Biotherm Life Plankton Elixir suspended in ice at L'Oréal's
Beauty and Water Experience. Image: L'Oréal
On entering L’Oréal’s Benelux headquarters, located in Hoofddorp, the
Netherlands, it is clear that going ‘green’ is definitely on the group’s
mind. Among the strips of natural wood used throughout the building’s
foundations, plants scale the interior leading down to a lobby where, on
this occasion, various products from a selection of the company’s portfolio
brands were suspended in large-scale ice cubes. The display was in
reference to a presentation to the press held by the French cosmetics firm,
which specifically centred around its relationship with water and what the
substance had to do with its sustainability practices.
The topic of sustainability is not a new one to L’Oréal. The company,
which owns the likes of Maybelline, Garnier and NYX Professional Makeup,
has been tracking its CO2 emissions for over 20 years, most recently
stating that it had reduced such emissions in its distribution centres by
91 percent since 2005. Now, the group is navigating some 17 commitments
spanning biodiversity to raw materials to water consumption and, like other
large conglomerates, reporting its achievements in various eco-targets
annually. Its efforts have been drawn out in its ‘For the Future’
programme, launched in 2020 to address specific objectives, such as
reducing all GHG emissions by 50 percent per product by 2030.
Water is also a central part of the strategy, and is woven into the
fabric of all areas of the business, from the way it is used in the
production process to how employees themselves consume it. During a
presentation at the headquarters, Erik Troost, director of corporate
communication, engagement and sustainability at L’Oréal, further emphasised
the importance of reevaluating our relationship with H2O as a whole, while
outlining a range of ways in which the group has done so itself. By 2030,
for example, the company is aiming for 100 percent of the water used in its
industrial process to be recycled and reused in a loop, while it is also
striving for 100 percent of its strategic suppliers to use water
sustainably where they operate.
Erik Troost, L'Oréal's director of corporate communication,
engagement and sustainability. Image: L'Oréal Group
L’Oréal views role as educational
Following the talk, FashionUnited sat down with Troost to get an insight
into L’Oréal’s current position in integrating such practices and how he
viewed its efforts so far. In his eyes, next to carrying out much of its
initiatives among its own operations, Troost sees L’Oréal’s relationship
with the consumer as a crucial element of how it does sustainable business.
With shoppers, Troost views L’Oréal’s role as educational, where there is a
particular emphasis on transparency and recognising the company’s
responsibility to inform buyers on how to make more sustainable choices.
His perception, and L’Oréal’s attempts to present its efforts more openly,
reflects the increasing criticism placed on brands for not implementing
enough eco-friendly values. At the same time. consumers' awareness of the
differences between authentic communication and greenwashing – a term used
to describe deceptive marketing practices when it comes to a company’s
green claims – is becoming more evident, and many fashion brands have
continued to come under scrutiny for their misleading practices.
Still, while commonly linked to the industry, greenwashing is not
exclusive to fashion. It is also a continuing discussion in the beauty and
cosmetics sector, and one that even L’Oréal has not been able to steer
clear of. In June 2022, the company was among several beauty and personal
care firms accused of committing greenwashing by the Changing Markets
Foundation (CMF), after the organisation investigated various
sustainability claims made on their products. According to CMF’s report,
L’Oréal prominently featured the text “100 percent recycled plastic bottle”
on an Elvive shampoo pack, despite the small print on the packaging stating
that this statement only referenced the bottle and not the cap.
Furthermore, the product itself was described as “more sustainable”, but
CMF noted that there was no further information provided to support this
claim, and therefore it was not a meaningful comparison to other products.
Garnier products suspended in ice at L'Oréal's Beauty and
Water Experience. Image: L'Oréal
However, Troost purported that at L’Oréal there is an “ongoing
development in communication” when it comes to sharing its sustainable
policies with consumers. “We want to be transparent and tell our story in a
legitimate way,” he noted. “We are showing progress, but sustainability is
like a movie that constantly evolves.” Such evolution could be seen in its
Garnier product line of no-rinse conditioners, which come in an
Albéa-produced cardboard-based tube where detailed information on the
product’s “eco-friendly” processes is displayed. Not only that, but the
product itself is also designed to reduce consumers’ impact, with the
leave-on factor estimated to save up to 100 litres of water per tube,
according to L’Oréal. This also directly links into another goal in its
‘For the Future’ programme, in which it is looking to reduce consumers’
water consumption linked to the use of its products by 25 percent.
Sustainability’s complexity proves a challenge
While the move correlates with the company’s belief that consumers
should be encouraged to take small steps in their own life, this principle
is further extended to its expansive workforce. “More and more of our
employees have sustainability as part of their jobs,” Troost said, adding
that they are urged to consider this throughout their daily tasks and their
personal lifestyle. “We want to engage our employees in this process and
integrate these values into their job responsibilities, as well as in other
areas of their life. Everyone has an impact and people have become curious
about how they can contribute.”
Even with such a large conglomerate like L’Oréal, challenges surrounding
the implementation of sustainable practices are still evident. In fact, the
group’s vast scope, both in terms of region and portfolio, is often one of
the hindrances when it comes to such moves. “Sustainability is complex,”
Troost noted. “If you adjust one lever, such as water, it can possibly have
an effect on another. There are a lot of factors to consider. We also need
to consistently approach this area throughout the group so that all our
brands follow through.”
L'Oréal Group brand products displayed at the company's
Beauty and Water Experience in its Benelux headquarters. Image:
L'Oréal
One way L’Oréal is seemingly trying to overcome this obstacle is taking
its efforts on a region-by-region basis. The company recently struck up a
deal with China’s Alibaba through which the duo agreed to work together on
promoting circularity in the country’s beauty industry. As part of the
partnership, L’Oréal and Alibaba are looking to establish green and
low-carbon standards to apply to new products and create measurable
circular economy solutions that can be integrated into the market as a
whole. The deal strives to cover various sectors, from logistics to
marketing to consumer communications.
Another way the group has been attempting to overcome difficulties
surrounding integration is through acquisitions and investments, an area
that it has been leading in over recent months. L’Oréal has been snapping
up everything from manufacturers to distributors to brands, externally
broadening its reach and extending its network for the benefit of its own
portfolio. In March this year, the group became a founding investor in
biotechnology firm Geno, which will provide L’Oréal brands with its
platform to ferment plant sugars and produce sustainable surfactants for
beauty products, taking it closer to its goal of offering 100 percent
eco-designed formulas. A similar proposal was made when L’Oréal acquired a
minority stake in Microphyt, a French firm developing low-carbon impact
microalgae, a plant organism used in cosmetics.
Despite the struggles that may come with implementation, Troost remained
positive about L’Oréal’s future when it comes to its eco-procedures, noting
that despite difficulties, it would continue to invest in all aspects of
sustainable development. “Being a commercial company allows us to develop,
and as a big business we have a responsibility to do so,” Troost added. “We
have an impact and we have to keep developing. Many often question this
method and say that we as a society simply need to consume less, but I
would argue that halts development. We need to address matters
holistically, and produce products that contribute positively.”
Biotherm products displayed during L'Oréal's Beauty and Water
Experience at the company's Benelux headquarters. Image:
L'Oréal
Read more:
* How fashion retailers are integrating beauty into their
physical stores?
* Influencers can help people switch to sustainable
living
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