Set to radically reduce the brand’s Global Environmental ImpactAll Garnier products, are now officially cruelty free – certified by Cruelty Free International
By 2025:
· All products of Garnier to be made with Zero Virgin Plastic
· All packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable
· First brand to implement Product Environmental & Social Impact Labelling, empowering consumers to make more sustainable choices
Today, more than ever, environmental, health and social concerns are of the upmost importance. The events of the last year have been unprecedented, shifting consumer expectation and calling into focus the role of brands in society. Above anything else, people want brands that they can trust, that are transparent and which are genuinely committed to being better.
When it comes to sustainability, Garnier has been committed for years; producing more natural formulas, using sustainable and fair-trade ingredients, even being the first to bring certified organic products to the mass skincare market. With the launch of its sustainability program Garnier Green Beauty, Garnier wants to go further, to shift the way the beauty industry operates and lead the change for all of us.
Garnier has also been committed to a world against animal testing since 1989, and is now Cruelty Free International has given the brand their stamp of approval under their Leaping Bunny programme. Garnier is one of the largest, most global brands Cruelty Free International has ever approved under the Leaping Bunny programme. This is a giant leap, not only for Garnier, but for the beauty industry as a whole. Leaping Bunny requires brands to forensically investigate their entire supply chain, including all raw material and individual ingredients, for any cases of animal testing. Approval must be given to all of a brand’s finished products – individual products or items cannot be approved in isolation.
For Garnier this was a case of securing a declaration from more than 500 suppliers, who source more than 3,000 different ingredients, from across the world. This stringent process ensures that consumers can buy Garnier products with complete confidence, knowing that they meet Leaping Bunny’s strict criteria.
Garnier’s initiative Green Beauty is a complete end-to-end approach to sustainability. The aim is to transform every stage of Garnier’s value chain, reducing or eradicating environmental impact in the following areas:
Plastic & Packaging:
o By 2025, Garnier will aim to use Zero Virgin Plastic in all packaging, saving 37,000 tonnes of plastic every year*
o By 2025, all packaging will also be either reusable, recyclable or compostable
Product & Formula:
o By 2022, all plant-based and renewable ingredients will be sustainably sourced
o By 2025, 100% of Garnier’s new products will have an improved environmental profile
Factories & Manufacturing:
o 100% Carbon Neutral industrial sites by 2025, using renewable energy
o CO2 emissions of industrial sites already reduced by 72%**
Solidarity Sourcing:
o By 2025, Garnier will have empowered 800 communities worldwide as part of our Solidarity sourcing programme
Further, as part of L’Oréal for the Future, Garnier will be the first brand to implement
Product Environmental & Social Impact Labelling. This aims to inform consumers on the environmental and social impact of their products, empowering them to make more sustainable choices. Being trialed in France and on haircare products, this labelling gives each product a sustainability score, from A to E, with products labelled ‘A’ considered best in class. The score takes into account 14 environmental factors from sourcing, manufacture, transportation, usage and recyclability. Data is verified by Bureau Veritas Certification, an independent auditor. The Environmental & Social Impact Labelling of Garnier Haircare products will be accessible to consumers on the French brand’s haircare webpage before rolling out internationally.
In addition, Garnier has partnered with Plastics For Change to help with the social impact of plastic pollution. Over 3 billion people around the world live without access to organised waste collection. That’s almost half the planet’s population. Some of the world’s poorest people collect this waste to make a living. The waste pickers, many of them women, often live below the poverty line and work in appalling conditions. Through this association, Garnier will support the holistic development of waste picker communities in India. Plastics for Change support education for children, healthcare, nutrition, financial literacy and empowerment for girls & women – the basic foundations of a healthy and happy community.
As part of the global initiative Garnier has also partnered with Ocean Conservancy, an NGO working against ocean plastic for more than 30 years. Garnier has joined Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas Alliance. The Alliance was created in 2012 and unites scientists, conservationists and the private sector to find real-life, impactful solutions to the ocean plastic crisis. Garnier will team up with current Alliance members to identify innovative ways to reduce/redesign plastic packaging and stop the flow of plastic pollution into our oceans.
Adrien Koskas, Garnier Global Brand President, says “Green Beauty will transform the way we do business. Developed with the help of our partners, researchers and customers, this initiative highlights a range of ambitious goals, underpinned by tangible targets. We pledge to lessen our impact on the planet and innovate for a sustainable future. It will take time, but Green Beauty will transform Garnier, and we hope the beauty industry as a whole. To be officially approved by Cruelty Free International under the Leaping Bunny programme is a real milestone and was always an important part of our Green Beauty mission. Today Garnier, takes another Green step towards becoming a fully committed, truly sustainable, transparent brand that delivers Green Beauty for all of us.”
Pankaj Sharma, Director, Consumer Products Division, L’Oréal India,shared “With the awareness and strong equity that Garnier enjoys, it becomes important for the brand to build its purpose and social commitment. The Garnier Green Beauty initiative is our journey towards contributing to a better and more sustainable planet, while also creating a community of our consumers and supporters who can take this journey with us.”
John Abraham, Garnier India Brand Ambassador, “I have been associated with Garnier India for a very long time and am especially proud to represent this initiative. With the continuous depletion of our environmental resources over the years, we firmly believe that individual contributions leading to a larger united front will help achieve the set goals. Through the Garnier Green Beauty initiative, we are offering an opportunity to all young ambitious Indians to come forward and join us in making small changes in your life today, contributing to a sustainable tomorrow and a greener future.”
The Green Beauty initiative also presents an annual global Sustainability Progress Report, offering complete transparency on Garnier’s commitments. The report can be tracked publicly via the Garnier website and states where Garnier stands today, mapping out the process of how the brand will reach its ambitious 2025 targets. This progress report provides a clear and trackable summary of Garnier’s commitments, enlisting work which has been completed with the help of experts and scientists.
1 Edelman Trust Barometer 2020: Coronavirus special report.
*based on Garnier plastic consumption in 2019.
**In 2019 compared to consumption in 2005.
