Shaklee Environmental Heritage Milestones

Shaklee has been green since before green was just a color reducing their footprint, and opting for the natural over the artificial from the get go. I know this is lengthy but it shows the scope of our history, and I hope you will find this historical walk-through in time as interesting and inspiring as I do!  You can  just scan it to see what jumps out at you.  You might find a year you were born or had an important thing happen, or even a decade you are most interested in and then see what Shaklee was doing!

1956

  • Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee founded a company based on Living in Harmony with Nature® that is committed to developing products to improve the health of people and the planet.

1960s

  • Shaklee introduces Basic-H® Concentrated Organic Cleaner, one of the first nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners.

1970s

  • Shaklee introduces one of the first biodegradable laundry detergents without phosphates, nitrates, or borates.

1980s

  • 1985 Shaklee was selected by the Wild Dolphin Project to provide environmentally friendly cleaning products for use onboard their research vessel, Stenella. The Wild Dolphin Project is dedicated to studying the habitat of dolphins and Shaklee’s relationship has continued for 21 years.
  • 1986 Shaklee provided financial support and products for the first recorded, unsupported expedition by dog sled to the North Pole, led by National Geographic award-winning polar explorer, author, and educator Will Steger.
  • 1987 Shaklee was selected by Jacques Cousteau and the Cousteau Society to provide environmentally friendly cleaning products for use onboard their research vessels, the Calypso and Alcyone.
  • 1989 Shaklee helped build schools and health clinics and planted more than one million trees in Asia through a partnership with the American Himalayan Foundation, an organization chaired by Sir Edmund Hillary.
  • 1989-90 Shaklee provided financial and product support for a trans-Antarctica expedition led by Will Steger, which was the first crossing of Antarctica on foot, covering 3,700 miles. Following this expedition, Steger testified before Congress on polar and environmental issues and co-founded the Center for Environmental Education.

1990s

  • 1990 Shaklee’s nontoxic and biodegradable Basic-H® was chosen as one of the first official Earth Day products.
  • 1991 Shaklee introduces Basic-D®, one of the first phosphate-free automatic dishwashing detergents.
  • 1992 Shaklee Cares®, a nonprofit organization, was established and dedicated to providing relief from natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes, whose severity has been compounded by climate change.
  • 1995 Shaklee provided financial and product support for the third International Arctic Project led by Will Steger. This was the first surface crossing of the 2,500-mile-wide Arctic Ocean. The expedition brought information about environmental issues and changes to the polar landscape to millions of school children worldwide.
  • 1996 Shaklee environmentally-friendly cleaning products were selected by Ocean Alliance and the Whale Conservation Institute to be used onboard the Odyssey, a research vessel that gathers data on contaminants throughout the world’s oceans. This relationship continues today.
  • 1998 Shaklee becomes a Charter Partner of the U.S. EPA’s Climate Wise Program, which set aggressive corporate-wide greenhouse gas reduction goals.

