L’Oréal Group has announced that its North Asia Zone is its first to reach carbon neutrality.
Across the five geographic markets of Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan all of L’Oréal’s operated sites, plants, distribution centres, offices and research & innovation centres are now carbon neutral.
“With the United Nations warning that every country, city, organisation should adopt plans for net zero – the call to act has seen L’Oréal North Asia Zone rise to the challenge and show true leadership,” said Fabrice Megarbane, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China.
“As a company, we recognised the gravity of the global environmental crisis more than 20 years ago and began reducing our environmental footprint in our manufacturing plants and distribution centres back in 2009.
“With the launch of our ambitious sustainability commitment in 2020 – L’Oréal for the Future – which states that all L’Oréal sites worldwide must reach carbon neutrality by 2025, the North Asia Zone accelerated its efforts to achieve its goals, which we are immensely proud of.”
Mainland China was the first of L’Oréal’s markets worldwide to achieve carbon neutrality for all L’Oréal sites in 2019.
Now, with the Japan market achieving carbon neutrality for its sites in July 2022, L’Oréal can claim North Asia as the first of the group’s zones to achieve carbon neutrality for all sites the business operates.
Measures taken to achieve this milestone, said L’Oréal, included reducing CO2 emissions in Mainland China and South Korea through the installation of onsite renewable energy-generating facilities like solar panels and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems which use biogas to produce steam, electricity and heat.
L’Oréal also sources local renewable energy. In Mainland China, for example, its Yichang Tianmei plant achieved carbon neutrality in 2018 with 100% use of hydropower, while L’Oréal Korea has participated in Korea’s RE-100 system (a global initiative on renewable power) since 2021.
The Japanese Gotemba plant installed new electrical boilers using renewable electricity, while L’Oréal Japan’s research & innovation centre, offices and plant met carbon neutrality goals by participating in the local Green Power and Heat Certificates initiative.
L’Oréal Taiwan became the first company to channel its renewable energy efforts through Power Purchasing Agreements with local authorities, while L’Oréal’s Hong Kong site achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 with the implementation of energy efficiency measures, the installation of LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and sourcing of local renewable electricity for its office.
“From today, in North Asia, each L’Oréal product is produced and stored in plants and warehouses that are carbon neutral,” said Pankaj Gupta, SVP of L’Oréal North Asia and China Operations.
“Going forward, we will further collaborate with our stakeholders to reduce CO2 emissions along the entire industry value chain through product innovation and consumer empowerment programmes, transportation upgrading and collaboration with strategic suppliers.”
L’Oréal is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 compared with 2016, and hopes to reach net zero emissions by 2050.