Tzu Ching Lin
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Chris Laszlo
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"Healthy for the human body, healthy for society, and healthy for the environment."
As a green hair care brand O’right offers more than products of good quality, it combines inspiration from the nature of Taiwan and unique innovations to create products that are not only good for the consumer but also our land and society.
" We would rather be a good company than become a big company." Nathaniel Dick, Executive Assistant to the CEO, explained, “We are transparent with our product and honest to our consumers. We want them to know that O’right is doing its best to minimize harm to the environment while supplying high-quality products. And that they, as users of O’right’s products, are contributing and making a difference in the world with us.”
O’right’s first product” Tree in the bottle” is the world’s first blooming shampoo. The shampoo bottle ismade of 100% biodegradable materials. Additionally, it has seedsfrom native trees embedded in the bottom of the bottle so the bottle can be buried in the soil and grow into a tree.
While the design of “Tree in the bottle” has won O’right several international awards. The company continues to be a market leader with sustainable innovations, including the RECOFFEE series, a line of products made from 100% recycled coffee grounds.
The RECOFFEE series is an innovative implementation of the Cradle-to-Cradle concept. Recycled coffee grounds are the main ingredient of the product. O’right collects unused coffee grounds and extracts refined coffee oil from the grounds. Refined coffee oil is then used in the hair product and the leftover coffee grounds are used to dye the bottles. Just like the design of” Tree in the bottle”, there are coffee seeds embedded at the bottom ofevery bottle. Those coffee seeds enable to the product to complete the full cycle of theCradle-to-Cradle concept.
O’right started off as a manufacturer for European hair care companies. Steven Ko, the CEO of O'right, decided to make a change not only to the company business model but also to the environment and community following the passingof his parents from from kidney disease and cancer. “Respect the planet and give back to society. If you become successful in the future and you don’t have parents to care for anymore, you can care for the society.” is his fathers' wishes on his death bed. That vision changed Steven and is what Steven has held on to and how he has carried the company from that point on.
The overall impact of O’right can be understood via three aspects:
1. Green product
The design of O’right’s products follows the Cradle-to-Cradle concept. In addition to the “Tree in the bottle” and the RECOFFEE series mentioned above, there are more examples such as the Floral Box, a green packaging made of paper from which is adheres to FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) principles and is printed with eco-friendly soy ink.
2. Sustainable Community
Even while focusing on developing sustainable products, O’right never stops contributing and giving back to the community and environment. Every year from 2011 to present day, O’right co-organizes the Earth Hour event in Taiwan with WWF (World Wildlife Foundation). This event is estimated to save a total amount of 300,000 kWh of electricity, reducing 184,000 kg of CO2 emission. Furthermore, O’right has been promoting forest conservation and reforestation. From 2011 to 2016, O’right has planted 2,660 trees, reducing 101,464 kg of CO2 emission.
3. Clean manufacturing
“Only a green factory can produce green products.” Nathaniel Dick said as he elaborated more about O’right’s operation. O’right has been constantly improving its manufacturing process. The company has several certifications, such as PAS 2060 Carbon Neutrality Product Certification and PAS 2050 Carbon Footprint Product Certification. In addition, O’right is known for its green headquarters, located in Longtan, Taiwan. The building is equipped with solar and wind power generating systems that generates clean energy for the use of product manufacturing. The O’right green headquarters achieved the Taiwan EEHW Green Building Gold Certification in 2012, it is also a diamond level carbon footprint structure.
With its innovative products and the awards that have followed, O’right has gained market share and recognition in its home country, Taiwan, and abroad, with a strong following in European markets. In Taiwan, one-third of the salons use O’right’s products. Also, O’right’s products can be found in around 40 countries in the world, including South Korea, Germany, Finland, Canada, Sweden, and Russia. Every year numerous groups, both domestic and international groups as well as media visit the Headquarters.
O’right’s products are designed to be environmentally friendly and also to have the ability to improve the wellness of the locals. For Example, the Caffeine shampoo series use coffee husksas its materials. These coffee husk are agricultural waste to the farmers, but the caffeine from the husk can be extracted and use in both shampoo and scalp revitalizers.This innovation not only reduces waste but also provides local framers extra incentive for growing organic. Additionally, O’right takes the differences between the ecosystems in countries into consideration. For example, the seeds in” Tree in the bottle” differ between the countries that the products are sold. In Taiwan, it is the seeds of acacia tree. In Eastern Europe countries, it is the seeds of apple tree.
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Nathaniel Dick, Executive Assistant
