Sephora Joins REN and Surfrider to Clean Up Our Oceans
The dedicated support of our social impact program, Sephora Stands, allows us to impact our people, planet, and community. At our beach cleanup earlier this month, we had the opportunity to touch all three.
On Friday, October 12th, Sephora employees were invited to volunteer to clean up Baker Beach in San Francisco in partnership with clean skincare brand REN and the Surfrider Foundation.
REN and Surfrider have been teaming up to implement their “Clean to Skin, Clean to Planet” initiative since earlier this year to make their impact on protecting oceans and beaches from environmental stressors.
In addition to taking action on our planet’s beaches, REN also announced a pledge to become a zero-waste brand by 2021 — their award-winning body wash comes in a bottle made of 100 percent recycled plastic, containing 20 percent reclaimed plastic found in our oceans.
Eighty Sephora FSC employees attended the cleanup, which involved breaking into groups and picking up any non-organic material from the coastline. Surfrider made it fun, too: teams won prizes for picking up the most cigarette butts (the biggest offender in the litter category), the most plastic collected, and creating art with the most unusual items found. (Don’t worry, they had gloves.)
“The highlight for me was the overall enthusiasm from the group — people were excited to roll up their sleeves and give back,” said Mary Herbranson, Partnerships Manager at the Surfrider Foundation. “It’s always gratifying to witness the lightbulb moment when a person makes the connection to how they can improve their daily habits and help reduce plastic pollution by choosing reusable options.”
While this is the first beach cleanup Sephora FSC has participated in with Surfrider and REN, it’s not the first time our company has partnered with brands to help the planet. In June, Sephora added a special Beauty Insider reward in which Caudalie planted two trees in exchange for 500 points.
“We are excited about Ren’s awesome new eco-bottle and about our work with eco-design and reducing waste to landfills and oceans,” said Alison Colwell, Director of Sustainability at Sephora. “Thank you so much to everyone who joined us at the REN-Surfrider-Sephora Stands Beach Cleanup and to our Brand Marketing, Merchants, Sephora Stands, Communications and Internal Branding partners who made this event possible.”
SURFRIDER’S TOP TIPS ON BEING MORE EARTH-CONSCIOUS EACH DAY
Mindfulness can be turned into action that supports initiatives that fall under Surfrider’s mission. We encourage people to make conscious decisions around their consumption as a way of reducing plastic pollution — every little bit helps!
- When you order a beverage, skip the straw.
- When you leave the house, make sure you bring a reusable tote to carry any new goodies home with you.
- Always travel with a reusable water bottle, mug, and/or utensils.
- Buy in bulk.
- When you’re hosting a party, opt for paper serving products versus plastic.
