PLANET
The planet and the cosmetics industry
McKinsey’s research found that the fashion and cosmetic industry are responsible for around 2.1 metric tonnes of CO2 a year. About 4% of the global total (Berg et al., 2020). This is contributing to our ‘climate catastrophe’. The UN IPCC report states that the industry will need to cut the emissions by 50% in order to stop extreme climate changes within the next few years (IPCC, 2019)
The biggest problem for the environment within the cosmetics industry is caused by plastic packaging. Around 120 billion units of plastic packaging is wasted a year. Only 9% actually making it to the recycling plant and the rest of the packing going into landfill. Most of it being single use plastic which can take around 450 years for it to break down. Making the cosmetics industry one of the top contributors of plastic waste (British Beauty Council, n.d.)
According to the EMF report Circular economy is based on three principles. Eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their highest value and regenerate nature. Products and materials are therefore kept in circulation in an aim to protect the environment. Recycling, remaking and sharing materials is a big part of circular economy. For example, old materials or packaging can be remade and reused in the cosmetics industry for new products (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2023) For example, brands asking customers to bring in their used packaging to be made into packaging for new products.
1 SDG that is relevant to the cosmetic industry in regard to the planet is life below water. 70% of our planet is covered by oceans and seas and we rely on them for water, energy and food. The UN aim to conserve and reduce marine pollution by 2025, including land-based activities like marine debris and nutrient pollution (Global Goals, 2018). Vogue published an article on how the beauty industry has affected our planet, stating that a lot of the single use plastic used in cosmetics packaging end up in the ocean. However, it is not just packaging harming our oceans it’s the beauty products themselves. Cosmetic products include polymers such as polyethylene and dimethicone, which are micro-plastics that end up in the ocean. shower gels and shampoos also include micro-beads to help exfoliate, but micro-beads are actually easily avoidable by choosing products with natural exfoliants such as coffee grounds or sugar (Koh, 2022). Water is also the most common ingredient in formulation of cosmetics. On average beauty products use on average anywhere between 60 to 85 percent of water (Ledesma, 2021) The cosmetic and fashion industry will need to make changes to the way the produce and sell their products in order to meet the UNs sustainable development goals.
Reference list
Berg, A., Granskog, A., Lee, L. and Magnus, K.-H. (2020). How the Fashion Industry Can Reduce Its Carbon Footprint. [online] Mckinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/fashion-on-climate.
British Beauty Council (n.d.). Packaging. [online] The British Beauty Council. Available at: https://britishbeautycouncil.com/ppbg/packaging/.
Ellen Macarthur Foundation (2023). What is a circular economy? [online] Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview.
Global Goals (2018). The Global Goals. [online] The Global Goals. Available at: https://www.globalgoals.org/.
IPCC (2019). Reports — IPCC. [online] Ipcc.ch. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/.
Koh, D. (2022). How the Beauty Industry Has Impacted Our Oceans so Far. [online] Vogue Singapore. Available at: https://vogue.sg/beauty-industry-impact-our-oceans/.
Ledesma, A. (2021). Water in cosmetics: a dive into water-free beauty. [online] NATRUE. Available at: https://natrue.org/water-in-cosmetics-a-dive-into-water-free-beauty/.