After the numerous blogs, we are all well aware of the diversity and scale of impacts that the beauty industry has on the environment. They derive from various sources be it skincare, cosmetics or haircare, and come occur in various forms through various pathways such the air and waterways. At the same time, with the topic of pollution risk being covered in class during Week 10, I wondered is there some form of risk assessment when it comes to the beauty industry? Fortunately, I was not completely let down.
Spearheaded by big brands such as L’Oréal, Henkel, LVMH, Unilever and Natura & Co, an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products is introduced (Culliney, 2021). Being brand-agnostic, this initiative serves to provide consumers with transparent environment information based on science-based methodology. At the same time, the system aims to adopt a harmonised scoring system. With a common yardstick for measuring environmental impacts as well as the ease of access to information, consumers are able to easily compare and contrast between brands.
To launch an industry-wide consortium, this is open to all cosmetics brands that wish to join and pool their respective expertise and experience. Beyond measuring the environmental footprint of cosmetic products, this system aims to put together a common database of the environmental impacts of common ingredients and materials such as formulas and packaging. This would enable ease of calculation of the environmental impact of individual products, usable by non-experts. A prototype is targeted for the end of 2022, providing the environmental scoring for a selection of product categories in its initial stages.
Building a scientific environmental impact assessment in other sectors is not foreign, and I believe that it is time for the cosmetic sector, or the beauty industry as a whole, to make a move in the necessary direction. While this system has not yet reached the market, I look forward to its implementation of the system. At the same time, it may some time before this system is widely applicable in Singapore. However, there is great urgency for consumers to make sustainable choices when it comes to our purchases rather than sitting back. In the meantime, let’s do our due diligence when it comes to our cosmetic products as consumers.
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