Beauty sector liability in global biodiversity loss helps drive regenerative and organic cosmetic commitments

27 Nov 2023 --- Researchers stress that the beauty and personal care industries cannot be exempted from the implications of biodiversity loss. With a global market reach and high profits, especially in the high-income segment, the sector’s participation in intensive farming holds significant repercussions.

A PhilPapers study warns the beauty sector remains economically advantaged with businesses facing growing pressures on certain products linked to emissions and environmental damage, brought on by long-term agricultural activities and deforestation.

“We suggest that, given the current circumstances, it is imperative for multinational beauty corporations to take a proactive role in allocating resources towards the development of sustainable agriculture practices,” they underscore.

“This entails not only advocating for the widespread adoption of environmentally conscious production methods but also dedicating efforts towards conducting research and innovation in the area of nature-friendly manufacturing techniques.”

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is currently encouraging raw material suppliers to source plant-based materials that comply with environmental ethics and laws, such as those based on Union for Ethical Biotrade standards.In 2022, 196 countries signed an agreement to prevent and reverse biodiversity loss under UN leadership. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is currently encouraging raw material suppliers to source plant-based materials that comply with environmental ethics and laws, such as those based on Union for Ethical Biotrade standards.

However, the report authors anticipate increasing pressure and legislation trends will gradually sweep across other countries, making transparency measures more widely mandatory.

Regenerative cosmetics and medicinal plant gardens
The authors note there is global demand for a substantial portion of beauty company profits to be reinvested into soil fertility, carbon sequestration and initiatives to safeguard biodiversity.

Notable commitments from industry include activities led by Davines Group, which partnered with the Rodale Institute to establish the European Organic Regenerative Center in Parma, Italy, in 2021. The company cultivates cosmetic ingredients using regenerative agriculture in a 17-hectare area.

Earlier this month, Personal Care Insights reported on Cargill Beauty’s launch, the Jojoba Promise, its global sustainable manufacturing initiative for the personal care industry.

The multinational L’Occitane Group revealed commitments to producing 100% of raw materials through regenerative and sustainable agriculture by 2025.

Meanwhile, Weleda established medicinal plant gardens with more than 1,000 different plant species and over 80% of ingredients from plants grown according to organic farming processes. 

“Although the trend of transitioning from materials of fossil origin (such as oil) to renewable materials, execution is still referred to as a complex ecosystem of challenges,” the report authors concede.

“The main reason is that any change can entail a whole chain of consequences, which can be assessed by the complexity of the current supply chain in the industry. “

Greening up supply tech
Sourcing raw materials in alignment with environmental ethics is “no longer a prediction but has become a pressing necessity,” state the authors.

“Biodiversity loss, associated with cosmetics production businesses, primarily arises from sourcing raw materials,” they note. “Businesses that capitalize on agricultural and wild-harvested ingredients are currently under scrutiny about their capacity to guarantee that these ingredients are ethically sourced.”

The compulsory implementation of traceability measures is becoming increasingly prevalent in regions such as Europe.

In the EU, if a product uses natural raw materials that violate the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products, that product will be banned or subject to heavy penalties. The compulsory implementation of traceability measures — that identify geographical origins and production conditions of commodities — is increasingly prevalent in this region. 

Palm oil is an example of a global cosmetics commodity diminishing in appeal. Its cultivation is widely linked to deforestation while disturbing stable carbon reserves and causing large-scale emissions.

Last week, BASF and Estée Lauder teamed up on a project helping expand eco-certifications for sustainable palm oil farmers in Indonesia. On the consumer end, Palmless unveiled a multi-purpose oil made from yeast — dubbed Save the F***ing Rainforest Nourishing Oil — as the first consumer product launched in protest of the beauty industry.

Advanced indoor farms are also presenting alternative pathways for greening up beauty commodities, with French fragrance and flavor manufacturer Robertet acquiring BioPod, an AI-controlled biofarm system developed for sustainably growing plants in outer space.

In other developments to relieve natural resources, synthetic biology company Debut is developing new “bioidentical” and novel fragrance molecules after receiving US$40 million in Series B funding led by L’Oréal’s venture capital fund. Debut’s petrochemical-free molecules — produced through biology rather than chemical synthesis — are designed to “safeguard the perfumer’s palette and halt the extraction of ingredients from the planet.”

By Benjamin Ferrer