BIG IMPACT, SMALL C ARBON FOOTPRINT
Bay Area is the best place to live. “There is so much natural beauty
all around us. We’re very lucky to have perfect weather all year,
mountains, so much water, forests, parks, natural trails, etc. We
have tons of diversity and culture with every type of food and different
ethnicities. There’s the tech, which brings in a lot of wealth
and innovation, and because the hippy movement started here,
the culture is still very relaxed, liberal and forward-thinking. I am
so happy to live in the best part of the world.”
She also believes the Bay Area location has helped her business
thrive and grow into a global business. “Starting 100% Pure in an
environment that fosters healthy, organic products has definitely
helped the success of the company,” she says.
Among her many accomplishments, Wang has been named a
2018 Woman of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
But when asked about the achievement she values most, she says
it’s all the money she has raised to help animals. Organizations
the company supports include the Coalition for Consumer Information
on Cosmetics (CCIC) Leaping Bunny Program, People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Wags and Walks,
Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary and others. Purity Cosmetics
also donates to many organizations that are not animal-related,
such as Keep a Child Alive, the American Red Cross and the Breast
Cancer Emergency Fund.
“My key philosophy is to not live selfishly,” says Wang. “I want
to leave this world better in ways that will benefit animals, people
and the environment.” n
February/March 2019 73
When Wang and her partners
were looking for a place to base
their company headquarters, they
chose Silicon Valley due to the
abundance of talent in the area
and favorable environment for
sustainable business practices.
What they ended up with is
an award-winning, 8-acre facility
in San Jose that is 100 percent
solar-powered and uses ecofriendly
lighting. Called “Purity
Park,” the campus is landscaped
with drought-resistant plants that
receive water from condensation
and rainwater from the roof.
For each Earth Day over the
past few years, the Purity team
has been planting a tree for every
product sold. Thus far, they have
planted 19,293 trees with the organization
Trees of the Future.
Their eco-friendly building
and maintenance practices are
mirrored by their operations. For
example, they eschew damaging
petrochemicals in cosmetics and
instead use fully biodegradable
fruit pigments. All packaging is
recycled or recyclable and printed
only with non-toxic inks. And
when packing and shipping orders,
they use recycled cardboard
boxes filled with cornstarch packing
peanuts that dissolve in water.
Purity’s retail stores have also
been built and operated with sustainability
in mind, using recycled
materials, such as wood from
decommissioned ships or barns.
The stores also offer a recycling
program for customers: return 10
empty, full-sized product bottles
and get a free mini-bottle of the
customer’s choice.
Purity’s community has taken
notice, honoring the company
with the San Jose Green Certificate
for environmental sustainability.
It was recognized for
generating the lowest amount of
landfill garbage.
In the words of a company blog
published this summer, “We are
a sustainable business, meaning
that we take every action possible
to mitigate the impact our
products and our way of doing
business has on the environment.
We want to ensure that future
generations can experience the
same natural landscapes we have,
by reducing our carbon footprint
wherever possible.”
Susie Wang at work at the
San Jose headquarters of
100% Pure.