Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Highlights the Key Outcomes

TAGS:  Natural/ Organic   

The 2019 European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit was hosted in Paris in November. The summit brought together over 180 senior executives from the beauty industry to discuss pressing sustainability issues. Organized by Ecovia Intelligence, some of the key outcomes of the summit are:

Key Take-aways of the Summit

• Prioritizing sustainability issues: The sustainability remit is now covering a wide range of issues in the cosmetic and personal care industry, encompassing health aspects, ecological impacts, and social issues. According to Susan Curtis from Neal’s Yard Remedies, companies should make decisions based on where they create most impacts. The organic personal care company has decided to focus on organic and safe ingredients, energy and climate change, non-animal testing methods, and packaging.

• Prominence of biodiversity: Rik Kutsch Lojenga from the Union for Ethical BioTrade showed that consumer awareness of biodiversity continues to rise. Awareness is rising fastest in Asia, with consumers in China and Vietnam having over 90 percent biodiversity awareness. A growing number of consumers are expecting companies to source natural ingredients with respect for biodiversity and people.

• Sustainable sourcing: Originating from natural (agricultural-based and wild harvested) ingredients, a diverse range of materials are now sustainably sourced in the personal care industry. At the summit, several examples were given of such materials; they included shea nuts, food crops, seaweed, biopolymer feedstock, as well as packaging waste. The development is leading to a new generation of sustainability schemes and standards being introduced.

• Widening range of green materials: The palette of green raw materials continues to expand as cosmetic and ingredient firms invest in new feedstock, processes and novel ingredients. Many new green materials were presented at the summit, including green alternatives to glycols, synthetic preservatives, silicones, petrolatum, lanolin and film formers. Genomatica, DuPont, EFP Biotek and Covestro are companies with such green materials.

• Food waste as an ingredient source: A number of cosmetic companies are now using food byproducts as a raw material source. Richard Blackburn from Dr. Craft showed how it has created a novel range of natural hair dyes using blackcurrant skins, leftover from Ribena drink production. BASF gave details on how it has set up organic gardens in Vietnam to grow rambutan. The waste from rambutan fruit is used to make COSMOS approved skin care and hair care ingredients.

• Traceability of ingredients: Aina Querioz from Seqens explained how blockchain technology provides traceability in ingredient supply chains. Initially adopted by the food industry, take-up rates of blockchain technology are expected to rise in the cosmetics industry.

• Re-thinking product design: Professor Dr. Michael Braungart, Co-Founder of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, called for a re-think of traditional design theory. The green visionary called for cosmetic firms to create products that make a positive difference to the planet, rather than focusing on reducing impacts.

• Product impacts: L’Oreal showed how it is using life-cycle analysis to measure the impacts of its products. According to Laurent Gilbert, most environmental impacts are at the consumer use and end-of-life stages. The cosmetics multinational is using Sustainable Product Optimisation Tool (SPOT), which is enabling it to improve the environmental and social impact of its products. Biotherm Waterlovers and Vichy Aqualia Thermal were cited as examples of products that have improved formulations by using SPOT.

• Role of retailers: Retailers can play an important role in pushing the green agenda. Yoni van Houten from the Dutch retail chain Albert Heijn gave details of its sustainability initiatives, including the sourcing of ingredients, paper and packaging. The retailer has committed to sustainable palm oil, responsible mica, and shea butter; it plans to reduce the weight of its packaging by 25 percent and aims to have 100 percent recyclable packaging by 2025. It is also actively marketing organic personal care products under its Care private label.

• Complexity of packaging: According to Jocelyne Ehret from The Right Packaging, plastic packaging should not be demonized because of consumer awareness of plastic pollution.

• Sustainable packaging materials: Thomas Eidloth from Heinz-Glas showed how glass packaging was regaining popularity because it was recyclable and had less impact on ecosystems.

• Going packaging-free: Nick Gumery from Lush urged brands to go naked i.e. packaging-free. About half the products of the ethical cosmetics firm were now sold without packaging.