When Origins first entered the skincare market more than three decades ago, it did so with a bold commitment to create products that were not only good for skin but also good for the planet. The year was 1990, and the prospect of sustainability in the beauty industry was virtually nonexistent. Brands were not yet touting their ethical manufacturing or eco-friendly packaging, and “clean beauty” was still a totally unearthed category. But that didn’t stop Origins from staking its claim as an ethical, responsible, and environmentally impactful brand—a mission it continues to champion today.
“We’ve always believed that it is important to live in harmony with nature and make choices with the planet in mind,” says Origins Global Brand President, Amber Garrison. “As a brand that has drawn on the power of nature for more than 30 years, we feel it is our responsibility to share this mission with others and galvanize communities to nurture our environment so that we can all enjoy it for generations to come.”
Origins’ early promise reached new heights in 2009, however, when the brand introduced a new initiative. Origins Green the Planet™, as it has come to be known in recent years, was created to help restore ecosystems through the simple but significant act of planting trees, but after planting more than 2.3 million trees, the program has become so much more. “Today the Origins Green The Planet™ Fund supports the work of community-based environmental organizations around the world, with a focus on helping to create green belts within cities which are often deprived of the natural cover essential for a healthy ecosystem,” Garrison explains. These efforts not only add greenery to underserved urban areas and help mitigate climate justice, but they also help fund educational programming that shows future generations how to become stewards in their own communities.
The brand forged ties with One Tree Planted, its official global nonprofit partner, in 2020 to support rural and urban forestry, as well as community-based planting projects throughout Asia, Europe, and North America, allowing Origins Green the PlanetTM to accomplish even more. And while this partnership is ongoing, the skincare brand celebrated Earth Month with a recent tree planting in Oakland, California, where Origins employees and friends worked alongside local residents and April planting partner, Planting Justice, which provides sustainable jobs and programming to formerly incarcerated individuals.
“Origins’ support has been especially crucial in helping One Tree Planted’s Urban Forestry program deepen our impact in under-resourced neighborhoods burdened with particularly low tree canopy cover,” says Jonathan Mason, the organization’s Urban Forestry Director. “Because of the partnership, One Tree Planted has been able to plant more than 6,000 trees in urban areas on three different continents, and that’s counting only the work that’s already been completed to date. We have current projects that are still ongoing and we’re continuing to plant more trees, all thanks to Origins Green the PlanetTM.”
Although its tree-planting initiative has only come along more recently, Origins’ focus on trees, now and throughout the last 34 years, is far from coincidence. “You can’t talk about Origins without talking about trees; in fact, trees are so integral to the ethos of the brand that we have two intertwined trees in our logo,” Garrison notes. “We know that humanity is inextricably linked to forests, from supporting livelihoods to absorbing carbon and sustaining biodiversity, which is why our focus on trees is informed by the understanding that we’re not just planting trees, we are sowing the seeds for a better, more equitable future for generations to come.”
Trees have played a profound role in Garrison’s own life as well, which she believes initially attracted her to Origins when she joined the brand in 2022. “As a child growing up in Texas, I played under the trees to avoid the heat, and then as a university student, I studied under their shade to find a moment of calm. Now as a parent, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a summer afternoon in a hammock with my children looking up at the sky through the branches of a tree,” she says. To Garrison, planting a tree is an act of optimism, the ultimate belief in the future and the life it may provide generations to come. “My personal respect for trees and our planet means that I connect deeply with our mission at Origins,” she adds. “Together with my team, we’re committed to continue supporting local communities to green the planet—with the intention that every person can have the opportunity to build their own powerful and meaningful connection to the natural world.”
Garrison thinks this connection is not lost on consumers either, particularly as sustainability and ethics take on increasing value in the beauty industry. “Origins’ brand ethos and values are rooted in its founding intention to support the well-being of people and our planet, and today that means we embrace consumer trends in wellness, self-care, gender inclusivity, and sustainability,” she explains. “Consumers are seeking authentic connection to brands, and we find that our Green The PlanetTM efforts resonate deeply, especially when shared through the eyes of both the individuals whose communities are positively impacted as well as through trusted influencer partners.”
When Origins first launched, its mission to preserve and protect the environment was quite revolutionary. In the years since, countless other brands, and arguably the beauty industry as a whole, have followed suit, but Origins has continued to distinguish itself and its sustainability efforts from the rest—and it has no plans of stopping any time soon. “We’re continuously evolving our efforts in order to make the progress we want to see in the world,” Garrison says. From establishing operational practices to address water use, waste, and indoor air quality in its offices to using 100% renewable electricity in its manufacturing to planting two trees for every one harvested in the packaging process, the brand is at the very forefront of sustainability. “At Origins, we’re on a mission to build a better tomorrow and our planet-conscious mission inspires our choices every day,” the President adds. “And this is the kind of ripple effect we want to encourage to catalyze meaningful change beyond ourselves.”