The environment has been a hot topic in recent years, with the discussion around climate change taking a forefront in many political debates. The beauty industry’s impact on the environment is an often overlooked facet of the climate crisis. For a closer look at the way the beauty industry is affecting the environment, and what changes you can make to help work towards a better planet, continue reading.
The Beauty Industry’s Impact on the Environment
The beauty industry is a billion-dollar industry. With that level of consumption comes a great deal of waste. An estimated 70% of containers generated by hair and cosmetic companies end up in landfills, where it takes decades for them to decompose. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of physical waste produced by the beauty industry.
In order to mass produce your favourite products, companies need to use water in abundance. This water, which mixes with the chemicals used to produce their products, as well as the dirt created when producing each product, becomes a contaminated material called “wastewater.” The disposal of wastewater into our lakes and oceans is a large contributing factor to the impact the beauty industry has on our environment.
Sustainability: What Does It Mean?
When we talk about sustainability in the context of the environment, we’re talking about creating practices and habits that will help maintain, or sustain, the environment. We recognize that we cannot reverse the damage that has been done, but we can do our part in making sure that we can sustain the current level for generations to come.
Making The Switch: How You Can Help
When faced with the problem of climate change, it can often feel like one person can’t make much of a difference. Instead of thinking about yourself as an individual, consider your impact as part of an ecosystem: if everyone does their part in making changes to their lifestyle, we can make a real difference.
So how do we start? Do more research and make conscious, informed decisions on the products we’re using. The internet has an abundant amount of information available to us to help us make better decisions on the products we use.
Greenwashing: What To Look Out For
With so much information at our hands, it can be hard to tell what brands and products are legitimately making an effort to support sustainability in the industry. “Greenwashing” is a term that describes how companies use the green movement as a marketing tactic to generate support for their company without making actual, impactful changes towards sustainability.
Buzzwords like “energy-efficient” or “paraben free” are often used to grab consumers' attention by using keywords that consumers are looking up anyway. So how do you tell the difference between a marketing tactic and a commitment to reducing environmental impact?
A company committed to environmental stability will make information about the company’s ethics and a statement on their environmental impact, including what they are doing as a company to reduce their carbon footprint, readily available on their website.
Davines: Our Commitment to a Better Earth
Davines is an amazing example of a beauty company that has made a commitment to sustainability in the beauty industry. The company’s sustainability report boasts their commitment to creating a net zero carbon emission from their production by the year 2050.
Their products are made from a majority of natural ingredients grown on local farms, meaning only the best, and cleanest ingredients are used to make their products. For transparency, each product features the location of the farm their ingredients were sourced from so you know exactly where your products are coming from.
For more information on Davines’ commitment to creating a better earth, you can check out their website.
In Conclusion: Working Towards Sustaining Our Beautiful Planet
The environmental impact that the beauty industry has had on our climate is undeniable. When faced with the reality of climate change, it can feel like we’re faced with an impossible problem. If we each take our part, do our research and make informed decisions on the products we’re using, we can make a big step towards sustaining our beautiful planet.
