How does Garnier help farmers?
The Solidarity Sourcing program gives people typically excluded from the job market access to work and a sustainable income. We are committed to implementing fair trade practices across the supply chain, seeking to support and empower farmers and workers to help them improve their revenues and livelihoods. We also provide training to improve their skills in agriculture and give them the latest knowledge on organic farming.

How does Garnier help the local economy?

We facilitate access to health services or welfare protection mechanisms for many of our smallholders. In 2022, our Solidarity Sourcing program enabled 1,431 communities facing social or financial challenges to gain access to or retain a job and fair income. We have also partnered with NGOs to help empower communities through socially responsible or “solidarity” sourcing programmed worldwide.

What does it mean to be sustainably sourced?
When Garnier selects its suppliers, we take into consideration ethical issues, the environmental impact, and social factors. We want our ingredients to be produced and harvested in a responsible and sustainable way. This includes the farmers, the land being used, farming practices, local communities, and many other aspects of sourcing.

Why is sustainable sourcing important?
Garnier feels sustainable sourcing is important because our goal is to ensure that our renewable materials will regenerate in an abundant way, enhancing biodiversity and reducing the impact on climate change.

How can we protect the biodiversity?
Through programs like our Respectful Bee Welfare Program, Garnier sustainably sources all of its ingredients derived from bees through a network of responsible beekeepers and suppliers. Another example is our Solidarity Sourcing project, which was implemented in 2019, in collaboration with Pronatura and MexiAloe. Reaching 56 beneficiairies in 4 villages in 2022, this program helps families adopt organic farming practices, including initiatives to preserve biodiversity on the protected reserves surrounding their farms.

 

What’s Garnier’s sustainable sourcing strategy?
We are fully committed to protecting biodiversity and the planet by leveraging Green sciences to offer our consumers the same high performance while ensuring that every Garnier product is more sustainable. Today, 89% of our bio-based ingredients are sustainably sourced.

Sustainable sourcing is also our priority for our packaging. In 2022, 98.5% of the paper and cardboard used for our product leaflets and folding boxes were made with material from sustainably managed forest certification like FSC®.

How is Garnier going greener?
99% of our new products have an improved social or environmental footprint. We achieved 82% less CO2 emission* in our industrial sites, while producing 95% more products since 2005.

We are sourcing more and more of our natural ingredients sustainably every day, launching natural origin formulas within all our product categories. In 2022, we have improved the sustainability performance of our factories and reduced our use of virgin plastic in packaging.

^{*SCOPE 1 & 2 - MARKET-BASED FOR GARNIER BRAND}

What are Green Sciences?
Green Sciences cover all scientific knowledge, including transforming natural raw materials into high-performing natural ingredients through processes like extraction or fermentation, in a sustainable way that respects the environment. Garnier harnesses the latest life sciences knowledge to unleash the power of nature in our high-performing, sustainable products. We are now using Green Sciences Vitamin Cg and Hyaluronic Acid.

What is green cultivation?
Farming practices that promote the production of natural raw materials in a way that preserves ecosystems and reduces the impact on the environment. This could mean using less water, producing fewer carbon emissions and reducing waste.

How to be beauty responsible?
Garnier was a pioneer in the transparency movement, disclosing the provenance of our ingredients starting in 2017. In June 2020, we launched product environmental and social impact labelling, in order to help consumers to make more sustainable consumption choices.

We source more of our natural ingredients sustainably every day, with natural origin formulas in all our product categories, including our new organic range. We have improved the sustainability performance of our factories and reduced our use of virgin plastic in packaging while increasing recycled content.

Our Green Beauty strategy will enable us to make further progress by taking an end-to-end approach to beauty. This involves commitments to improve our products’ impacts throughout their lifecycle, helping to preserve natural resources, harness clean energy and prevent waste.

