“Carbon is only part of the story”: biodiversity loss takes the spotlight

Beauty and Personal Care Companies Embrace Sustainability

Ecovia Intelligence, a research and consulting company that focuses on global ethical product industries, predicts a surge in the adoption of sustainability charters and schemes by beauty and personal care companies in the near future. The increasing need for ethical sourcing has made this urgency more prominent.

The cosmetics industry’s biodiversity is primarily linked to the sourcing of raw materials. As a result, cosmetic and ingredient firms are facing mounting pressure to ensure that agricultural-based and wild-harvested materials are ethically sourced.

The recent EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)​ prohibits imported agricultural commodities from deforested land from entering the EU. Companies are now required to trace all commodities back to their original production sites.

Palm oil, a widely used ingredient in the cosmetics industry, is one notable ingredient covered by this legislation.

At last year’s UN Biodiversity conference (COP15), 196 countries signed an agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework​ will encourage operators to ethically source plant-based materials.

Trailblazing Brands Taking Action

Ecovia Intelligence highlights several cosmetic and ingredient companies that have adopted regenerative agriculture and nature-positive production methods to improve soil fertility, store carbon, and protect biodiversity. These companies include:

• Italian hair care and skin care company The Davines Group, which partnered with the Rodale Institute to establish the European Regenerative Organic Centre in Parma in 2021. The center grows cosmetic ingredients using regenerative agriculture on a 17-hectare site.
• Multinational L’Occitane Group, which has committed to producing 100% of its raw materials through regenerative and sustainable agriculture by 2025.
• Weleda, the world’s oldest organic cosmetics company, which maintains medicinal plant gardens with over 1,000 different plant species. Over 80% of its plant-based ingredients are grown using organic agriculture. Many of its products also carry the Union for Ethical Biotrade​ (UEBT) logo.
• Natura Brasil, LATAM’s largest cosmetics company, which adopted UEBT certification in 2018. Its Ekos range is certified and contains ethically sourced Amazonian ingredients, such as açaí, andiroba, castanha, and murumuru, that respect the rights of indigenous people.

“A Complex Ecosystem of Challenges”

Cosmetics ingredients manufacturing companies, like international chemicals company Croda, are also moving towards sustainability.

“The personal care industry faces a complex ecosystem of challenges,” said Claire-Marie Grizaud, Customer Alliances, Group Sustainability Director at Croda. She will be speaking at the upcoming Sustainable Cosmetics Summit in Paris in late October.

“From reducing carbon footprints, water impact, and waste, to increasing renewable raw materials and the use of non-fossil fuel energy; along with the greater efficiency of products in use, sustainable raw material supply with transparency through value chains, and consideration for environmental and social aspects, there really are many pressing sustainability issues for our industry,” she added.

Grizaud mentioned that many of Croda’s peers have already set targets aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050.

“The recent adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) by 196 nations in December 2022 is another step in this journey to halt and reverse nature loss,” she stated.

“As the Personal Care industry is moving from petroleum-based to renewable materials, climate and nature need to be addressed jointly, as they are intertwined,” she emphasized.

In 2022, Croda announced its ambition to become ‘net nature positive.’ Grizaud mentioned that the company is currently exploring various avenues and pathways to achieve this goal in collaboration with customers and industry peers.

Croda is also committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. It aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 46.2% by 2030 and its Scope 3 (upstream) emissions by 12.5% within the same timeframe.

“A number of strategies have been put into place to help us meet these targets, including decarbonization roadmaps at every global site and the availability of carbon footprint information down to a product level,” Grizaud shared.

While switching to renewable energy sources and improving manufacturing operations’ efficiency can address Scope 1 and 2 emissions, Grizaud pointed out that the majority of emissions for cosmetics companies fall into Scope 3 – emissions that are not directly produced by the company but occur in the upstream or downstream processes of creating a product.

Grizaud’s presentation at the upcoming summit will focus on effectively identifying, tracking, and reducing Scope 3 upstream emissions within personal care supply chains. She will introduce the benefits of product carbon footprints and explore specific carbon reduction opportunities. She will also emphasize the need for meaningful collaboration to collectively deliver meaningful impact.

Grizaud mentioned that Croda will release further data points on new sustainability parameters at the product level in the coming year. This increased availability of data will enable customers to make more informed choices and advance their own sustainability and decarbonization initiatives.

“Carbon is only part of the story

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 15: Life on Land
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses the need for ethical sourcing of raw materials in the cosmetics industry, which is connected to responsible consumption and production (SDG 12). It also mentions the transition from petroleum-based to renewable materials, addressing climate action (SDG 13). The focus on biodiversity and regenerative agriculture relates to life on land (SDG 15). Finally, the article highlights partnerships between companies and organizations to achieve sustainability goals, aligning with partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
• Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce degradation of natural habitats.
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships.

The article emphasizes the need for sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources in the cosmetics industry (Target 12.2). It also highlights the integration of climate change measures into company policies and strategies (Target 13.2). The focus on regenerative agriculture and biodiversity conservation aligns with the target to reduce degradation of natural habitats (Target 15.5). Additionally, the partnerships between companies and organizations mentioned in the article contribute to the promotion of effective public-private partnerships (Target 17.17).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.
• Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
• Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index.
• Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) resources allocated to public-private partnerships.

The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators, but the following indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP can be used to assess the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources (Indicator 12.2.1). The integration of climate change measures into national policies can be measured by the number of countries that have implemented such measures (Indicator 13.2.1). The Red List Index can be used to monitor the reduction in degradation of natural habitats (Indicator 15.5.1). The allocation of resources to public-private partnerships can be measured to evaluate the promotion of effective partnerships (Indicator 17.17.1).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: cosmeticsdesign-europe.com

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