NEW YORK ‑ Movers and shakers in the business of sustainable beauty will convene in New York City next month for the North American edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit March 24-26.
The New York gathering is one in a series of international summits designed to address the leading issues the beauty industry faces concerning sustainability, natural, organic, fair trade and ecological products. The goal is to bolster sustainability in the beauty industry by bringing together cosmetic manufacturers, ingredient and raw material suppliers, retailers and distributors, industry organizations and certifications agencies, among others, for informative seminars and open forum discussions on building a more eco-friendly industry.
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According to Amarjit Sahota, president of Summit organizer Organic Monitor, the biggest challenge facing beauty companies looking at sustainability is: What exactly can they do to become more sustainable? “There are so many ways they can become more sustainable that many do not know where to start,” Sahota said. “For instance, climate change has become an important agenda for the industry, but what practical steps can beauty companies take to address this issue?”
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Amarjit Sahota |
Sahota said the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit was launched in part to address this major challenge. In other words, “to help the beauty industry become more sustainable by covering major industry issues and giving practical case studies of sustainability initiatives,” he said.
Via a series of sessions, the Summit will address specific issues, such as Sustainability Pathways, Eco-labeling and Regulatory Development, Best-Practices in Marketing Ethical Cosmetics, and Investment & Formulation Issues.
Marketing is a hot topic for the sustainable beauty segment. Sahota said a big issue for legitimate natural and organic beauty companies is “they are not always as effective at communicating their product and brand values as the larger conventional companies.
“Consumers are confused as to what products are actually natural, organic and sustainable,” Sahota said, noting clearing up this consumer confusion is a hurdle the natural beauty industry must overcome. “Many beauty companies are accused of greenwashing, as selling their products as green/natural/organic whereas they contain little, if any, such ingredients,” he said.
For this reason, marketing is a focus for several summit discussions, including “Sustainable Brand Development & Marketing,” presented by Denise DeBaun, president and chief executive officer of Sustainable Youth Technologies.
“It is both a challenge and opportunity to promote products in a category that consumers are only beginning to understand,” DeBaun said. “Communication is key. The message, the communication of your point of difference and benefit, must have clarity and consistency and be both creative and compelling.”
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| Denise DeBaun |
DeBaun used her own company as an example. “We initially focused our marketing and distribution strategies on opportunities that allow us to tell our story and what we call, the ‘power of the prescription’—referrals and recommendations by those you trust.”
Those referrals, DeBaun added, come via public relations with editorial coverage, internet marketing with the company’s new Anti-Agent™ Referral Program, and distribution through spas with estheticians and medical professionals. Television partners will be added to that list soon.
In addition to individual marketing programs, steps have been taken by industry associations to breach consumers’ skepticism and/or confusion when faced with the ever-growing roster of allegedly “green” products.
“In the spring of 2008, Burt’s Bees joined forces with the Natural Products Association to establish The Natural Standard and corresponding NPA Seal,” said Mike Indursky, chief marketing and strategy officer for Burt’s Bees. Indursky will discuss Integrating Sustainability into Business Ethos during the Summit.
“Consumers are faced with mounting suspicion of synthetic chemicals and environmental toxins impacting their health and their environment and they are very confused about what constitutes a ‘natural’ product.”
The goal is for the NPA Seal to appear on all natural products that are made with at least 95 percent truly natural ingredients and are free of ingredients with potential or suspected human health risks and processes that significantly or adversely alter the purity or effect of the natural ingredients. “These standards and the seal allow consumers to more easily identify truly natural products,” Indursky said. “It was our hope and goal that consumers’ awareness would grow as more and more products are awarded the seal, a recognizable emblem displayed clearly on product packaging.”
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| Mike Indursky |
On his topic Summit topic of Integrating Sustainability, Indursky said, “companies that transition to green practices face the challenge of overcoming bad habits and disruption to the pre-existing flow and function of the workplace. It is important that sustainability programs be supported with management control, performance measurement and accountability, and reward systems for meeting goals.”
The Summit places further emphasis on these complete business practices with topics such as Reducing the Environmental Impact of Cosmetics, led by Liliana George, Ph.D., executive director of strategic developments, research and development for The Estee Lauder Companies.
For nearly a decade, Estee Lauder has operated an Environmental Affairs and Safety Committee. The Committee houses seven subcommittees responsible for informing the company’s activities in the areas of products, facilities, packaging, employee safety and health, reporting, supply chain and shareholders. George said the company is also a founding member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, an industry group inspired by cradle-to-cradle principles and dedicated to transforming packaging into a system that encourages economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials.
“Cosmetic companies are beginning to consider more and more the environmental impact products have throughout their entire life cycle,” George said. “A challenge is finding suppliers who have developed technology for the sustainable design and manufacturing of the cosmetic ingredients. Our Research and Development team has embarked on a comprehensive Green Chemistry program, with scientists and engineers from every aspect of product development, focused on seeking to develop sustainable product design.”
As topics such as these are drawing greater consumer attention, as well as crowds to Organic Monitor’s international summits, the speakers affirm the future holds only bigger things, not to mention a bigger audience, for the sustainable beauty industry.
“I think we’re just starting to see implementation of corporate sustainability initiatives,” Indursky said. “The key to industry-wide sustainability will be setting attainable goals and working hard to meet them.”
“With the economic climate and environmental changes, and with more and more brands entering the market, consumers are asking more from the brands they choose to purchase,” DeBaun said. “More results, reliability, science and sustainability.”
“I think in five years more consumers will be able to find a wide variety of products to meet their performance and sustainability expectations,” George said. “Having a conference entitled Sustainability in Cosmetics is another way to keep the momentum going.”
The Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will take place March 24-26 at the Grand Hyatt New York in Manhattan. For more information, go to www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com. | .jpg)
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