Sustainability Summit features green ingredients and customer behaviour

The European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will cover developments in green ingredients, marketing and customer behaviour. Organised by Organic Monitor, the summit will be hosted in Paris on 24-26th November 2014. For the first time in Europe, the summit will discuss ways to encourage sustainable purchases and responsible consumption of cosmetics & personal care products. Marketing and customer behaviour will be featured in the context of green cosmetics and environmental impacts.

Although the natural & organic cosmetics market has shown high growth, the market share remains low. Natural & organic products comprise just 3% of European cosmetic sales because of concentration of demand; a small consumer base is responsible for most purchases. The latest market and consumer data will be presented, followed by discussions on how to broaden consumer appeal for natural and organic cosmetics.

Life-cycle analysis studies show the highest environmental impact of certain personal care products is at the consumer level; the summit will also ask what can be done to encourage responsible consumption? Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, co-founder of McDonough Braungart Design will give the opening keynote. As cosmetic firms announce bold sustainability plans, Braungart will state the limitations of setting targets to reduce environmental impacts. According to Braungart, cosmetic & personal care firms need to innovate with product design if they are to use resources more efficiently. He encourages companies to consider the Cradle-To-Cradle Design Approach to create ‘closed loop systems’ for cosmetic ingredients and finished products. The summit will also give industry best-practices in the context of the Brundtlandt Commission three pillars of sustainability. With most cosmetic companies focusing on environmental impacts, approaches to address the social and economic footprints will be discussed. Papers will cover the positive role of fair trade, sustainable economics and green finance.

Alexandra Palt, CSR & Sustainability Director of L’Oréal, will give details of its Shared Beauty For All sustainability plan; how does the cosmetics giant plan to reach 1 billion new consumers by 2020 whilst reducing its environmental footprint by 60%? The green ingredients session will give an update on the growing palette of green materials, placing emphasis on new technologies. Óscar Expósito Tarrés, founding partner of Phyture Biotech, will show how plant cell technology is generating novel actives for cosmetic applications. Alban Muller, founder of the French ingredients firm Alban Muller, will give details of new technologies for sustainable processing. Other speakers will discuss the potential of bio-inspired molecules, the need for sustainable palm oil alternatives, and creating novel green materials.

A new workshop will tackle the major technical issues associated with green functional personal care products. Although the range of green ingredients has widened considerably in recent years, technical issues persist with natural & organic shower gels, sun care lotions, hand sanitisers and deodorants. Judi Beerling will give practical advice to product developers and formulators in this interactive workshop.

The 6th European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will be hosted in Paris on 24-26th November. The 2nd Sustainable Beauty Awards will be co-hosted alongside the summit, on 24th November.

About the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit

Organised 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 6th European edition will be hosted at the Paris Marriott Champs-Élysées hotel on 24-27th November.

About the Sustainable Beauty Awards

The aim of the Sustainable Beauty Awards is to give recognition to cosmetic and related firms who are pushing the boundaries of sustainability in the beauty industry. The awards have five categories, each representing different aspects of sustainability. The sustainable packaging award is for packaging with a lower environmental impact. The green formulations award is for a cosmetic brand with a high level of natural and organic ingredients. The sustainable ingredient award is for a material that makes a significant difference in terms of environmental and / or social impact. The sustainability pioneer award is for an operator that leads in - or has pioneered - a specific area, whereas the sustainability leadership award is for an operator that leads in various aspects. The awards reception will take place on 24th November at the Paris Marriott Champs-Elysées. Entries for the five award categories are open until 15th October.

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, they have been providing a range of business services to operators in high-growth ethical & sustainable industries. Their services include market research publications, business & technical consulting, seminars & workshops, and sustainability summits.