Mary Kay, the global cosmetics company, recently announced the extension of its decades-long partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in honor of Ocean's Week. The specific goal of the week and the partnership is to boost ocean conservation and coral reef protection.

Deborah Gibbins, chief operations officer at Mary Kay Inc., spoke of the importance of keeping the globe's oceans in good health.

Like all rivers and tributaries, most good things in our world lead back to oceans.

Mary Kay is also a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact's Sustainable Ocean Principles, and offers its continued support to Global Oceans programs and TNC's Super Reefs, which allow researchers to assess reef health, identify potential super reef locations, and discuss opportunities to improve super reef management locally.

Super Reefs

Mary Kay supports experts from The Conservancy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Stanford University, as they lead a collaborative effort to unlock the secrets of "super reefs," a diverse coral community within a reef system that is more resilient or resistant to damaging heat waves, in an effort to predict, test and protect critical coral reefs.

The information will help guide reef conservation and restoration efforts in Hawaii, Palau, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Belize.

Coral reefs, often called the rainforests of the sea, cover less than 1% of the world's surface, but support 25% of all marine life and more than a billion people.

“Mary Kay is working with partners like The Nature Conservancy to protect Earth’s most valuable resources. Clean, healthy water isn’t just essential to our business—it’s essential for life everywhere,” added Gibbins.

Protecting resources

This year, Mary Kay will also continue to support Texas coastal wetlands, while TNC will continue to work toward its three-year project goals:

• Identify priority wetland areas for protection and restoration across more than 27,000 kilometers of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico
• Produce a Coastal Conservation and Restoration Action Plan for Texas’ three blue carbon ecosystems—mangroves, salt marsh, and seagrass—including mapping areas where we expect wetlands will migrate in the future due to climate change
• Assess the feasibility of blue carbon markets to support long-term wetland management needs in Texas
• Identify a dynamic coastal wetland site that can be established as a “living laboratory” to share conservation techniques, explore blue carbon offsets, and highlight the importance of these critical ecosystems.

Over the past 33 years, Mary Kay's support has extended to hundreds of projects in partnership with TNC, including ocean work and coral reef restoration around the world.

The organization also pointed out that thanks to the partnership, the leadership of women in marine conservation has been elevated through programs that incorporate gender equity in conservation initiatives.

To celebrate World Ocean’s Week we're reaffirming our 30-year partnership with @nature_org to support ocean conservation & coral reef protection. Did you know that coral reefs cover less than 1% of the world’s surface but sustain 25% of all marine life & 1 billion+ people? pic.twitter.com/KCUhQhaxIy

— Mary Kay Global (@MaryKayGlobal) June 8, 2023

“TNC is committed to conserving 4 billion hectares of the ocean by 2030, and we are grateful for support from Mary Kay to help achieve this critical goal. Strong partnerships with governments, non-profits, companies, and local communities are essential to our success,” pointed out Dr. Lizzie Mcleod, TNC’s Global Oceans director.

Get to know: The Nature Conservancy

TNC is a global environmental organization dedicated to preserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.

It works to create innovative and practical solutions to the planet's most pressing challenges so that nature and people can thrive together.

“We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable,” highlights TNC.