GREAT FOR THE CONSUMER CLIMATE
The fact of the matter is that the commitment to the earth has become a real hit – and not only because of songs like Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song”. More and more beauty companies, from which you might not have expected it, are increasingly advertising with an environmentally friendly image and thus hit the nerve of consumers – loosely based on the motto “Green, green, green is everything I buy”. The current fragrance “pureDKNY” by Donna Karan, for example, comes in an outer box made of recycled cardboard, which is printed with low-solvent ink and wrapped in compostable wood fiber cellophane film. With its new hair care product “Love, Peace & The Planet”, Tigi Haircare* promises: “No one has to forego good looks or styling to make a small contribution to saving our planet. The ingredients are 70 to 85 percent plant-based, and the tubes and containers are mostly made from recycled material. Procter & Gamble, manufacturer of brands such as Olay, Pantene Pro-V, Wella, Max Factor, Gillette or Escada perfumes, is also fighting for a clean environment by using less plastic, for example – and is now reaping the first laurels for this: end of 2009 P&G was awarded the German Sustainability Prize, which was awarded under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in the research and development category. A real surprise success for most. by using less plastic, for example – and is now reaping the first laurels: At the end of 2009, P&G was awarded the German Sustainability Prize, which was awarded under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in the research and development category. A real surprise success for most. by using less plastic, for example – and is now reaping the first laurels: At the end of 2009, P&G was awarded the German Sustainability Prize, which was awarded under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in the research and development category. A real surprise success for most.
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Big manufacturers can do more
BIG MANUFACTURERS CAN OFTEN DO MORE
At this point at the latest, the question arises for some: Is the green cloak perhaps just marketing for some companies? After all, Procter & Gamble not only makes cosmetics, but also detergents! “Large corporations like P&G will always offer points of attack. But they have the greatest leverage when it comes to global sustainability efforts. P&G reconsidered early on and is moving in the right direction with ambition,” says Stefan Schulze-Hausmann, Chairman of the German Sustainability Award Foundation. Simply by reducing the amount of plastic used in the pump dispenser for Olay’s “Total Effects” facial care products, for example saved an impressive 400 tons of plastic last year. Another factor that speaks to Procter & Gamble’s serious intentions is its commitment to the days when a clean planet was far from being fashionable. The group has been donating its own sustainability prize since 1972, which is endowed with 3000 euros and goes to young environmental researchers. Thomas Dannenmann, President of Earth Day Germany, also finds the commitment of the beauty manufacturers P&G and L’Oréal very convincing: “Both consistently implement our motto ‘Business has a responsibility’. We are consciously looking for cooperations with such companies so that the message of a green lifestyle reaches as many people as possible.” Gamble speaks is his commitment at a time when a clean planet was far from being considered chic. The group has been donating its own sustainability prize since 1972, which is endowed with 3000 euros and goes to young environmental researchers. Thomas Dannenmann, President of Earth Day Germany, also finds the commitment of the beauty manufacturers P&G and L’Oréal very convincing: “Both consistently implement our motto ‘Business has a responsibility’. We are consciously looking for cooperations with such companies so that the message of a green lifestyle reaches as many people as possible.” Gamble speaks is his commitment at a time when a clean planet was far from being considered chic. The group has been donating its own sustainability prize since 1972, which is endowed with 3000 euros and goes to young environmental researchers. Thomas Dannenmann, President of Earth Day Germany, also finds the commitment of the beauty manufacturers P&G and L’Oréal very convincing: “Both consistently implement our motto ‘Business has a responsibility’. We are consciously looking for cooperations with such companies so that the message of a green lifestyle reaches as many people as possible.” which is endowed with 3000 euros and goes to young environmental researchers. Thomas Dannenmann, President of Earth Day Germany, also finds the commitment of the beauty manufacturers P&G and L’Oréal very convincing: “Both consistently implement our motto ‘Business has a responsibility’. We are consciously looking for cooperations with such companies so that the message of a green lifestyle reaches as many people as possible.” which is endowed with 3000 euros and goes to young environmental researchers. Thomas Dannenmann, President of Earth Day Germany, also finds the commitment of the beauty manufacturers P&G and L’Oréal very convincing: “Both consistently implement our motto ‘Business has a responsibility’. We are consciously looking for cooperations with such companies so that the message of a green lifestyle reaches as many people as possible.”
