PCPC report highlights industry-wide efforts for environmental protection and DEI promotion

17 Nov 2022 --- The president of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), Lezlee Westine, released a report detailing the measures and initiatives the organization and its global cosmetics and personal care member companies are taking to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

She also identifies key players in the cosmetics sector that are making progress toward protecting the environment.

“PCPC and many of our member companies initiated a variety of programs and approaches to improve employee recruitment and retention and to address issues of racial disparities in leadership and pay,” Westine says.

The organization claims that, at the moment, DEI policies and programs are implemented by more than 75% of the PCPC members. To accommodate various demands, members also aim to create products and services with a wider range of formulas and shades, as well as packaging that is accessible to people with disabilities.

More than 75% of PCPC members have implemented DEI policies.PCPC is a national trade association representing 600 companies within the personal care industry.

Environmental protection policies
Westine explains that the pressing, intricate and crucial issues that natural systems are currently confronting companies with, have also come to light during the past several years, highlighting the urgent need for businesses to take action to safeguard the planet.

The globe is on high alert, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) assessment of the state of global climate science. “Climate action is a top priority for our member companies and our sector has undertaken ambitious initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition toward a low carbon economy.”

Numerous PCPC members have likewise pledged to operate with zero waste, among these are Beiersdorf, Burt’s Bees, Coty, Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel, Firmenich, International Flavors and Fragrance, L’Oréal, Procter and Gamble, Mary Kay, The Estée Lauder Companies and Unilever.

A number of PCPC members have pledged to the Global Commitment and Plastic Pact to have 100% of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. These include Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel, Kimberly-Clark, L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, Natura, Reckitt Benckiser, The Clorox Company and Unilever.

Westine says “member companies are also aiming to eliminate animal testing while ensuring the safety of the products.”Furthermore, many PCPC member businesses and their brands offer consumers retail collection or mail-in take-back programs for empty packaging such as Aveda, Burt’s Bees, Colgate Oral Care, Dial, Head and Shoulders, Herbal Essence, Henkel, Garnier, Kiehl’s Since 1851, MAC Cosmetics, Origins, Pantene, Seed Phytonutrients and Tom’s of Maine.

The role of ethics
The trade organization claims member companies should continue to do business with accountability, transparency and oversight by putting in place and following procedures, practices and rules that direct their actions.

“Ethical conduct guides our industry to act with integrity and maintain its standards. We aim to promote greater transparency and disclosure around products and believe everyone deserves the right to know and understand what’s in their products,” Westine adds.

“Member companies are also aiming to eliminate animal testing while ensuring the safety of the products consumers trust and rely on every day,” she says.

Westine concludes by saying that PCPC has advocated for government recognition and acceptance of alternatives to animal testing methods for product safety.

Edited by Mieke Meintjes

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