In light of its stance on climate change, L’Oreal has been committed to sustainable efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, recently disclosing the results of its endeavors in its 2016 Sharing Beauty With All progress report, as part of its Sharing Beauty With All program, which was launched in 2013.
The program is based on four pillars: innovating sustainably, to reduce the environmental footprint of products and formulas; producing sustainably, to reduce the environmental footprint of plants and distribution centers; living sustainably, giving consumers the possibility to make sustainable consumption choices; and sharing its growth with all of its stakeholders (communities, suppliers and employees).
The 2016 report offered the following insights about L’Oreal’s sustainability and innovation measures:
Sustainable Production: a performing low-carbon model
- Reducing the emissions of its plants and distribution centers by 67 percent (beginning in 2005), the brand has exceeded its target of a -60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, four years ahead of schedule, while increasing its production by 29 percent during the same period.
- As of the end of 2016, the brand now has 15 industrial sites that have achieved carbon neutrality.
- In 2016, the brand was counted as one of two companies in the world awarded with a score of "A," representing the highest level of performance on three key topics: climate protection, sustainable water management and the fight against deforestation.
Sustainable innovation: gradual improvement of all new products
The brand is committed to improving the environmental or social profile of 100 percent of its new or renovated products by 2020. This commitment concerns all L'Oreal brands, and 82 percent of the products launched in 2016 (74 percent in 2015) have displayed this improvement. What’s more, some of the new products launched in 2016 have demonstrated levels of biodegradability exceeding 98 percent.
"Climate change is a reality and it impacts the most vulnerable within our value chain, for example farmers and producers of certain natural ingredients, such as shea butter from Burkina Faso or argan oil from southern Morocco," said Alexandra Palt, chief sustainability officer. "Action is urgently needed. At the halfway mark of our 2020 ambitions, we are going to redouble our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint and reach our targets, particularly in terms of sustainable production and innovation."
[Image: sharingbeautywithall.loreal.com]