TAKEN AT THE WORD: THIS HAS DONE
Okay, so what has L’Oréal done since declaring last Earth Day? There are no exact percentages for the entire group at the moment, but there are for individual locations such as the plant in Karlsruhe. “We already cover half of our needs there with electricity from hydropower, so we can save around 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2010,” says Viola Fritsche, press officer at L’Oréal. “In 2011 we will switch completely to water energy.” What many people don’t know, but which certainly also contributes to a good ecological balance, is the fact that the group also owns a whole range of brands that have long been known for their green commitment – such as Sanoflore natural cosmetics** or The Body Shop*, which was a pioneer when it came to recycling packaging. The L’Oréal subsidiary Kiehl’s* has the climate-friendly pump hair gloss spray “Climate-Proof Shine Enhancing Non-Aerosol Spray” and the shower gel “Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser” in its range, which is completely biodegradable and 100 percent of its sales proceeds the environmental foundation JPF Eco Systems. More conventional sub-brands such as Garnier are also becoming increasingly green: “Fructis” shampoos are now in a lighter bottle to save on plastic and some do without silicone. The new “Bio Aktiv” care series bears the Ecocert seal. So the trend is clear: back to nature is the formula for a clean environment. Because the more natural our cosmetics are, the better they are for water, air, soil and climate.
Plan A is our planet
AT BIO-BEAUTY: PLAN A IS OUR PLANET
Natural cosmetics are a real blessing for our environment, because chemical ingredients such as silicone, paraffin or propellants are taboo. Instead, plant active ingredients from organic cultivation are used, which grow without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Both are poison for the climate because CO2 is produced during production and nitrous oxide is released in the soil. Sugar surfactants, which do not pollute our water bodies, ensure foam in shampoos or shower gels. In addition, there are a lot of individual environmental tricks from the companies, with which respect for our earth is lived in an exemplary manner. Weleda, for example, provides its employees with company bicycles that they can use to run errands. The medicinal plant garden has a reed bed treatment plant and is irrigated with collected rainwater. also dr Hauschka uses rainwater among other things as cooling water during production or for flushing the toilets. To fill voids in packages, Dr. Hauschka balloons made from natural rubber instead of bubble wrap. Urtekram* heats its ovens with straw, which, unlike oil or coal, emits hardly any carbon dioxide, and the boss walks five kilometers to work. Logona* tries to heat as little as possible, which is why all shampoos are mixed cold. When it comes to packaging, Lavera* relies on a “home advantage” because all the materials come directly from the region. Alverde* also only uses ingredients from Germany. which, unlike oil or coal, emits hardly any carbon dioxide, and the boss walks five kilometers to work. Logona* tries to heat as little as possible, which is why all shampoos are mixed cold. When it comes to packaging, Lavera* relies on a “home advantage” because all the materials come directly from the region. Alverde* also only uses ingredients from Germany. which, unlike oil or coal, emits hardly any carbon dioxide, and the boss walks five kilometers to work. Logona* tries to heat as little as possible, which is why all shampoos are mixed cold. When it comes to packaging, Lavera* relies on a “home advantage” because all the materials come directly from the region. Alverde* also only uses ingredients from Germany.
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE?
The only question is: Why was no natural cosmetics manufacturer actually awarded the sustainability prize? Apart from Alverde*, which landed in the top 3 most sustainable brands, only a few applied. Maybe it’s because environmental protection has been so naturally part of the organic beauty concept for years that nobody thought of it. Weleda tried it in 2008, but got nothing. Possibly because it is only a medium-sized company? Thomas Dannenmann from Earth Day: “It’s not the size that counts for us, it’s the commitment. We would even give mini-companies a platform for this!”
