DermaMed Solutions Takes on New Sustainability Initiatives

PHILADELPHIA - Jan. 29, 2014 - PRLog -- A suburban Philadelphia company, DermaMed Solutions, has recently increased their efforts at sustainability, in a way that could serve as a model for other local and regional small businesses.

DermaMed Solutions has provided thousands of spa and medical locations with quality aesthetic equipment manufactured in the United States since 1998.  Their leading product is MegaPeel®, known as the industry gold standard in microdermabrasion. They also have created a line of skin-care products and protocols, along with nutritional supplements and home care regimens, with the label dmSkincare, that provides users a multi-pronged approach to offer maximum results for healthy skin.

Since acquiring the company in July 2011, business partners Ginger Hodulik and Mark Pinsley have boosted DermaMed Solutions’ annual revenue, grown their product line, and increased their product marketing and awareness.  The company’s line of products is available primarily through medical and skincare professionals.

One of the key areas of recent concentration is become a “green” company and achieving a level of sustainability, for the company, its products, and for its community.

“We want to become as green as we can,” said Pinsley, the President of DermaMed Solutions.  “There’s only so much you can do as a small business, but we still want to do more.  You can’t get rid of the plastic used in our containers, but you can make sure they are recyclable.  We are actively looking for ways to be more sustainable.  We currently have a program in place where you can turn in your old microdermabrasion equipment, so it doesn’t go into some landfill.  Some of the materials within the equipment are not recyclable, but we find ways to re-purpose functional components.”

Recently, Pinsley and Hodulik brought in Dr. Diane Phillips, an associate professor at Saint Joseph’s University, to speak to members of the team at DermaMed Solutions to inspire their creative input on how to make the company more “green.”  She has been writing, speaking and doing research on sustainability for more than 20 years, and is a certified member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps.

“She gave us, and our team, a primer on sustainability that really inspired us to actively find even more ways to make a difference not only locally but globally,” said Hodulik, DermaMed Solutions Vice President for Research and Development.

According to Phillips, “I gave DermaMed a presentation on the science of global climate change.  There are a lot of charts and graphs, as well as some very vivid real-world pictures of the effects of this climate change, like rising sea water and stronger storms.  The purpose was to make sure that we were all ‘on the same page’ with respect to understanding what global climate change was all about.  If you don't have a solid foundational knowledge on the science of what's happening, you can't have a meaningful conversation or make effective recommendations about addressing it.

“Businesses no longer have to make the choice between doing what's right for the environment and doing what's right for the bottom line.  Instead, they can do BOTH and do really well,” Phillips said.  “I gave them five big reasons for why it makes sense, from a business standpoint, to be more sustainable -- you can stay ahead of environmental regulations, you can be more innovative, you can attract better talent, you can lower your costs, and you can differentiate yourselves from the competition in the minds of your customers and potential customers.

“I suggested that they consider a new concept, called cradle-to-cradle product design and production,” said Phillips.  “The idea is that when you are initially designing the product, the design team carefully selects raw materials that can easily be pulled apart and used again after the consumer is done with the product.  There is definitely a challenge in coordinating the logistics in getting consumers to send the product back to the organization, but those raw materials have value and should not end up at the bottom of a landfill.  It’s a great way to eliminate waste, get a consistent supply of quality raw materials, and reduce your costs - because after all, if you don't recover the raw materials, you will have to buy them on the open market.”

Phillips noted that DermaMed is actually starting to do some of this already.  “They don't call it ‘cradle-to-cradle,’ but they are taking some of the initial steps in accomplishing this,” Phillips said.  “Their customers already return some of the used capsules.  In regards to their efforts at sustainability, I would give the team at DermaMed an ‘A.’”

Another step that DermaMed Solutions has taken recently is becoming a member of the CarbonFree® Partnership program. Operated by Carbonfund.org Foundation, the program helps individuals and businesses understand climate change and develop practical and cost-effective solutions to slow, stop and reduce the climate crisis. DermaMed Solutions has joined the CarbonFree Partnership program to neutralize their carbon footprint by supporting clean air technology and carbon reduction projects in the United States.

“It’s an important step for us as a company and as individuals towards ensuring a healthier earth,” Pinsley said.  “DermaMed Solutions chose to partner with Carbonfund.org because we wish we could do more.  In our daily operations, we strive to find new ways of packaging and promoting products that are ecologically friendly, and we recycle whenever possible. However, finding alternative ways to accomplish sustainably is not always logistically and financially feasible. Carbonfund.org is a great way to make a difference”

“The first step in the path to sustainability is recognizing that you can make a difference,” said Eric Carlson, President of Carbonfund.org. “We encourage everyone to continually strive to reduce their carbon footprint through sensible energy reductions combined with cost-effective carbon offsets to eliminate their overall carbon footprint.”

About DermaMed Solutions:

DermaMed Solutions takes a “whole-istic” approach to skin care. The company’s medical and spa partners benefit from DermaMed Solutions’ leading-edge aesthetic technologies, results-oriented skin care and wellness solutions. Call DermaMed Solutions at 610-358-4447 or visit their website at DermaMedSolutions.com (http://www.dermamedsolutions.com/) to locate skincare professionals that offer DermaMed Solutions products.