In this blog entry, the planet pillar of the cosmetic industry is discussed. The planet Earth has always been viewed as the most habitable planet for organic life forms to reside however, due to the depletion of natural resources and the destruction of the Earth’s natural habitats. For reference, the 10 warmest summers in recorded history have all occurred after 2010 and the rate at which the Earth’s temperature rises has doubled each year since 1981 (Lindsey & Dahlman, 2023). The cosmetic industry has contributed greatly to this issue as it depends heavily on plastic for packaging and many natural resources such as palm oil. The high demand for these products has led to a culture of unsustainable extraction processes and the production of single-use, non-biodegradable packaging (Okafor, 2023).

Sustainability is defined as the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources to maintain ecological balance. There is an urgency to stop mass manufacturing plastic waste and environmental pollutants so sustainable methods to reduce plastic waste amongst other forms of waste must be implemented globally. An example of a sustainable method which was developed in the mid-1990s by John Elkington is the Triple Bottom Line (Slaper & Hall, 2011). It suggests including the social and environmental impacts of a business when calculating said business’ performance instead of focusing on just financial figures. This method encourages the business to take corporate social and environmental responsibility. In turn, the business moves closer to achieving sustainable goals. Another method is the execution of a circular economy. This is a system allegedly designed to reduce waste by not generating it. The three principles of this method are to get rid of waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their highest value and replenish the natural resources in use (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, n.d.). The bi-products and wasted materials will be repurposed resulting in zero waste and renewed raw materials.

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development project which was implemented by the United Nations Member States in 2015 to reduce poverty and other disparities globally. An SDG relevant to the cosmetic industry is Responsible Consumption and Production. The industry needs to find ways to reuse the products that have already been manufactured. For example, creating new plastic packaging from recycled plastic milk jugs.

Bibliography

Lindsey, R. & Dahlman, L., 2023. Climate Change: Global Temperature. [Online]
Available at: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature#:~:text=According%20to%20NOAA’s%202021%20Annual,0.18%20%C2%B0C)%20per%20decade.
[Accessed 8 October 2023].

Okafor, J., 2023. Environmental Impact of Cosmetics & Beauty Products. [Online]
Available at: https://www.trvst.world/sustainable-living/environmental-impact-of-cosmetics/
[Accessed 8 October 2023].

PlasticPollutionCoalition, 2022. The Ugly Side of Beauty: The Cosmetics Industry’s Plastic Packaging Problem. [Online]
Available at: https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2022/1/25/the-ugly-side-of-beauty-the-cosmetics-industrys-plastic-packaging-problem
[Accessed 8 October 2023].