Seventh Generation
Industry: Cleaning products
Headquarters: Burlington, VT
Founder: Jeffrey Hollender
Founded: 1987
Markets: Nationwide
Interviewed: Gregor Barnum, Director of Corporate Consciousness
Seventh Generation is a producer and seller of over 52 different environmentally friendly cleaning products, including soaps and paper products. It is the number one producer of non-toxic, environmentally safe household cleaning products in the country. The name refers to seven generation sustainability, the idea that decisions should be considered for their impact on the seventh generation to come, inspired by the laws of the Iroquois. The business began as a catalogue company and has, over the years, changed the catalogue model to retail distribution in thousands of natural product and grocery stores nationwide.
The community involvement philosophy of Seventh Generation is closely related to the philosophy that gave the company its name – the idea of doing business in a way that improves the plant and communities for future generations. As a small company starting out, Seventh Generation did not have a lot of money to throw at the problem of improving the community. Instead, the company looks for proactive ways to solve community and environmental problems. The company tries to be a satisfying company to work for and do business with; a major part of that effort is having a well-developed vision of what it means to be a responsible business and a good corporate citizen.
Seventh Generation
60 Lake Street
Burlington, VT 05401
Making a Difference: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/making_difference/
Tags: cleaning products, corporate philanthropy, Gregor Barnum, Seventh Generation