2000s

  • 2000 Shaklee becomes the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset its CO2 emissions.
  • 2000 Shaklee opens its World Headquarters, one of the first green, energy-saving, award-winning buildings designed using sustainable materials, including certified sustainable wood, recycled carpets, and recycled plastics. In 2001, Shaklee received the Savings by Design Energy Efficiency Integration Award by the American Institute of Architects.
  • 2005 Shaklee becomes a major partner of the Green Belt Movement, founded by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
  • 2006 Dr. Wangari Maathai becomes the Global Ambassador for A Million Trees. A Million Dreams™, a Shaklee environmental campaign that raises awareness of global climate change and initiates efforts to plant trees in North America and Africa.
  • 2006 Shaklee holds a first-ever carbon neutral conference in San Francisco by offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from the Company’s 50th Anniversary Conference, attended by some 10,000 participants.
  • 2006 Shaklee is selected as a U.S. EPA Climate Leader, pledging to maintain a net zero impact on climate change and offset 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions through 2009.
  • 2006 Shaklee is commended by President Bill Clinton for leadership in offsetting carbon emissions by creating renewable energy in Africa and is recognized at the Clinton Global Initiative.
  • 2007 Shaklee becomes a founding member of the Business Council on Climate Change, an organization of businesses that serves as an inspiration and model of global climate stewardship by implementing effective and economically sound solutions to climate change.
  • 2007 Shaklee provides financial and product support for polar explorer Will Steger and his GlobalWarming101.com expedition. This brand-new expedition includes an extensive educational outreach campaign to students throughout America to raise awareness of the impact of global climate change on five Inuit communities in the Arctic.
  • 2007 Shaklee is the first consumer products company to offset 100% of CO2 emissions through the EPA Climate Leader’s program and use 100% green power.
  • 2007 Shaklee is selected by the nation’s leading child advocacy group, Healthy Child Healthy World, to be the exclusive partner for a new video titled, “Creating Healthy Environments for Children.”
  • 2007 Shaklee is selected by the producers of THE 11th HOUR, a feature length documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, as a partner due to its exemplary track record for environmental leadership.
  • 2007 Shaklee partnered with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and The Earth Institute at Columbia University to facilitate direct emissions reductions through the installation of solar-powered LED lanterns in Malawi. This installation project replaces inefficient and unhealthy kerosene wick lamps and provides an improved and sustainable source of reading and task lighting for villagers in Malawi.
  • 2008 Shaklee named to the Top 20 Retail Partner list by the EPA Green Power Partnership in recognition of being a top purchaser of green power.
  • 2009 Shaklee is 100% carbon neutral. The greenhouse gas inventories for 2008 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide include US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico and Taiwan, were reviewed by a third party, Econergy International, in accordance with the World Resources Institute protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases.
  • 2009 Shaklee is honored with a Clean Air Award by Breathe California in recognition of Shaklee’s leadership in reducing global warming and improving air quality.
  • 2009 Shaklee is honored with the Business Environmental Award for Sustainability from Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet for environmental stewardship, climate action leadership and social equality.
  • 2010 Shaklee is 100% carbon neutral. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2010 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Malaysia and Taiwan, was reviewed by a third party, WSP Environment & Energy, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases.
  • 2011 Shaklee is again 100% carbon neutral. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2011 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Malaysia and Taiwan, was reviewed by a third party, WSP Environment and Energy, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases.
  • 2012 Shaklee is again 100% net carbon neutral. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2012 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide, including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Malaysia, and Taiwan, was reviewed by a third party, WSP Environment and Energy, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases.
  • 2013 Shaklee is again 100% net carbon neutral. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2013 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide, including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Malaysia, and Taiwan, was reviewed by a third party, WSP Environment and Energy, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases.
  • 2014 Shaklee once again achieves 100% net carbon neutral status. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2014 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide, including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan, was reviewed by third-party WSP Global, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases.
  • 2015 Shaklee once again achieves 100% net carbon neutral status. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2015 covering all Shaklee operations worldwide, including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan, was reviewed by third-party WSP Global, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases. In addition, Shaklee purchased additional offsets in order to voluntarily comply with the new Scope Two guidelines.
  • 2016 Shaklee is again 100% net carbon neutral. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2016 for Shaklee worldwide operations was reviewed by third-party WSP Global in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases. In keeping with the new Scope Two guidelines, Shaklee purchased renewable energy credits from the countries in which emissions were generated wherever possible and carbon offsets for the balance.
  • 2017 Shaklee again achieves 100% net carbon neutral status and does so in compliance with the Scope Two guidelines to purchase renewable energy credits from the countries in which emissions are generated wherever possible. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2017 for Shaklee worldwide operations was reviewed by WSP Global in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases. For those countries in which renewable energy credits were either unavailable or unverifiable, Shaklee purchased additional carbon offsets.
  • 2018 Shaklee again achieves 100% net carbon neutral status, in compliance with the Scope Two guidelines to purchase renewable energy credits from the countries in which emissions are generated wherever possible. The greenhouse gas inventory for Shaklee’s worldwide operations for 2018 was reviewed by WSP Global in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases. For those countries in which renewable energy credits were either unavailable or unverifiable, Shaklee purchased additional carbon offsets.
  • 2019 Shaklee continues to achieve 100% net carbon neutral status, in compliance with the Scope Two guidelines to purchase renewable energy credits from the countries in which emissions are generated whenever possible. The greenhouse gas inventory for Shaklee’s worldwide operations for 2019 was reviewed by WSP Global in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases. For those countries in which renewable energy credits were either unavailable or unverifiable, Shaklee purchased additional carbon offsets.
  • 2020 Shaklee continues its 100% net carbon neutral status in keeping with the Scope Two guidelines to purchase renewable energy credits from the countries in which emissions are generated whenever possible. The greenhouse gas inventory for Shaklee’s worldwide operations for 2020 was reviewed by WSP Global in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for all six Kyoto-defined greenhouse gases. For those countries in which renewable energy credits were either unavailable or cost-prohibitive, Shaklee purchased additional carbon offsets.