006 - Winning Workplaces selected Jeffrey Hollender, President of Seventh Generation, as one of this year's Best Bosses. The Award is sponsored by FORTUNE^[11]

• Ceres-ACCA North American Awards for Sustainability Reporting - Best Small or Medium Enterprise Corporate Responsibility Report, April 2006 - the international competition was sponsored by Ceres (organization), a national network of investment funds, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working to advance environmental stewardship on the part of businesses, in partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and CoVeris, an independent corporate verification firm. Ceres called Seventh Generation’s report "a pioneering effort in transparency for a privately owned company."^[12]

• In 2007, Seventh Generation was recognized as being the second fastest growing company in Vermont over the past 10 years^[13].

• Fast Company Social Capitalist Award 2007 – Fast Company magazine and Monitor Group^[14]

• The Microsoft Excellence in Environmental Sustainability Award 2008 - Seventh Generation was recognized as a customer who is "using their business management system in an innovative way to track their initiatives around becoming more environmental sustainable."^[15]

- Safe Materials

- Sustainable Practices and Innovations (i.e. are they improving their everyday practices?)

VALUE

- Summary – summarize the product or company value (i.e. cost vs. quality)

- Product Quality

- Customer Satisfaction

- Customer Service

- Competitive Pricing

People

In 2003, the company employed 23 people.^[16]

• CEO: Jeffrey Hollender

Products

• Paper Towels (non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled)
• Toilet Paper (non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled)
• Facial Tissue (non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled)
• Napkins (non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled)
• Liquid Hand Dish Detergent (chlorine and phosphate-free)
• Liquid Auto Dish Detergent (cholrine and phosphate-free)
• Powder Auto Dish Detergent (chlorine and phosphate-free)
• Trash Bags (made from recycled plastic)
• Baby Diapers (chlorine-free)
• Training Pants (chlorine-free)
• Baby Wipes (chlorine-free)
• Tampons (organic cotton, chlorine-free)
• Pantiliners (chlorine-free)
• Maxi-pads (chlorine-Free)
• House Hold Cleaning Products (chlorine and phosphate-free)

References

External links

• Seventh Generation official website
• The Inspired Protagonist - official blog of Seventh Generation
• Change It - Seventh Generation's activist training program with Greenpeace
• Fast Company: Profits with Purpose: Seventh Generation