African Beauty Brand Founders:Sustainability

Hey Tribe

Trust you are all keeping safe and productive.

Recently I have spending a lot of browse time on LinkedIn(that's my favourite social media space) and there has been a lot of conversations regarding 'sustainability in the beauty industry' .

A lot of these conversations have been driven by beauty brand founders seeking safer alternatives for the planet in regards to packaging, ingredients, people and sourcing. I have had some of these conversations with some African beauty founders and its refreshing to hear that many have already taken some small steps to include this in their brand ethos.

Beauty Businesses in African can no longer afford to pay lip service to green issues. Research has shown that many consumers are becoming conscious of brands commitment to a safer planet.

One will argue that African businesses have no time for this and are just focused on survival but I can assure you the pendulum is shifting.

During the COP26 Climate week, the British beauty council(which I am a member of) had a series of events discussing the planet and how beauty brands can do their own part.

Allow me to share some:

1. CONSIDER THE FIVE Rs
   Oriele: The five Rs are absolutely key.

What can you remove?
What can you reduce?
What can you recycle?
Can you refill?
What about rot, what is actually going down the plughole?

     2.THINK BEYOND PROFITS

      Jayn: “Sustainability isn’t about consumerism or selling more. It’s about improving every element of what we do – from a product perspective, a business practice perspective and charity perspective. The purpose of business can be really effective in building communities and investing in society – not something that’s all about profit.”

     3.THINK DIFFERENTLY

Michelle: “Do not start a brand or a product line, or launch anything, unless it can be planet positive. Anybody who wants to launch a business, you’ve got to think about the ingredients, how you put them together, how you package the product and who you work or partner with. Start-ups have the ability to think differently and act quickly. 

    4.BE TRANSPARENT

Jessi: “Being open as a brand and being vulnerable on what you’re doing and the progress you’re making in an authentic way is very important. It is also really important to show the change you’re making in a credible way. One of the easiest ways to do that is working through with third parties through certifications – don’t just mark your own homework, get external credible accreditation.” 

    5.SET MEASURABLE TARGETS

Oriele: “If we don’t measure anything, how can we improve? There are science-based targets you can sign up to measure your carbon footprint. We worked with an agency and found that our biggest greenhouse gas emissions came from the consumer using our product – using three litres of warm water to cleanse their face or using as much as 35 litres in the shower.”

It's still a lot to learn and unlearn about our planet and how we can keep it safe for other generations to come.

For us at BLOT Beauty Cosmetics, we are approaching sustainability one step at time. Next week, we hope to announce a step in the right direction for our brand in pushing towards sustainability and planet positivity.

Cheers

xoxo

Funke