Summit Casts Sustainability Spotlight on Brazil

As the international spotlight is on Brazil for the world cup, questions are emerging about how sustainable is Brazil and its beauty industry. The Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Latin America (www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com) will address such questions; the summit will be hosted in the Brazilian capital São Paulo on 10-12th September.

Brazil has announced the World Cup and the upcoming Olympics will be the most sustainable on record. The events will use solar powered stadiums, serve organic foods, undertake waste recycling and offset carbon emissions. These green initiatives are part of a broad strategy to encourage sustainability in Brazil. Although the government is investing in green initiatives, Organic Monitor research finds Brazil and the wider Latin American region is lagging in sustainability.

Latin America is now established as a major producer of natural ingredients and ecological products. The region has almost 20% share of global organic farmland, and is the biggest producer of sustainable commodities, such as coffee, cocoa, sugar and soya beans. In the cosmetics industry, the biomes of Brazil are a hotbed of natural ingredients. Rainforest specialties, such as açaí, pracaxi, andiroba, copaiba, and annatto, have made their way in cosmetic and personal care applications across the globe.

Although Brazil and Latin America have become major exporters, they remain small consumer of green products. Less then 2% of global natural & organic cosmetics sales are from the region. Latin American brands are using indigenous natural ingredients however most cosmetic formulations remain conventional, with the presence of synthetic preservatives, emulsifiers, surfactants and emollients. Furthermore, few cosmetic companies have adopted coherent sustainability strategies to address their ecological impacts.

By focusing on green formulations (ingredients) and sustainability metrics, the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit aims to address some of the sustainability shortcomings in the Latin American cosmetics industry.

Opening the summit is a keynote by George Korres, Founder and CEO of Korres Natural Products, on the healing value of green ingredients. Originating from the oldest homeopathic pharmacy in Greece, the natural cosmetics brand has built an international presence. Korres will give insights into how brands can successfully formulate natural cosmetics using medicinal herbs and plant extracts.

Dalberto Adulis from Instituto Akatu will discuss approaches to encourage sustainable consumption of cosmetic and personal care products. Brazil has the third largest cosmetics market in the world, however environmental impacts remains high because of consumer behavior. Advice will be given into to cosmetic brands and retailers on how they can promote conscious consumption. Another paper will share consumer research on sustainable products; what do Brazilian consumers think of green products, and how can they be encouraged to become more sustainable?

For the first time, a dedicated session will feature sustainability metrics. Industry experts will show how metrics can help cosmetic brands and ingredient firms on the green journey. An update will be given on the use of Life-Cycle Analyses to measure and reduce environmental footprints. L’Oreal will state how metrics were used to set targets in its ‘Sharing Beauty for All’ sustainability strategy. The cosmetics multinational plans to reach 1 billion more consumers whilst reducing its environmental footprint by 60% by 2020. Paulo Pianez, Sustainability Director of Carrefour Brasil, will share the retailer’s experiences in measuring sustainability.

With many Latin American brands grappling with green formulations, the summit devotes a session and workshop to green ingredients. Judi Beerling, Head of Technical Research at Organic Monitor, will give an interactive workshop to guide brands on how to replace synthetic emulsifiers, surfactants and emollients in product formulations. Details will be given on green alternatives to SLS / SLES and related petrochemical-based materials. Marie Harris from Instituto Harris will highlight the safety issues associated with natural ingredients. Other papers will cover innovating using natural actives, green preservation approaches, sustainable botanicals, and developing certified natural & organic cosmetics.

About the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit
Organized by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to encourage sustainability in the beauty industry by bringing together key stake-holders and debate major sustainability issues in a high-level forum. The 3rd Latin American edition will be hosted at Hotel Novotel São Paolo Jaraguá Conventions on 10-12th September. The summit will be hosted alongside in-Cosmetics Brasil (9-10 September). More information is available from www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com

About Organic Monitor
Organic Monitor is a London-based specialist research, consulting & training company that focuses on the global organic & related product industries. Since 2001, we have been providing a range of business services to operators in high-growth ethical & sustainable industries. Our services include market research publications, business & technical consulting, seminars & workshops, and sustainability summits. Visit us at www.organicmonitor.com