THE ISSUE

  • The demand for natural resources has skyrocketed in recent years, with no signs of slowing down. By 2050, global population is expected to hit 9.7 billion – and at our current consumption, we’d need almost three planets’ worth of resources to keep up.

    The way we produce and consume needs to change. Now. 

  • Water, energy, and food systems are facing growing demands, and supply chains can be complex and difficult to fully trace. Raw materials change hands multiple times, making it hard to pinpoint what damage is being caused where. Without more transparency and accountability, overproduction and unchecked consumption will keep driving environmental and social harm.

  • WE AIM TO:

    • Promote ethical, inclusive, transparent, and traceable, supply chains
    • Prioritize responsibly-sourced ingredients
    • Encourage supplier collaboration and product innovation

WHAT WE ARE DOING.

  • Everything is chemicals. This includes our skincare. Many of our formulations are designed and manufactured using lab-created ingredients. These nature-identical ingredients offer consistency, efficiency, and require fewer raw materials. This helps us reduce the environmental footprint associated with farming, harvesting, and transporting natural resources. We also avoid ingredients derived from animals, like PDRN. It’s one more reason we choose lab-created, nature-identical ingredients instead.

    Simpler formulations also require fewer resources overall, without compromising on quality. Innovation in our laboratories doesn’t just benefit our scientists or the people who buy our products; it has the potential to help create a more sustainable world.

    When we do use natural or naturally-derived ingredients, we’ve started taking clear steps to improve where and how we source our materials, as well as ways to lessen the impact. 

    In terms of how our raw materials, packaging, and products move from A to B, we’re shifting to transportation methods that are less emissions intensive, reducing highly emissive air freight to carriers that use ground or ocean transport.

  • Transparency is important, so together with Estée Lauder Companies, we’re introducing methods that allow us to trace our supply chains.

    Some of our formulations use palm oil and palm derivatives. We work to ensure that our palm oil-containing and palm oil-derived ingredients are Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified. Right now, we are over 85% certified, and continuing to improve. 

    One example of an ethically sourced product is our 100% Cold-Pressed Virgin Marula Oil. The oil we use is both upcycled and cold pressed; we start with discarded marula nuts that would otherwise end up as waste. Our supplier pays a fair price to help support and empower women in rural South African communities where these nuts are grown and harvested, creating additional income streams. This also increases the value of local tree species in the community-owned woodlands, which mitigates climate change impact in the region and preserves future livelihoods.

    Where our responsibly sourced marula oil starts: with local harvesters in South Africa.
    Where our responsibly sourced marula oil starts: with local harvesters in South Africa.

QUESTIONS?

  • Curious to know more? We love questions. Feel free to message us through our contact page and we'll get back to you.

    Go to Earth or People.