L'Oreal announces huge sustainability goals

Industry

Published: 26 Jun. 2020, 18:00 Updated: 26 Jun. 2020, 23:28

L'Oreal announces huge sustainability goals

L’Oreal Chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Agon, left, and Alexandra Palt, L’Oreal's chief corporate responsibility officer, second from right, speak at the beauty giant’s online event held Friday to share the company’s sustainability program for the next decade. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

L’Oréal says it wants to change the habits of more than a billion consumers around the world through its sustainability program over the next decade.

Using recycled or biological sources for all the plastics used in L’Oréal packaging and reducing greenhouse emissions by 50 percent per product are two of the cosmetics giant’s goals for the next 10 years.

L’Oréal’s sustainability goal was announced Friday under the program titled “L’Oréal for the future.” The program, unveiled online, was attended by L’Oréal Chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Agon and Alexandra Palt, L’Oréal chief corporate responsibility officer.

The program was rolled out seven years after the beauty company last unveiled a sustainability road map in 2013.

“Covid-19 has shown everyone how [a] systemic global crisis around the world can be absolutely devastating,” said Agon in the online event.

The chairman explained that there is a misunderstanding that economic performance and sustainability cannot be achieved together.

“We’ve proved we can really revolutionize the way we work and become a forefront in sustainability,” Agon said.

We’re aware there is still a lot more to be done,” added Palt. “If you want to be serious about sustainability, you have to tackle products and services you sell.”

L’Oréal said its goal includes achieving carbon neutrality at all L’Oréal sites by improving energy efficiency and using 100 percent renewable energy by 2025.

Encouraging some 1.5 billion consumers around the world to embrace the sustainability program to change their habits is also important, according to Agon.

He added that standing at the forefront of the sustainable business could also possibly change its competitors to weigh the importance of sustainability.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]