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The $500 billion global beauty industry is facing sustainability challenges across product manufacturing, packaging, and disposal. Consumer preferences are shifting towards sustainability, with 60% of consumers worldwide considering sustainability an important purchase criterion, and 35% willing to pay more for sustainable products or services, according to Simon Kucher’s Global Sustainability Study 2021.
In response, many beauty brands are setting environmental goals to move away from single-use and virgin plastics, provide recyclable, reusable, and refillable packaging, and offer more transparency around product ingredients. However, consumers still struggle to understand the sustainability credentials of many products. The lack of collective goal-setting, global strategy, and standardized regulations in the industry leads to confusion and “greenwashing” of sustainability claims. Better marketing and certification information is needed to empower customers to make informed choices.
Transparency is key to addressing sustainability challenges in the industry. While natural ingredients are often associated with being safer, it’s not always the case. Both natural and synthetic ingredients have their pros and cons, and it’s important for customers to have accurate information about product ingredients. Inconsistent results and subpar performance can occur when purely organic materials are used in high-temperature manufacturing processes.
Plastic packaging is a significant sustainability challenge for the beauty industry. Only 9% of global plastic waste is recycled, and the cosmetics business is the fourth biggest plastic packaging user globally. Brands are trying to phase out harmful plastics and adopt post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, but low recycling rates and growing demand for PCR plastic pose challenges. Smaller businesses are often more agile in implementing sustainable practices compared to larger brands.
Beauty retailers can play a crucial role by setting standards for the brands they sell. Programs like Sephora’s “Clean + Planet Positive” and Target’s “Target Zero” initiative label products that meet specific sustainability criteria. However, these efforts do not fully address the waste and pollution generated throughout the supply chain. Standardization can be achieved through certifications like B Corp, but it is currently voluntary for brands to apply. Governments and multinationals need to enforce regulations and set baselines for sustainability claims to drive meaningful change in the industry.
In the absence of strong regulations or global standards, market leadership by both brands and customers is crucial for addressing climate shortcomings in the beauty industry. Continued collective advocacy and initiative are needed to bring about meaningful change in sustainability practices.