EP240. The beauty industry has a biodiversity problem

The beauty industry has a biodiversity problem, and hardly anyone's talking about it now. As we know, cosmetics rely heavily on nature. Our personal care products often incorporate ingredients that have been extracted from plants or even animals. And with the current trends in global biodiversity loss, where up to 1 million species are now threatened with extinction, the cosmetic sector also holds a degree of responsibility in having contributed to this loss. So, just as a quick recap, the primary drivers of biodiversity loss are destruction of habitats and ecosystems, overexploitation of natural resources, climate change, pollution, invasive species. And when you consider how many billions of beauty products are created globally each year, it does stand to reason that our beauty products have played a role in this too. And that's why it was so inspiring to listen to Jane Dunlop of Allouan in last week's podcast. So Jane's business is based on a model of biodiversity conservation and social enterprise. It's clever and if you didn't listen to that episode, please do add it to your podcast queue because you need to hear it. I honestly think Jane's model has to be the future. I think it's exciting to see how the Alouan model could give shape to our whole new beauty industry. And that's what I want to explore today on the podcast. Let's talk about the future of beauty and how it can embed biodiversity conservation at its very heart. Hi, it's Lorraine Dallmeyer, Chartered environmentalist, biologist and CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. I host the Green Beauty Conversations podcast and these are my Green Beauty opinions in which I challenge the beauty industry's terrible track record on sustainability and share my thoughts on how we can make the beauty sector a better and more sustainable place. If you want to be the first to hear all of my latest episodes, make sure you subscribe to this podcast. So let's start with a quick refresh of Aloan's business model. If you didn't hear last week's podcast episode so Jane and her team at Alouan operate a business that brings together over 500 farmers who have small holdings that produce coconuts on the island of Simalu in Indonesia. The business is women led and brings together the whole community there. They also operate a conservation arm to the organization that employs rangers who patrol the islands to protect various species and habitats from poachers. So Jane told me that they've protected upwards of 10,000 threatened turtle eggs from poaching, for instance. The whole rationale of the business is to conserve biodiversity and bring together social enterprise and I love this model because it shows that making money and protecting the environment and empowering the community, well, those things aren't mutually exclusive. You don't just bolt one onto the other. And it really inspired me because I think it shows that this is a model that should sit at the heart of the whole beauty industry. And I know that many suppliers I've already interviewed on this podcast feel very passionately about this too. So how could this work from a practical perspective? Well, I think there are three core components. Let's run through them. Firstly, I think beauty companies need to critically look at their supply chain and really think about whether they can actually control it and ensure that it's out there doing good in the world. If you listen to episode 230, then you'll have heard me talk about human rights abuses in cosmetics and how some of the giant firms are caught up in some of these cases. Now, of course, these companies don't want human rights abuses in their supply chain, but they're so big that it must be almost impossible to keep tabs on everything. That's also why some of their giant cosmetics brands are now looking to move more towards biotech, which honestly, I think is sensible, because they'll have a much clearer overview and tighter control of their supply chain. So that's number one. Secondly, I think that beauty brands that do have the ability to properly understand and work with their supply chain should be actively trying to bring net positive gain into everything they do. Now, this is the concept of regenerative beauty that I discussed with Lush back in episode 213 and then picked apart further in episode 214. Regeneration has to be the goal, and I think it will be hard for the current business model used in the beauty sector to ever be considered regenerative, but it should always be what we aim for. This has to be the future. And finally, I think certification has to play a role, and we also heard that in Jane's Story last week. But I think we need to go back to the OG certification schemes, particularly the organic ones. I greatly admire all of the smaller, newer certification schemes that have been created, and I totally understand why they've been created, but I don't see how they will have longevity beyond a few niche brands and really contribute to the core of what we need, because ultimately, things need to be simple. And when you have to apply for 20 different certification schemes as a beauty brand, it's not simple, let's face it. So let's simplify the way that we approach certification and let's pick one scheme that prioritizes environmental sustainability and social enterprise, and typically you'll end up with one of the OG schemes. So I can picture a future beauty industry that does good. And I'm excited, by the way, that people like Jane and her team at Alouan are leading the way and creating a model that could really work for many more companies. I can see many more companies embracing this, but to do so, we need leadership that wants to move beyond only making a profit and also wants to embed doing the right thing at the very heart of their organization. Let's find those leaders and let's put them in place wherever we can. So my challenge to you for this week is to support beauty brands that embed biodiversity conservation and social enterprise at the very heart of what they do. This isn't the norm yet, but there are more and more companies trying to be part of the solution and they're doing fantastic work. Buy from those companies, vote with your wallet, and if you're creating a beauty brand yourself, because I know this podcast is listened to by many formulators, then be a pioneer and see how you can make an impact. Our biodiversity is precious. Let's move the beauty industry to the point that it no longer has a biodiversity problem. Thank you for listening to my green beauty opinions. Remember to visit the Formula botanica website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. And if you haven't subscribed yet to the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, please make sure you do so now in your favorite podcast app. Leave me a five star review if you enjoy the conversations. I host and I'll be back soon with my next episode. Sam.