What does ‘eco-designed formula’ mean?
With lifecycle assessments, our labs measure the environmental impacts of our products for many years. We focus on improving the biodegradability of our formulas, reducing our water footprint, and lower our products’ impact on the aquatic environment.

What plastics can be recycled?
Most plastics that Garnier uses in our packaging today are PET (Polyethylene Terephtalate), PP (Polypropylene) and PE (Polyethylene). These materials can be recycled and reused several times and are the most recycled plastic materials in the world.

PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) plastics are recycled from plastic waste derived from consumer products. Garnier has committed to using 100% PCR plastics or bio-sourced plastics by 2030.

Garnier believes it’s our responsibility to raise awareness about what parts of our products can be recycled. We are developing videos and tutorials on different types of plastic and diverse recycling streams.

How does Garnier reduce plastic?
We have based our strategy going forward for achieving eco-designed packaging on 4 pillars: using recycled materials, redesigning and innovating, reusing and recycling.

• Innovations
  Some of our plastic-reducing innovations that we are most excited include Ultra Doux Solid shampoo, the ultimate “zero plastic” solution, which was launched in 2020, and has a packaging made of 100% FSC-certified cardboard. In 2022, the complete range of Ultra Doux was repackaged: we developed new refillable bottles that are lighter but more stable, and which have a removable cap and a wider neck. Plus, we created refill pouches for our iconic blends that use 73% less plastic than bottles. In 2022, we also renovated Micellar Cleansing Water with bottles made of 100% recycled plastic* in Europe, saving 2,218 tons of virgin plastic per year**. We will continue to use sustainable and innovative technologies by launching the brand’s first Micellar Cleansing Water All-In-1 bottle, which is made of 100% recycled PET plastic* from previously unrecyclable plastic waste***.
  
  
• Existing Products
  Our goal is to lighten the plastic used in packaging and replace it with recyclable or recycled plastic instead of using virgin plastic. For this, we need a large, preferably local, source for Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics and other sustainable materials. Working in close partnership with our packaging suppliers and plastic manufacturers, we are developing robust sources of supply for PCR, aiming to reach 100% by 2030.
  
  
• Payoff
  In 2022, our use of recycled plastic saved 15 800 tons of virgin plastic. By 2030, all of our products will be made with zero virgin plastic, and all of our packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable, saving 40 000 tons of virgin plastic per year.
  
  
• Community
  We are partnering with the NGO Plastics for Change and will recycle tons of plastic and provide waste pickers with a stable income and access to social services in India. Our first plastic collection center opened in 2022, in Chennai, India. We also feel it’s our responsibility to encourage our consumers to recycle. This way, we will reduce the leakage of plastic into the environment. *100% in Europe since October 2022 for bottle 400ML and below; except cap, colorants & additives
  
  _{**Based of 2022 production quantities
  ***Considered as a lost resource as not taken into account by existing recycling streams}

How do we recycle plastic?
Recyclable plastic is collected, cleaned and sorted by plastic type. It is then shredded, washed, melted and reformed into pellets, or granulate. This granulated plastic is used to make new packaging.

Garnier has developed a new 100% recycled and recyclable PET plastic bottle to house its bestselling Micellar Water using Loop Industries’ breakthrough infinitely recyclable technology.

How to reuse the packaging?
Garnier commits to promoting reusable or refillable systems, piloting new partnerships and models. Have a look at our Ultra Doux refill eco-packaging.

What is virgin plastic?
Virgin plastic is newly manufactured plastic that has never been used in a product or processed before. Recycling plants take virgin plastic thrown away by consumers and use it as their raw material.

Garnier aims to save 40,000 tons of virgin plastic per year. We are reinventing our packaging so it will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030. By then, all our products will be made with zero virgin plastic, using instead 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics or bio-sourced plastics.

How does Garnier reduce the weight of their packaging?
Garnier commits to reduce the weight and size of packaging by redesigning caps and plastic bottles, reducing the size of sachets, and removing liners from sachets. We are also innovating towards new, plastic-free packaging and seeking new alternatives to replace single-use formats.

