The EcoBeautyScore Consortium, an international beauty Industry initiative aimed at enabling more sustainable consumer choices, has gone live.
36 companies – including a clutch of personal care multinationals – as well as professional associations have joined forces to form the EcoBeautyScore Consortium, which aims to develop an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products.
The new group, made up of small and large companies and associations spanning four continents, says the “truly global and inclusive” initiative remains open for other companies and associations to join.
The Consortium is working with the specialist sustainability consultancy Quantis to facilitate a robust and scientific approach to co-build an assessment methodology and scoring system articulated around:
1. A common method for measuring environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of products, backed by the principles of the “Product Environmental Footprint” (the European Union’s PEF scientific method based on life cycle assessment (LCA) for quantifying the environmental footprint of products).
2. A common database of environmental impact of standard ingredients and raw materials used in formulas and packaging, as well as during product usage.
3. A common tool that enables the assessment of the environmental impact of individual products, usable by non-experts.
4. A harmonized scoring system that enables companies, on a voluntary basis, to inform consumers about the environmental footprint of their cosmetic products. The methodology, data base, tool and scoring system will be verified by independent parties.
Next steps
The 36 members of the EcoBeautyScore Consortium have started to work together in organized in thematic working groups. A ‘footprinting’ and scoring prototype is targeted for end of 2022, providing the environmental scoring for a selection of product categories at first. It will then be verified by independent parties.
The Consortium is calling on cosmetics and personal care companies – of all sizes – and professional associations to join the initiative
The 36 members so far include: Amorepacific, Babor, Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, Cosmébio, COSMED, Cosmetic Valley, Cosmetics Europe, cosnova, Coty, The Estée Lauder Companies, Eugène Perma, FEBEA, The Fragrance Creators Association, Henkel, IKW Beauty Care, The International Fragrance Association, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., JUST International AG, Kao, L’Oréal Groupe, LVMH, Nafigate, NAOS, NATRUE, Natura &Co, NOHBA, Oriflame, P&G, Paragon Nordic, Puig, PZ Cussons, Shiseido, Sisley, STANPA, Unilever.
“We must all face overarching topics like sustainability jointly and head-on in order to achieve meaningful social and environmental change”
Dr Mark Smith, NATRUE
Commenting on the development, Dr Mark Smith, director general at organic and natural Beaty standards body NATRUE, said: “We must all face overarching topics like sustainability jointly and head-on in order to achieve meaningful social and environmental change. NATRUE is delighted to join the global EcoBeautyScore consortium initiative to support environmental claims and enhanced transparency in order to help consumers’ sustainable product choices, which is at the heart of NATRUE and its members’ DNA”
Image: Natrue