With consumers and companies waking up to the importance of wildlife and people positively coexisting in order to thrive, beauty brands are emerging as early adopters of a new type of certification
Julie Stein
Humans and animals may have shared a planet for millennia, but only in recent centuries has mankind recognised that for the world, its wildlife and communities to thrive, we need to go beyond basic coexistence.
Now more than ever, businesses have a responsibility to act sustainably, taking into account their impact on the environment, animals and people. From the sourcing of ingredients to logistics and transport, and packaging, consumers are increasingly questioning the ethos of brands and asking whether a company truly meets their own standards.
Scottish beauty brand Seilich recently became the first UK-based brand to be awarded Wildlife Friendly Certification – a mark that shows a company’s commitment to sustainability, wildlife and habitats.
It is one of a growing number of cosmetics companies seeking out the certification created by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, which requires applicants to demonstrate ‘at field level’ the conservation efforts they are running or supporting.
Here, Julie Stein, Executive Director and co-founder of the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, talks to Cosmetics Business about the organisation’s mission, its certified beauty brands and aspirations.
What is Wildlife Friendly Certification and when did it launch?
The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) was formally launched in 2007.
We are a global learning network of farmers and ranchers, harvesters, artisans, indigenous people, wildlife biologists and other natural resource experts. Along with aspirational brands and their consumers, we believe that the health of endangered and vulnerable wildlife, local communities and the most spectacular landscapes left on earth are inextricably bound together.
We are built on the belief – and it is our mission – that wildlife and people cannot only coexist and survive as neighbours on the land, but go beyond that to thrive.
We use certification as a practical tool to get conservation work done and...
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