L’Oréal Middle East has held a high-powered event highlighting its Sharing Beauty With All (SBWA) sustainability programme in the lead up to Earth Day to advocate for sustainable production and consumption.
The event, part of a global series that the L’Oréal Group is holding to mark Earth Day, was held at the company’s Dubai headquarters in Downtown Jebel Ali and was hosted by senior L’Oréal decision-makers and key brands under the L’Oréal umbrella, and was attended by key stakeholders, media and influencers.
Under SBWA, the L’Oréal Group has successfully decoupled growth from carbon emissions. By reducing the emissions of its plants and distribution centres by 67% in absolute terms from a 2005 baseline, L’Oréal has exceeded its target of a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions four years ahead of schedule. Simultaneously, production has increased 29% during the same period. By end 2016, the Group had turned 15 of its industrial sites carbon neutral.
“At L’Oréal, we want to lead a new economic model where production increase and product innovation merges with an ecologically favourable and environmentally conscientious agenda. We want to create products that enhance the beauty and well-being of our consumers, and do it in ways that doesn’t adversely impact the planet. As we look forward to Earth Day, it’s worth reiterating that the planet’s resources are finite and need to be consumed with care,” said L’Oréal Middle East Managing Director, Thierry Houssin.
Launched in 2013, the SBWA programme differentiates itself by emphasising innovation, sustainable production and a reduction in the company’s environmental footprint across the entire value chain – from sourcing and production to packaging, transporting and consumption. It also pledges to bring beauty to new audiences and offer people from underprivileged communities opportunities for economic empowerment.
In light of its achievements in exceeding sustainability targets, the L’Oréal Group is now moving to tacking its internal working environment through the “Working Sustainably Campaign.” 2017 has been nominated the year of paper reduction, with the brand educating and mobilising its 90,000 employees worldwide to reduce paper consumption and paper waste to further shrink the brand’s environmental footprint.
By 2020, L’Oréal is aiming to improve the environmental and social profile of 100% of its products. This commitment concerns all L’Oréal brands and 82% of the products launched in 2016 already show this improvement. Some of these products demonstrate levels of biodegradability exceeding 98%, such as the shampoos and conditioners of the Biolage R.A.W. range, or the Garnier Ultra Doux 5 Plants shampoo.
