Sustainability was the central theme for this year’s In-Cosmetics’ show’s most notable cosmetics. Many exhibitors and speakers covered various aspects of sustainability at a recent trade show. Yet one thing that was missing was ‘positive impacts’.
Although many companies and consultants demonstrated how cosmetic and ingredient companies could reduce their social and ecological footprints, there was an obvious void in the discussion regarding generating positive impacts. Surely we have to go beyond just reducing our ecological footprints–if we are to become truly sustainable businesses–and look at offsetting our impact on the environment.
And thus, we present the Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) design approach, which offers some practical solutions. The C2C design approach, designed by Bill McDonough & Michael Braungart, takes a holistic approach to sustainability. This approach involves designing production processes so that nutrients don’t go into waste systems at the end of their life-cycles, but instead are recycled.
The C2C approach was originally made for industrial design and manufacturing, yet it has expanded into consumer goods, which includes personal care products, cleaning products, food & beverages, office products, and apparel. Yet the adoption rate in the personal care industry remains low, according to Organic Monitor research. But Method Products and Aveda are two of beauty industry’s major adopters of this novel design approach.
The C2C approach is considered a such a novel approach because so much emphasis is placed on minimizing ecological and social impacts, which enables companies to create positive impacts. And it also allows personal care companies to expand their sustainability horizons, and thus cover a number of social and environmental facets.
One of the first companies to adopt the C2C design approach was Aveda, a pioneering natural personal care company. Aveda, established in 1978, is the largest buyer of essential organic oils in the world. Not only has Aveda set up many organic agricultural projects in Africa, Latin America, and Australasia, but by adopting the C2C design approach, Aveda has gone beyond just making safe and ecological personal care products. Along the way, Aveda has pioneered many sustainability initiatives which have had numerous positive impacts on social communities and the environment.
Not only that, Aveda is the first beauty company to power its head office and manufacturing plant with renewable energy. The company has also become the largest buyer of green energy in Minnesota, and has kept 5,500 tons of CO2 out of the air, to date. Aveda has also saved over 1 million pounds of virgin plastic each year, making it the largest user of recycled plastic in the beauty industry.
They’ve continued their positive contribution with their ‘Recycle Caps with Aveda’ campaign, which has removed 37 million polypropylene caps from the environment. This amazing company has also built hospitals, energy plants, and schools for indigenous tribes in the Amazon, just by making the conscientious decision, and taking action, to undertake such social investment projects.
As was seen at this year’s 2011 In-Cosmetics extravaganza, sustainability is a key theme being hi-lighted by many cosmetic and ingredient companies, who are looking at sustainability as a main goal. Yet most are looking at sustainability as an end-all solution by undertaking green formulations, ethical sourcing, and/or sustainable packaging. Yet the C2C design encourages such companies to take a more holistic view, which covers many aspects–from the production processes, to the raw material sourcing, to the packaging and the materials left at the end of the product’s life cycle.
Overall, the fact that the C2C approach encourages positive consumption is its biggest benefit. At the recent Sustainable Cosmetics Summit in New York, Bill McDonough stated, ‘why should we feel guilty about using beauty products? We should only feel guilty if there are negative impacts of consumption.’ Herein lies the opportunity for beauty companies: adopt the C2C approach, and marketers can make consumers feel good about using such cosmetic products since they would have a positive effect on the environment, as well as on themselves.
Michael Braungart and William McDonough are featured speakers at Organic Monitor’s sustainability summits. The next edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit takes place in Hong Kong on November 7-8 and Paris on November 28-30.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sera Filson is a writer, health enthusiast, and professional student who’s currently pursing a B.A. in Business Management. When she’s not writing, exercising, or studying, she enjoys reading about velashape and laser liposuction.