EP78. We can't shop our way to sustainability

I've just finished recording an episode with Anna Teal of the British Beauty Council and by the time this recording goes live, you'll already have listened to that interview in your favorite podcast app. It was great talking to Anna and discussing the Courage to Change report published by the British Beauty Council last year. And it got me thinking, can the beauty industry ever truly be sustainable? So I wanted to jump on quickly, record this super short opinion piece and challenge you to help us all make the beauty industry a better place. 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 share my takeaways from the podcast interview we released last week. In this short episode, I put forward my main thoughts on the topic we last discussed, as well as setting you a challenge to make the green beauty sector a better place. So it took a global pandemic for the beauty industry to finally start thinking and talking properly about sustainability, but we have a long way to go. Discussion papers such as the Courage to Change report, which Anna and I discussed in last week's podcast, they're really promising because they haven't just come from individual organizations. Instead they represent an entire industry. Making an industry that encourages rampant consumerism sustainable will be a challenge and requires an entire rethink, not just at an industry level, but from everyone involved. The retailers, the buyers, the media, the shoppers, and most importantly, you. So I raised the issue of consumption in my interview with Anna and she rightly pointed out that it is a very complex issue. We do consume too many beauty products and that sits at the heart of the sustainability challenge that we have. But this issue is only made more complex by the tangled web that we've all got caught in, where the beauty industry tells us that we need dozens of products in our lives and then we go out and buy them because we believe them. And don't forget that many of the beauty issues that we fear the most and try to combat the most with all of these products are actually a normal part of being human. We age, we get wrinkles, our hair goes gray, our bodies sag with time, and all of these things are perfectly normal. So I was on Clubhouse recently and I spoke to the sustainable development director of one of the world's largest cosmetics brands. I love how this app connects you with just everyone. And I went on stage with her and I asked her about her company's approach to reducing consumption and she went silent and then said, you've stumped me. No one has ever asked me that question before. Now, obviously that's a hideous answer to receive, but it's also why I love Clubhouse, because there is literally nowhere to hide and it tells you exactly what is happening in the beauty sector. We're talking a lot about sustainability, but we're not going to the crux of the issue yet, which is that we are just making and consuming far too many products now, as far as I'm concerned, and also because I have been a Chartered Environmentalist for the last 12 years, so I have to set the bar higher than most. The beauty industry does need a rethink in terms of the role it plays in telling us to consume endless products. Until that happens, sustainability will simply be lip service to an ever increasing loop of resources. After all, and this is really important, I want you to remember this, we can't shop our way to sustainability. So my challenge for you this week is whatever your role is in the beauty industry, whether you're a formulator, a beauty entrepreneur or simply just a fan of green beauty, I encourage you to rethink something to do with the way that you interact with the industry and to try to find a way of making that aspect more sustainable. Anna made a great point when she said that sustainability is all about challenging the way we think. So that's my challenge for you. We can do this together. The global green beauty sector is a movement of inspiring and passionate individuals, and the thing I love most about our communities is the way that everyone supports each other. So I hope that you'll help us help you by continuing that conversation. 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 in your favourite podcast app. And I'll be back soon with my next episode. Sa.