Sustainable Beauty Coalition
Photo courtesy British Beauty Council.
This summer, the British Beauty Council—a coalition of creatives spanning across the industries of cosmetics, hairdressing, therapy and spa practices, and more—announced the introduction of the Sustainable Beauty Coalition, which aims to “lead sustainability through championing best practice and industry collaboration.”
The coalition is the result of more than a year’s worth of work which started after the British Beauty Council commissioned an independent sustainability report that was intended to break down the varying elements of the beauty sector, and the space worked to meet (or rather, fail to meet) the needs of consumers worldwide.
The report, which was filed under the title “Courage to Change” analyzed a greater plan for how this particular industry can progress into the future, while also remaining true to environmental values which empower the planet, in the process.
The details of the report were compiled by Junxion Strategy, a social impact consultancy, and were published in November 2020.
Beyond a more refined plan for the future of beauty, the report also included a survey of nearly 3,000 UK consumers, which was conducted by the environmental charity, Hubbub. Through their findings, the report further detailed that one in seven consumers prioritized buying environmentally friendly beauty products.
The 10-person coalition sees chair Jayn Sterland, UK managing director of green beauty pioneers Weleda, at the lead of its projects. And other prominent members include Jo-Anne Chidley founder of Beauty Kitchen; Michelle Feeney, founder of leading sustainable fragrance brand Floral Street; and Sian Sutherland co-founder of A Plastic Planet.
In a statement, Sterland said in regard to the work of the coalition: “We believe the UK beauty and wellness industry must play its part in bringing about bold, urgent change. We have a strong voice, reputation, and reach and we need to use it. Consumers are keen to see this happen, and they are looking to us to clean up our act by addressing the many climate -related problems we have created, such as non-recyclable plastic packaging, chemicals contaminating the oceans, and unregulated, misleading product claims. Whilst a growing number of brands are taking significant steps to reduce their negative impact on the planet, these efforts are patchy and uncoordinated the coalition seeks to address this.”
The SBC is made possible by an advisory panel that’s complete with everyone from brands owners to industry experts, as well as other industry body representatives—all of whom will report to the British Beauty Council’s executive board with a mission to: “develop a clear strategy and roadmap to accelerate sustainability in the industry; strengthen links across the industry, communities, voices and professional bodies to accelerate collaboration, knowledge and bolder collective efforts; work with the government to champion the work of the industry and support the agenda in the Race to Net Zero campaign; act to create stronger frameworks and policies for the UK’s beauty sector; and monitor the roadmap’s progress and keep the execution of initiatives under review.”
For more information on the Sustainable Beauty Coalition (SBC), visit www.britishbeautycouncil.com.