The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/456562
30 Winter 2015 that didn't disintegrate, and cleansers that turned out to contain neurotoxins and endocrine disrupters. He began working with manufacturing partners to develop alternatives with plant-based ingredients, without phosphates or chlorine, free of VOCs. "Martin gave me lots of news I didn't like," Hollender confrms. "That was his job—to tell me things I didn't want to hear. And he did it in a sweet, loving manner, no matter how bad the news was that he had to deliver." After Wolf helped pull Seventh Generation out of a series of product crises, he was invited in 2002 to come on board as a full- time employee at the Burlington headquarters. "I was facing south at the time," he recalls with precision, "with a wonderful coffee shop behind me where I had just had a wonderful cup of coffee. To my right was Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. To my left were the Green Mountains, with profles of Mount Mansfeld and Camel's Hump. And I thought—who wouldn't want to move here?" SHADES OF GREEN Brooklyn-born Wolf swapped big-city culture for cross-country skiing and cycling in the countryside. "It was a big transition for him to be fully invested in this somewhat crazy company," says Hollender, adding that Wolf quickly became someone "universally loved" at Seventh Generation. "Martin was always willing to sit and explain anything to anyone who was interested. He was passion- ate about helping people in any way he could." One small hitch: "It took him some time to learn to dress in a somewhat 'relaxed' fashion. That didn't come easily to him." Eventually Wolf did shed the sport coat and tie. While he embrac- es the nurturing community at 60 Lake Street, he knows he doesn't quite ft the company stereotype. "I do have a beard," he quips. "But I don't eat granola. I ride my bike to work—but not in the snow." Soon after joining the company, Wolf was out on the road with samples of a dishwasher detergent he helped develop. He wasn't hawking product—he was determined to prove to state legisla- tors that contrary to what they were being told by the industry, phosphate-free formulations could clean just as well. "Of course the industry didn't want phosphates banned—they cost 15 or 20 cents a pound, as opposed to replacements that were 80 cents or a dollar a pound, and would have a signifcant impact on profts." He testifed around the country, state by state, until so many states had banned phosphates, that in 2010 the cleaning industry declared a voluntary ban, since it was no longer expedient to also produce a phosphate-based formulation just for the states that still allowed it. "It was when I saw the impact I could have, that I became really excited about getting involved in legislative change," says Wolf. No longer was he content to sit back and accept what authorities were telling him. "Seventh Generation really opened the pathway for me to think about applying my skills and bringing about social change." Wolf's work was recognized by the EPA with a 2011 Region 1 Envi- ronmental Merit Award. He was lauded for the phosphate ban, for developing a product scorecard to rate products, and for leading the charge for a full disclosure of ingredients on cleaning product labels. A recent victory was getting toxic substance regulation for children's products passed in Vermont. A current thrust is the fed- eral Chemical Safety Improvement Act, now being considered by Congress, which would update the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. Today, Seventh Generation has grown to include an R & D team that formulates products to meet the standards Wolf sets in his role as director of sustainability and authenticity. The word "product" is gone from his job title. "You can make very sustainable products, but if you're not a sustainable business, is the product truly sus- tainable?" he asks. "Operating sustainably involves how we make our products, how we source them, and the values shared by our community of employees. But we also want to extend that to the supply network that is providing the materials we use. Whether it's a palm oil plantation in Malaysia, or a lavender feld in France—we want to make sure those people have the same opportunity for jus- tice and social equality that we do." Studies have identifed shades of green consumers, from "true blue green" and budding "sprouts" to "naturalites" and "conven- tionals." Rather than fnd a middle ground, Wolf enjoys the chal- lenges of reaching for what he calls the apex of consumer expecta- tion and sustainability. "The way I approach it, there are 400,000 species of beetles on Earth, because there's no perfect beetle. The same thing is true of approaches to our environment: There's no perfect way, but a lot of really good ones. As long as everyone fnds their best way, it will be a better world." "I saw that I could bring my scienti fic knowledge to bear against the industry position, which usually has an aura of absolutism. " " J