Beauty’s industry representative the British Beauty Council (BBC) has introduced its Sustainable Beauty Coalition (SBC) to accelerate sustainability throughout the industry.
With the aim of strengthening links across beauty and communities, as well as professional bodies, in the name of saving the environment, SBC will work with government representatives to support the global Race to Zero campaign.
Headed by Weleda’s Managing Director and leader in the realm of eco-friendly, Jayn Sterland, the SBC is made up of a ten-strong steering group, which includes Jo Chidley, founder of The Beauty Kitchen and Michelle Feeney, who established fragrance brand Floral Street.
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, an activist site that works to reduce plastic in the environment, is also a helming partner.
“We believe the UK beauty and wellness industry must play its part in bringing about bold, urgent change,” said Sterland.
“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.”
She continued: “Whilst a growing number of brands are taking significant steps to reduce their negative impact on the planet, these efforts are patchy and uncoordinated, and the coalition seeks to address this.”
The coalition has been founded on the back of the BBC’s debut sustainability report Courage to Change, which found one in seven consumers want to buy eco-friendly and that 88% of beauty shoppers want to use less packaging.
The report also found shoppers want companies to display clearer information on how to recycle.
Millie Kendall, CEO of BBC, noted: “It was very clear to us from the Courage to Change report that consumers want the beauty industry to do better, and they expect us to do better.
“We have an array of British talent who are very innovative in the sustainable area, but to make real tangible change, the industry must come together and collaborate.
“This is key and it’s why we have formed the Sustainable Beauty Coalition.”