The $500 billion beauty industry's 'green' ambitions are a patchwork at best, with inconsistent efforts across product manufacturing, packaging, and disposal contributing to a significant environmental impact.
While consumer demand for sustainable products has driven many brands to set environmental goals, such as moving away from single-use plastics, providing recyclable, reusable, and refillable packaging, and offering more transparency around ingredients, these efforts have fallen short of making a recognizable impact. The industry's lack of collective goal-setting, global strategy, and standardized regulations has led to confusion among consumers.
One major challenge is the absence of an international standard for product ingredient information sharing with customers. Brands are free to set their own rules and goals, resulting in "greenwashing" where sustainability claims are often touted but not substantiated. This lack of transparency can be misleading, particularly when companies use marketing language like "clean beauty" to make their products seem natural.
The industry's plastic packaging is another significant issue, with 95% of packaging being thrown away and the vast majority not recycled. The cosmetics business is the fourth largest user of plastic packaging globally, after food and beverage, industrial packaging, and pharmaceuticals. Despite some brands making efforts to reduce plastic use, such as L'Oréal's target of 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic usage by 2025, the industry still has a long way to go.
The weight of retail also plays a crucial role in addressing sustainability issues. While some retailers have set standards for brands they sell, many others do not. Smaller businesses often move more quickly to adopt sustainable practices, whereas larger companies need to restructure their entire supply chain to change.
Certifications like the B Corporation can provide benefits, but they are currently voluntary for brands to apply for. Governments and multinationals enforcing regulations and setting a baseline for brands to operate from would be essential in driving meaningful change. However, market leadership is key, and continued collective advocacy and initiative will be necessary to address the industry's climate shortcomings.
Inconsistent recycling laws across countries also pose a challenge. The European Chemicals Agency lists 2,495 substances banned from use in cosmetic products marketed for sale or use in the bloc, but the US Food and Drug Administration only lists 11. This disparity makes it more challenging for American consumers to find safer, greener options.
Ultimately, the beauty industry's "green" ambitions will need to be supported by both regulatory frameworks and market leadership to make a significant impact on the environment.
While consumer demand for sustainable products has driven many brands to set environmental goals, such as moving away from single-use plastics, providing recyclable, reusable, and refillable packaging, and offering more transparency around ingredients, these efforts have fallen short of making a recognizable impact. The industry's lack of collective goal-setting, global strategy, and standardized regulations has led to confusion among consumers.
One major challenge is the absence of an international standard for product ingredient information sharing with customers. Brands are free to set their own rules and goals, resulting in "greenwashing" where sustainability claims are often touted but not substantiated. This lack of transparency can be misleading, particularly when companies use marketing language like "clean beauty" to make their products seem natural.
The industry's plastic packaging is another significant issue, with 95% of packaging being thrown away and the vast majority not recycled. The cosmetics business is the fourth largest user of plastic packaging globally, after food and beverage, industrial packaging, and pharmaceuticals. Despite some brands making efforts to reduce plastic use, such as L'Oréal's target of 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic usage by 2025, the industry still has a long way to go.
The weight of retail also plays a crucial role in addressing sustainability issues. While some retailers have set standards for brands they sell, many others do not. Smaller businesses often move more quickly to adopt sustainable practices, whereas larger companies need to restructure their entire supply chain to change.
Certifications like the B Corporation can provide benefits, but they are currently voluntary for brands to apply for. Governments and multinationals enforcing regulations and setting a baseline for brands to operate from would be essential in driving meaningful change. However, market leadership is key, and continued collective advocacy and initiative will be necessary to address the industry's climate shortcomings.
Inconsistent recycling laws across countries also pose a challenge. The European Chemicals Agency lists 2,495 substances banned from use in cosmetic products marketed for sale or use in the bloc, but the US Food and Drug Administration only lists 11. This disparity makes it more challenging for American consumers to find safer, greener options.
Ultimately, the beauty industry's "green" ambitions will need to be supported by both regulatory frameworks and market leadership to make a significant impact on the environment.
... it feels like we're talking about two different things - companies trying to save face with "green" labels, and actual progress towards reducing waste and harming the planet.
Is it worth sacrificing our values and the health of our children for the sake of convenience? I don't think so 
. It's time for us to demand more than just pretty packaging and empty promises from these companies.
And let's not forget about those "clean beauty" products that are essentially just a marketing gimmick... how do we separate the wheat from the chaff?
I think the beauty industry has been trying super hard to go green, but we still have so many inconsistencies here 
. They're like, "Oh, we use recyclable packaging" 
, but then they don't follow it themselves 
. And yeah, plastic is a huge issue - 95% of their packaging gets thrown away? That's crazy! 
. If companies really want to make a change, they need to lead by example and push for more regulation and sustainability standards across the board 
.
. It's so frustrating for consumers who just want to make eco-friendly choices 
.
.
I'm kinda disappointed with how 'green' some of these beauty brands are being. Like, they're all about being eco-friendly, but then you start digging and it's like... not so much. They're still using tons of plastic packaging and don't really tell consumers what's in their products. It's like, we get it, we want to look good too, but let's also think about the planet, right? 
Like, some places have like 2,495 substances banned from cosmetic products and then you go to the US and there's only 11. It's just not fair to consumers who want to make greener choices.
.
1st of all brands gotta get their acts together & stop with the greenwashing 
u can't just slap 'eco' on a product & expect ppl 2 believe it. they need 2 set goals, create global strategies & standardized regulations 
and make transparency a thing 
95% of it ends up in the trash n theres no recyclin 
its like they think consumers r gonna magically sort through all that plastic n choose what's sustainable 
but bigger companies gotta step up their game too 
and government regulations would be a huge help 
. and don't even get me started on plastic packaging - 95% of their stuff ends up in the trash... no thanks 
. and what's with the inconsistent recycling laws across countries? it's like, can't we all just agree on something here? 
I mean, it's crazy that the $500 billion beauty industry's green efforts are so patchy 
. And what's up with the plastic packaging? 95% of it ends up in trash 
.
It's so frustrating to see big companies making half-hearted efforts at sustainability without being held accountable 
.
. I'd love to see more market leadership and collective advocacy from brands pushing for meaningful reform 
I'm not sure if 500 billion can even be called a collective goal setting lol they're just throwing money at it 
. And don't even get me started on the lack of transparency around ingredients - it's like they expect us to just take their word for it 
. If it's up to the brands to decide what's sustainable, then we'll never see any real change. And what about the inconsistent recycling laws across countries? It's like they're just winging it and hoping for the best 
️.
. I mean, we need more transparency around ingredients and packaging, but right now it feels like brands are just slapping a "green" label on whatever they want 
. And let's not forget about recycling laws - inconsistent rules across countries are just going to confuse consumers and do nothing to help the planet 
.