Cosmetic products and other beauty items can cause some ugly impact on the ecosystem, stuffing landfills with waste and wrecking our waterways. Fortunately, beauty companies (large and small) are upgrading their sustainability goals, prioritizing proper sourcing of raw ingredients, applying earth-friendly production operations, and trying out innovative recycling applications.
All of us have an important part to play in making our world a better place. Even the tiniest actions make a huge impact, down to the styling products all of us use in our curly hair. So what can we do to help?
The Main Issue: Poor Use Of Resources.
Plant ingredients used in creams, lotions, and shampoos. The way these plants are grown makes an impact on local communities, the ecosystems, and the product’s general carbon footprint. Among the best examples is the use of palm oil which is commonly found in many cosmetic products.
Random construction of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia has destroyed rainforests. Research shows that deforestation releases an even higher percentage of carbon dioxide into the air than all the vehicles throughout the world.
Likewise, most personal care product lines make use of water in the process of manufacturing. It is also a primary ingredient in these products. The accessibility to clean, potable water is likely to go down by 2050 due to issues like climate change, contamination, and an increase in demand.
What are companies doing to help the environment?
Major companies in the aesthetics industry are making key changes. L’Oréal has dedicated to becoming deforestation-free by 2020, and Estée Lauder works tightly with the world non-profit Roundtable regarding Sustainable Palm Oil in order to ensure that cultivation strategies and sourcing include a little negative impact on the environment.
Unilever, the parent company of Ponds, Dove, and St. Ives unveiled its whole supply chain towards the public, promising to resource sustainable palm oil only. That’s a huge deal, considering that Unilever uses a million metric tons of palm oil each year. Additionally, L’Oréal and Unilever are putting source efficiency in front and center of their goals, devising impressive ways to use much less water in manufacturing and with the items too. This means a low-water-use shampoo and fast-rinse conditioners.
Other companies in the aesthetics industry such as cosmetic and registered clinics in plastic surgery Spokane WA are making small changes geared towards better and environmentally friendly procedures.
What could you personally do?
Start at home. Be conscious of how much water you use and how you use it. Turn off the bathtub while shaving, and pass on a hair shampoo occasionally. Elect to use green beauty products that use ingredients that grow botanicals through their own farms. Otherwise, search for brands that make use of renewable components for their ingredients.