The Honest Company named Etienne von Kunssberg as the new SVP of supply chain, effective Feb. 24, according to a recent press release.
Von Kunssberg, who reports to CEO Carla Vernon, now oversees the company’s supply chain functions, including the company’s daily and long-term agendas to drive operational efficiency.
“This addition to our executive team is further evidence of our commitment to optimizing and driving greater operating discipline across our supply chain," Vernon said in a Feb. 26 Q4 earnings call.
Von Kunssberg most recently served as VP of supply chain and manufacturing at Dole Packaged Foods. The executive has also held supply chain leadership roles at Henkel, Proctor & Gamble and Coty, according to his LinkedIn.
“Over the last two years, The Honest Company has had an impressive transformation journey and in today’s shifting supply chain environment, doubling down on efforts in this area is critical as the Company continues on its path of growth,” von Kunssberg said in the release.
In 2023, the personal care company executed a transformation initiative focused on driving growth in higher-margin areas. The plan consists of different pillars such as brand maximization and operating discipline and has delivered cost savings throughout its supply chain in 2023 and 2024, according to a 10-K filing.
The personal care company has reduced supply chain costs through collaboration with its logistics and distribution center partners, CFO Dave Loretta said during a Nov. 12 Q3 earnings call.
One area of improvement was the company’s pallet management inside a Las Vegas warehouse during Q3, Vernon said. The company optimized a process to label pallets without having to breakdown and reassemble prior to shipping.
“This optimization allowed us to save on labor, ordered turnaround time and retail pickup speed,” Vernon said at the time.
The company reported a 39% gross margin increase during Q4, up 530 basis points from last year, Loretta said.
“In addition to our sourcing and operations teams, we have identified and took action to generate portfolio savings through raw material cost reductions, packaging updates and robust rebidding of manufacturing contracts,” Loretta said.
