Wella Company joins UN Global Compact for sustainability

By Julia Wray | Published: 15-Jun-2022

The O.P.I and ghd owner follows L’Oréal and Unilever in signing up to the initiative

Wella Company has joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest initiative for sustainability in business.

The UNGC asks signatories to adhere to ten principles under the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

Wella Company joins a roster of UNGC participants in the beauty industry, including L’Oréal, Unilever, Shiseido, Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, Coty and L’Occitane Group.

“Wella Company aims to be a purpose-driven company, embedding ESG (environment, social, governance) at our core, becoming a force for good for our global community and all our stakeholders,” said Annie Young-Scrivner, Chief Executive Officer of Wella Company.

“Since our first day as a standalone company, just 18 months ago, we began working toward this goal.”

Young-Scrivner described the company's UNGC participation as “an important step”.

Wella Company’s Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer, Hilary Crnkovich, added: “Our stakeholders have told us our greatest impact points are in our operations and in our product offerings. Therefore, reducing our negative impact related to climate, water, packaging, and waste is crucial.

“We believe our efforts will be not only actionable but attainable in the coming years.”

Wella Company, whose portfolio encompasses O.P.I, ghd and Briogeo, has committed to a carbon emission reduction of 28% by 2030.

Water consumption per unit and the amount of waste per unit produced in the company’s owned facilities will be reduced by 35% by 2030, respectively.

Finally, Wella Company has ambitious goals to reduce virgin materials use by 50% in its packaging by 2030, versus its 2019 baseline, and make 100% of its packaging recyclable, reusable or refillable.

The ten UNGC principles

1. Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; 2. and make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

3. Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; 4. the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; 5. the effective abolition of child labour; 6. and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

7. Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; 8. undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; 9. and encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

And 10. Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

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