Do you know how to tell the difference between a green beauty product and a greenwashed beauty product? In this article we explore the importance of true sustainability in the beauty industry
Sustainability and Beauty
Most people are part of the skincare and beauty industry, perhaps without even paying too much attention to it. Whether you are a skincare enthusiast, or just stick to your trusted moisturiser in the morning routine – you are actively participating in an industry that has a huge part to play in the future of our planet.
With terms like green beauty and clean skincare becoming ever more popular, it is becoming paramount to look beyond the products and understand the true importance of sustainability in the beauty industry.
This industry produces enormous amounts of waste, chemicals and carbon both directly and indirectly through its supply chain.
Reducing Waste
Did you know that 95% of beauty packaging is thrown out after just one use? And even worse, 50% of Brits don’t recycle bathroom waste such as shampoo, conditioner and shower gel bottles simply because it’s inconvenient. This equates to 2.7 billion plastic bottles hitting our landfills every year.
So many beauty and skincare companies are now using fully recyclable packaging, and some are even made from recycled materials to form a completely regenerative product journey! It is really important to remember to dispose of our empty packaging properly, but in a few cases you might not even need to throw it away – some companies are beginning to offer refillable products which means that you can keep hold of your old packaging and just refill the contents!
Climate Change
A lot of hard work and various ingredients go into making one single beauty product. But these industry practices, from transporting ingredients all the way through the sale of end-products, are all contributing to climate change.
To begin tackling this problem, some companies may have invested in carbon offsetting projects like tree planting – but the real problem is much bigger. To put it into perspective, Rainforest Rescue said that the conversion of a single hectare of Indonesian peatland rainforest to grow palm oil releases up to 6,000 tons of CO2.
At Evolve, we are consistently working towards eventually achieving net zero carbon emissions, but in the meantime we have found more ways we can help reduce our emissions. One of these is switching from wood paper to fully compostable grass paper cartons, which will save 75% of CO2 emissions.
Find out more about our grass paper packaging here!
How to help
Whilst the bigger problem with sustainability inside the beauty industry may be out of your hands, there are still so many ways that you can do your bit to help. Here are two simple ways you can ensure your beauty and skincare routine is as green as can be!
- Use organic products. This helps our planet as organic farming is a lot more energy efficient, and has a much lower carbon footprint than its non-organic alternative.
- Swap your make up wipes for eco alternatives. Typical makeup wipes take years to break down in landfills, which is where they tend to end up. Try using an organic micellar water or cleansing balm with reusable cotton or bamboo pads instead!
Beauty from the Inside Out
Why not try this radiant face online yoga class from Lucy McCarthy to support your inner beauty to shine through.
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Evolve Beauty is an artisan producer of organic and natural skincare, body care and hair care products; vegan friendly and cruelty free and made in small batches to ensure the highest level of freshness. Evolve Beauty is proudly climate positive and removes more carbon from the environment than is produced. Founder, Laura Rudoe, has set out her goals to go far beyond offsetting, in order to ‘not only become sustainable but to eventually become regenerative. Regenerative means our impact is not zero, it is actually positive: restorative for the planet and restorative for body and mind.’
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