Sustainability needs creativity

COSSMA: Why has the ‘Responsibly Active’ program been set up?

Charlotte d’Erceville-Dumond: Our planet is at a crossroads: If we still want to live in a world worth living in tomorrow, we must act now. The word ‘sustainability’ is no longer a buzz-word, it has become an absolute necessity. That is why it is no wonder that consumers are increasingly demanding sustainable products and choosing brands and companies based on ethical aspects, including their initiatives towards the environment and climate. This is neither a fad nor a short-term trend, but rather a long-term development. And producers want to meet this demand by tapping into the enormous market potential – but they also must prove how sustainable their supply chain really is.

Since caring is in our nature, we launched our ‘Responsibly Active’ program. With its special focus on botanical sourcing for our bioactives portfolio, our program transparently communicates how we care for natural resources, climate, and of course the people along our value chain. We are unwaveringly committed to fulfilling our defined goals and actions, while supporting our current and potential customers in achieving their own sustainability goals.

Sustainability often costs money, time, and extra effort for everyone involved. How do you get employees enthusiastic about a good cause, and how do you keep commitment and motivation high?

To be honest, we were surprised by the high amount of commitment from everyone involved – in our production facilities for cosmetic active ingredients and along the entire global value chain. Everyone seems to understand the necessity of greater sustainability, and so many people want to make a personal contribution to it. Every process, no matter how small, can be made more efficient and sustainable through a small idea and personal commitment. Obviously, we intend to send a clear signal to our partners, customers, and external stakeholders with our program. But we also want to express our appreciation for what our employees have achieved so far, inspire them, raise their awareness even more and fuel their motivation.

Many initiatives and processes for sourcing raw materials were already sustainable in the past. Is it possible to become even more sustainable?

It is! Even though we have already come a long way, we are always striving to become better. We want to embed sustainable practices in everything we do. And if you act from conviction, you will always find ways to improve. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that you should never underestimate human creativity! Everybody can contribute and become an ‘Active Hero’. Philippe, Raw Material & Sourcing Manager at our French production site in Pulnoy, is one of these heroes. Together with his team, he has developed a process to get even more out of already sustainably produced raw materials. One example of how the team does this is through upcycling waste from the moringa oil extraction process to obtain highly effective bioactives. But of course, we are also constantly developing technically. Innovations always open new possibilities to improve the sustainability of our work and products.

When we talk about sustainability today, most people think of climate first. That is important, but it is far from everything, right?

To prevent a climate collapse, rapidly reducing CO2 emissions to meet the 1.5-degree climate target is essential.In terms of environmental sustainability, and closely linked to the ambitious climate targets, the responsible use of our planet’s resources is of equal importance. This is an area in which we focus, above all, on the cultivation and production of our raw materials with respect to natural ecosystems. Fostering of organic farming practices, for example, drastically reduces the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, and other crop protection products.

With the commitment to promote sustainable farming and harvesting practices among our suppliers, we contribute to the fight against deforestation and to the preservation of local flora and fauna.

A central pillar of our approach on sustainability is focusing on the people, as well as the social and economic impact of our actions. To promote diversity and inclusion in our collaborative sourcing projects, we are committed to respecting fundamental human rights in the botanical supply chains. We want to empower people and develop local communities through safer working conditions, fair incomes, and premiums to fund individual or collective projects.

Women are the most important target group for the cosmetics industry. What role do they play in your commitment to sustainability?

When you look at the line-up of our sustainability team, it is already striking that it is predominantly female. In addition, we want to empower women globally who are traditionally, culturally, or economically disadvantaged to live dignified and fulfilling lives. For this reason, our sustainability program particularly focuses on projects and initiatives that strengthen equal opportunities and a self-sufficient life for local women along our supply chain.

One example that is particularly dear to my heart is the collaboration we have with the Targanine women’s cooperative in Morocco, our argan supplier. Fadna, Latifa and Keltouma work in this cooperative network. They are three strong females who, from different perspectives, are making important contributions to improving the lives and working conditions of women and the community as a whole. This partnership came about over the course of many years of working together, and it continues to flourish.

Another example of women’s empowerment is provided by Polonia, an organic galanga supplier in Vietnam. From the very beginning, she not only wanted to improve the general working and living conditions of women, but also create a strong bond of solidarity between urban and rural women.

What are the most effective levers for greater sustainability, and how important are production and logistics in decarbonising the value chain?

Especially when it comes to climate protection, it is important to strike a balance between economic efficiency and the targeted CO2 savings potential. After all, costs cannot be spent on just anything. Nevertheless, we are investing in infrastructure and technology, for example, at our production site in Pulnoy in the areas of process efficiency, building performance and much more. Alongside the high level of investment, however, it is also the small steps to reduce the carbon footprint in production and downstream transportation that count. In addition to switching to renewable energy, we are striving to achieve a carbon-
neutral footprint. This is what the protagonists of the ‘Responsibly Active’ program are doing: through their personal commitment, they are contributing to reducing energy and water consumption, cutting the amount of waste generated, as well as recycling waste to generate energy. Today, we already valorise around 98% of our production waste.

How do you keep your sustainability goals ambitious enough to make real progress, and how do you make sure they are accomplished?

It is important to set yourself realistic goals. A great promise not kept is worth nothing. Disappointment can slow down the whole process and therefore endanger the achievement of the greater goal. To prevent that, we are in close contact with all stakeholders involved.

Here again, transparency and dialog are key success factors. Besides the ‘Fair For Life’ certification that proves our commitment to sustainable production and social responsibility, we implemented individual targets, such as environmental footprint reduction to be audited in the frame of ISO 140001 and ISO 50001 certifications.

Our ambitious targets on organic or sustainable sourcing are steadily monitored and audited by third party certification at the raw material level. To ensure full transparency on our progress and achievements, we have set up a meticulous follow-up of our defined objectives and reports. Just to name a few examples.

Experience has shown us that early involvement of all stakeholders to raise awareness and find the right solutions together is key to success. Today we are pleased to see that we are on the right track, that our journey towards more sustainability is making real progress. This motivates us and spurs us on to strive even harder.

As part of your work, you must question every process and every detail to evaluate their potential impact on sustainability. Has this critical awareness also had an impact on your personal life? 

Our personal beliefs, learnings and daily life experiences are a source of inspiration and motivation to enrich our professional projects, and vice versa. The awareness and expertise gained at work also drive our personal sustainability journey. I am convinced that personal behaviour is very important, because greater sustainability depends on each individual – everyone can be part of the change! I, for one, swapped my car for a bike to commute to work and started growing my own vegetables. My family and I also improved our home’s insulation, solar water heating and added a new wood heating system to reduce our ‘operational’ footprint. But that is just the beginning. I know that I must keep on playing an active role in the pursuit of a more sustainable world.