GARDEN GROVE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Earth Friendly Products, makers of ECOS, the world's top-selling green laundry detergent and 150 other cleaning products using only plant-based, all-natural ingredients, announces that it will increase the minimum wage it pays all employees to $17 per hour beginning on Earth Day, April 22, 2014. This hourly increase will affect approximately 44 percent of their more than 300 employees across five facilities throughout the United States.
The increase to a “livable wage” standard from $15 an hour to $17 an hour is part of the company’s belief in creating a truly sustainable work place that ensures every employee is incentivized to work according to the corporate principles of fairness and responsibility first established by their Founder, Van Vlahakis, in 1967. The company will also continue providing a bonus of a week’s pay for both Earth Day and Labor Day to all of its employees. Additionally, employees can receive $2,500 to help purchase a hybrid or other green vehicle and $2,000 if they install solar panels in their homes. There is also a $1,000 relocation incentive for employees who move closer to one of the five Earth Friendly Products facilities in the United States to lower their personal carbon footprint.
"As the daughter of an immigrant father, I believe in establishing a livable hourly wage, rather than a minimum hourly wage for our employees. The memory of those early days in poverty, including a few stays in homeless shelters, always resonated with my father Van Vlahakis, the Founder of Earth Friendly Products, and led him to make this change across all of our employees’ wages. We consider our employees to be very much a part of the company's success since we opened our first facility in 1967,” said Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, Executive Vice President of Earth Friendly Products. She adds, “To our knowledge, this new $17/hour minimum wage is the highest of any national company in America. To us, it is just smart business, proving that a company can be good stewards of the environment, treat its employees with dignity and be strong, stable and profitable.”
The company’s commitment to responsible and respectful business practices has garnered attention from both the private and public sector. The Environmental Protection Agency gave the company Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative Champion and Green Power User status. In Illinois, Earth Friendly Products was a winner of the 2011 Governor’s Sustainability Award and in 2010, Earth Friendly Products was awarded the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for Excellence in Sustainable Building Measures.
ABOUT EARTH FRIENDLY PRODUCTS
Keeping your family safe and protecting the planet should not be a luxury. Earth Friendly Products was founded in 1967 by a chemist dedicated to providing superior cleaning results through true green practices. By removing the toxic dyes and preservatives used in conventional detergents and owning our own production facilities, we are able to offer over 150 of the most effective plant-based green cleaners on the market at lower prices than our competitors. And because we control our own manufacturing, Earth Friendly Products assures the highest standards of quality control and total commitment to sustainability. As a result of these sustainability initiatives, Earth Friendly Products declared Carbon Neutrality in 2013. In addition, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Earth Friendly Products its Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative Champion level recognition, as well as a 100% Green Power User distinction for the company’s use of clean, renewable energy from solar, wind and low-impact hydropower. See for yourself why being green doesn’t have to be a luxury by visiting: http://www.ecos.com