The growing
carbon footprint, plastic pollution and increasing water consumption have become
a worldwide concern which can have serious consequences in the future if
neglected. According to the general data on sustainability trends, in 2050 there
will be more plastic in oceans than fishes. Moreover, it has been reported that
in China air pollution alone is responsible for the death of 1 million people
and costs around 54 billion AUD annually. Some prominent celebrities like and
Leonardo DiCaprrio, Emma Watson and Kim Kardashian along with numerous other renowned
social media influencers all over the globe have taken strong initiatives towards
environmental sustainability. Their pro-environment campaigns have attracted much attention through mass media has had
considerable contribution in shifting the consumer’s mind-set from personal to
ethical purchasing which is why more and more buyers are becoming increasingly
aware of the environmental impact and are willing to pay more to promote a
sustainable cause.
L'Oréal report’s on production assessment tools breaks down of all the innovative sustainability levers into packaging levers, formula levers and social levers. Packaging levers deal with the quantity, quality, efficiency, technologies and source of the material; formula levers are mostly associated with the eco-friendliness of the product’s composition itself whilst the social levers are concerned with the brands responsible actions and user etiquettes.
Lo’real, Nike
and Unilever are a few brands to name among many others that may be regarded as
pro-environment. As part of L’Oréal’s ‘2020 Sharing Beauty With All programme’,
they have committed to improve the environmental or social profile of 100% of
their products. As an attempt towards sustainability, L’Oréal is using quinoa
husk, which a waste by-product from the agro-food industry, as an innovative
and active cosmetic ingredient in its skincare products. This is a commendable action
as this project allows Bolivian farmers to benefit from training in sustainable
farming practices whilst earning additional income. Garnier, whose parent
company is L'Oréal, have also committed to replace all of its plastic packaging
with rechargeable, refillable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.
Nike’s FLYKNIT
is manufactured with 60% less waste this initiative has lead an overall reduction
of 3.5 million pounds of waste since 2012. In 2016 Nike achieved its complete
translation of core yarn to recycled polyester for all of its FLYKNIT sports shoes.
Unilever, using its innovative problem solving approach, has set an ambitious goal to halve the amount of water required associated with the consumer use, for e.g. making 100% of their shampoos fast rinse by 2020.
The Lo’real sustainability reports suggest that most Brands are playing their part through there efforts for a sustainable future. However, the journey to a cleaner planet is a two way street as the end consumers have their due share in ensuring and promoting the march towards sustainability. This is a cycle where the consumer is at the end of the loop and hence plays a vital role in ensuring the 100% recycling goal and shaping a better environment.
