Mary Kay Inc. Recommits to Responsible and Sustainable Water Management Following World Water Day 2022

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Water is essential to life in all its forms and to the ongoing development of a healthy and sustainable future. According to the World Economic Forum, environmental risks and the impact on natural ecosystems and resources continues to be a top global risk.

This World Water Day, Mary Kay Inc. recommits to responsible and sustainable water management to ensure the ongoing availability of water as an essential resource to meet the needs of the environment and communities around the world.

Water is at the heart of Mary Kay’s sustainability strategy and crucial to its manufacturing processes. Implementing good water stewardship principles is critical for Mary Kay to reach our sustainability goals. We strive to ensure water use for human and economic needs does not disrupt sustainable water cycles or cause ongoing harm to nature and biodiversity. Recent water efforts at Mary Kay facilities include:

• Water use at U.S. Mary Kay-owned facilities decreased 36% from 2012-2017.

• At Mary Kay’s manufacturing facility in Hangzhou, China, significant strides toward water conservation include:

  • Reduced potable water use by 34%, which saves approximately 913,480 gallons of potable water per year.

  • Reverse Osmosis (RO) reject water reuse: The purifying water equipment produces a large amount of concentrated water discharge in the operation process. By collecting concentrated water and passing it through the circulation system, concentrated water will be reused through the fire tower and air-cooling tower system as a supplementary water source.

  • Wastewater treatment upgrade: To mitigate the environmental impact of wastewater in its manufacturing processes, Mary Kay China invested in an advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) process using existing infrastructure to improve the capacity of wastewater treatment and reduce sludge discharge by 40%.

“As a global sustainability advocate, Mary Kay is dedicated to playing an important role in collective efforts to cause no harm to the environment and to ensure communities and economies prosper,” said Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay Inc. “Mary Kay will continue to build upon its progress and work toward its commitment of reducing water utilization in our manufacturing processes by 30% by the year 2030 versus a 2020 baseline per kilogram bulk produced. Achieving Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Core Certification for Mary Kay manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and China will help move us closer to our goals.”

Several key components of Mary Kay’s decade of action include:

• A current signatory of the UN Ocean Principles and CEO Water Mandate.

• Continuing its 32-year partnership with The Nature Conservancy and supporting 11 global water projects in 2022 focusing on:

  • Global ocean protection to improve ocean health for nature and people;

  • Restoring Asia Pacific Shellfish Reefs in Australia, Hong Kong, China, the Coral Triangle, and the Cakaulevu Reef (also called the Great Sea Reef);

  • Supporting Women Leaders in The Pacific in Papua New Guinea (Mangroves, Women, and Markets) and the Solomon Islands (Community Health and Resilience);

  • Coastal Conservation and Restoration in the Gulf Coast (Protecting the Gulf Coast Coastal Wetlands);

  • Improving Fisheries in Mexico (Improving Fisheries and Empowering Communities); and

  • Collaborating with partners in Europe supporting native oyster restoration projects in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden.

• Joining Alliance for Water Stewardship and working to achieve certification of our two manufacturing facilities by 2025.

To read more about Mary Kay’s commitment to sustainability, visit marykayglobal.com/sustainability and download Mary Kay’s global sustainability strategy, Enriching Lives Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.

About Mary Kay Inc.

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey to economic independence through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.

About The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 79 countries and territories, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

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