Sheila Hollender

We received a fresh message from Sheila Hollender of Seventh Generation first thing this morning, and we want to share it with you ASAP. Sheila is responsible for Seventh Gen’s global feminine-care initiative, and she directs the corporate-giving program. Under her leadership, the brand seems destined not only to make a difference for women of all privileges, of every nation — but also, to involve women of education and means who can help.

We’re proud and delighted to have both Hollenders — Sheila and Jeffrey, her husband — as advisors on Practically Green.

Here’s Sheila’s blog post, dated August 12, 2010. We have a funny feeling it’s historic, and we hope you’ll share it with your friends and influentials. Thank you.

News alert: Women now drive the world economy. Globally, women control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending according to three recent studies on women and the economy: Women Want More, by Silverstein & Sayre; Why She Buys, by Brennan; What Women Want, by Underhill. All three books underscore the fact that the global market has turned female friendly. This means that by exercising the “power of the purse,” women are able to dictate what manufacturers put out into the marketplace.

It should come as no surprise that a good portion of women’s spending is dedicated to beauty and personal care products. After all, through our collective purchasing power we have made cosmetics and personal care products companies vastly wealthy. We have done this without a lot of public questioning about the ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products. We have failed to demand that the ingredients used in these products be non-toxic.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been working to spread the word about the chemicals used in cosmetics. This organization claims that many cosmetics on the shelf today contain chemicals that have been linked to a negative impact on human health. In a video titled, The Story of Cosmetics Annie Leonard highlights the importance of knowing exactly what ingredients are used in our everyday cosmetics and personal care products.

Whether talking about the most recent miracle cream to hit the shelf or the tampons we use on a monthly basis, women have the power to change the way business is done.

Empower yourself and only support companies that actively work to make products that are safe for all of us.