West Hills, Calif. (June 21, 2021) – Pharmavite, the makers of Nature Made vitamins and supplements, and One Step Closer, a mission-driven, natural products industry nonprofit, today announce their partnership to make a difference in ensuring equity and belonging in the health and wellness industry. Through One Step Closer’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion project known as J.E.D.I Collaborative, Pharmavite aims to help drive meaningful change both internally and externally. Launched in May 2021 with the vision to center itself on systemic change, J.E.D.I Collaborative encourages and provides tools for companies to make meaningful change in three key areas: culture, consumer and communities.
As the first vitamin and supplement brand partner to join the collective, Pharmavite will donate $100,000 over three years while exploring additional opportunities to leverage the company’s voice in support of J.E.D.I Collaborative’s efforts to advance social justice. Other areas of future partnership include thought leadership, peer networking, participation in the CEO Circle and more.
“Over the past year, the ongoing social injustices against the backdrop of a global pandemic brought into sharp focus the need for us to be even more of a leader in ensuring that diversity, inclusion and belonging are achieved in the vitamin, mineral and supplement industry,” said Jeff Boutelle, CEO of Pharmavite. “We listened closely to our employees of color and our entire staff who clearly told us they expected Pharmavite to leverage its voice in new and impactful ways, and that’s why we’re so proud to support J.E.D.I Collaborative’s critical work. We believe that diverse teams are the best teams and that it’s a business imperative for our organization – and the industry – to reflect the diversity of the consumers we serve.”
“We are delighted to work with Pharmavite to increase Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the industry. Their team is clearly committed to the JEDI journey,” said Lara Dickinson, Executive Director and Co-Founder of One Step Closer. “Supplement companies have a huge opportunity to increase their own resilience while supporting racial justice and better health for everyone. We need the leadership of Pharmavite and others to manifest this change.”
ABOUT PHARMAVITE LLC
Pharmavite is a pioneer in the health and wellness industry, earning the trust of consumers, healthcare professionals and retailers by developing innovative vitamin and supplement solutions backed by science that adhere to strict manufacturing practices. Through its Nature Made®, EQUELLE®, and MegaFood® brands, Pharmavite is dedicated to helping people live healthier, more vital lives. Based in California, Pharmavite is a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Visit www.pharmavite.com and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news and information about Pharmavite and its brands.
ABOUT ONE STEP CLOSER (OSC)
One Step Closer (OSC) is a nonprofit community-based organization centered in the natural products industry. OSC was founded in 2012 to build regenerative businesses and tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our industry and planet. With a carefully cultivated membership of 50 mission driven companies, OSC has three leadership chapters: Core Chapter, Rising Star Chapter, and Cannabis Chapter. In addition to regular chapter meetings, OSC hosts industry wide programming as well as member focused continued education programming through OSC University. With a network of partners, OSC has launched three industry-wide projects: Compostable Packaging Collaborative, the Climate Collaborative, and J.E.D.I Collaborative. For more information, please visit osc2.org
ABOUT J.E.D.I COLLABORATIVE
J.E.D.I Collaborative, a project of One Step Closer, is a nonprofit accelerating justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the natural products industry. On a mission to transform the culture and systems of the natural products industry, J.E.D.I Collaborative aims to fundamentally shift the opportunity calculus for BIPOC leadership and entrepreneurs, BIPOC retailers and consumers, the worldwide BIPOC community that supports the industry so that all talent belongs and adds value, and all companies get stronger and better. J.E.D.I Collaborative offers open source tools and resources, a network of solutions partners, and peer learning programs to aid companies on a jedi journey. For more details, please visit jedicollaborative.com
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Contacts:
Alan McNamara, Vice President, Communications, Pharmavite: amcnamara@pharmavite.com
Grace Rusch, Marketing & Communications Lead, One Step Closer/J.E.D.I Collaborative: grace@osc2.org
