Tom's Of Maine Shares Its Corporate Social Responsibility Progress in Annual Goodness Report

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May 07, 2015, 10:00 ET

KENNEBUNK, Maine, May 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- What do natural toothpaste, railroads and ear plugs have in common? All three are playing an important role in advancing Tom's of Maine's focus on natural, responsible and sustainable business practices. The Tom's of Maine 2015 Goodness Report, published today, shows progress against 11 key goals and how human, healthy and environmental values guide employee decisions every day.

Tom's of Maine Natural Oral Care and our Commitment to Giving Back

"In 1970, our founders believed we could offer high quality, natural personal care products while minimizing our environmental impact," said Susan Dewhirst, goodness and public relations manager at Tom's of Maine. "Now, 45 years later, we are just as inspired by this commitment and find our employees, consumers and even our suppliers are right by our side in caring for people and the planet. Keeping a gentle footprint has its challenges as a business grows, but we see opportunity around every corner to stay true to our values."

Highlights of the third edition of the company's Goodness Report include:

-Waste: A goal of zero waste by 2020 is ambitious, but today the company has 21 recycling streams and plans to add more by looking at even the smallest triggers of waste such as ear plugs and hair nets. The 2015 waste-to-landfill goal was reached early because in 2014 employees found new ways to reduce, reuse or recycle even more, helping to reduce the waste-to-landfills by 70% versus prior year with a goal of 0kg waste per ton by 2020.

-Packaging: In 2014, volunteers kept 11,000 pounds of personal care packaging out of landfills, as part of the Tom's of Maine Natural Care Brigade®, a partnership with TerraCycle. These volunteers have kept more than 295,000 pieces of waste out of landfills since 2012. The Tom's of Maine Natural Care Brigade collects personal care packaging from all brands to send less to landfills. Volunteers can sign up at tomsofmaine.com. Points accrued can be redeemed for cash donations to the school or nonprofit of your choice.

-Energy: Transporting toothpaste and deodorant from Maine to the West Coast by railroad contributes to minimizing truck miles and overall impact on the environment. When trucks are used for more nearby locales, trailer weight is now maxed out so fewer trucks are on the road, which sometimes involves "co-sharing" trucks with other companies.

-Community: 95% of employees volunteered in local communities in 2014 – a jump of 10% from 2013. In addition, consumers may not realize that with every Tom's of Maine purchase they are making a difference. Tom's of Maine donates 10% of its profits to organizations that support people and the planet and invites the public to help direct where it goes.

"Packaging innovation is on the horizon and it's a priority in 2015. Our consumers are asking for it and we know we can do better," Dewhirst added. "We've added new expertise to our packaging team to help us get closer to more efficient solutions and bring new technology forward. To us, sustainability is a never-ending opportunity."

The Tom's of Maine Goodness Report features benchmarking completed in 2012, 2013, 2014 as well as projects supported, an update on products and a goals tracker for 2020. For more information, visit http://www.tomsofmaine.com/goodnessreport.

About Tom's of Maine

Tom's of Maine is a leading natural products company focused on oral and personal care carrying high quality toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, deodorant bar soap, body wash, body lotion, hand cream, lip balm and baby shampoo and lotion products. The company has a long-standing commitment to supporting people, communities and the living planet. For over 42 years, TOMs has sponsored hundreds of nonprofit efforts by giving 10% of its profits back to organizations that support human and environmental goodness and by encouraging employees to use 5% (12 days) of employee time to volunteer. Tom's of Maine employees regularly contribute suggestions for improving the company's high sustainability standards. And their ideas, from wind power to ways to improve recycled and recyclable packaging options, are critical to the company's sensitive way of doing business. Most Tom's of Maine products are vegan, kosher, halal-certified and gluten-free. All packaging is recyclable through a partnership with upcycling leader TerraCycle or participating municipalities. Tom's of Maine enjoys partnering with its consumers, suppliers and community organizations to support lasting, positive change that is good for people and the planet. Visit us online at http://www.tomsofmaine.com/ or at https://www.facebook.com/TomsofMaine.

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SOURCE Tom's of Maine