By lightweigting our plastic packaging, we saved 15 813 tons of virgin plastic in 2022. We will continue to lighten our plastic packaging, reaching 40 000 tons of plastic saved in 2030.

How to reduce CO2 emissions?
All our plants have continually worked on lowering carbon emissions by increasing energy efficiency through better building design and insulation, as well as using energy efficient technologies for industrial processes and finally sourcing more renewable energy locally.

These types of efforts led to us lowering our carbon footprint by 82% from 2005-2022. However, our goal is for all of our industrial sites to use 100% renewable energy by 2025. We will do that by harnessing technologies best suited to each site: biomethanisation, solar panels, biomass, wind energy, etc.

 

How to reduce energy consumption?
Within our production facilities and distribution centers, we will continue to optimize our use of energy, with a goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2025.

What is a sustainable factory?
A sustainable factory is one that reduces its energy needs by implementing energy sobriety approaches as well as improving the energy efficiency of its facilities (buildings, equipment, industrial processes, etc.), and uses local renewable energy.

How to reduce the water consumption? 
Garnier is re-thinking water use across its sites in order to significantly reduce its industrial water consumption. We already have three “waterloop” factories, where 100% of industrial water use (for cleaning and cooling, for example) is re-treated, recycled or reused water. We no longer need fresh water for these processes.

By treating and reusing high quality water in an internal loop, we are able to reduce our water consumption and the factory’s environmental impact. Our three ‘Waterloop factories’ have increased the efficiency of their water management and inspired other factories worldwide. We aim to have 100% Waterloop factories by 2030.

How Garnier reduces their carbon impact?
As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce our products’ environmental impact, we will support all our Garnier industrial sites in adopting 100% renewable energy in the next years.

What actions will Garnier set to help protect the ocean?
To make a positive impact beyond the beauty industry, we have forged a partnership with Ocean Conservancy, an NGO working to turn the tide on ocean plastic for more than 30 years. Together, we will raise awareness of the importance of cleaning oceans and beaches and encourage our employees and consumers to participate in the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest single day volunteer effort to fight ocean plastic.

 

Garnier takes a step further to protect the oceans by opening its first Plastic Waste Collection Center in India to collect Ocean Bound Plastic. We hope to make a big impact, not only on the environment but also on the local community.

 

We aim to collect 2 000 tonnes of Ocean Bound Plastic the first year with the help of 50 people working on site and 300 waste collectors in the local community.

 

What is plastic pollution?
Plastic pollution has become a pressing challenge in the past few decades. Today, more than 350 million tons of all plastic produced annually, and only 20% of plastic waste is recycled worldwide. The rest becomes waste, polluting our environment. Today, over 75% of all plastic produced in the world has become waste. Plastic pollution harms wildlife and natural ecosystems and contributes to climate change.

 

How much plastic is in the ocean?
Up to 12.7 million tons of plastic leak into the ocean each year. By 2050, scientists predict that plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean. The world is discarding the equivalent of 1 garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute. (Source : UN Environment Programme https://environmentlive.unep.org/marinepollution).

 

How does plastic get into the ocean?
Plastic pollution in our oceans is largely caused when people don’t have the opportunity to dispose of their waste responsibly. Instead, their plastic waste often enters local rivers, eventually flowing into the ocean. At the heart of the problem, the majority of plastic pollution is currently due to business models supporting single-use packaging; waste mismanagement leaking plastic into the environment; and a supply chain currently producing five times more virgin plastic than recycled plastic.

 

What are the effects of plastic in the ocean?
More than 800 species of marine animals are affected by plastic pollution, either through ingestion, entanglement or chemical contamination. It is the cause of death of millions of seabirds and marine mammals, some marine species being on the verge of extinction because of plastic ocean pollution. Consumption of plastic by marine creatures causes health issues that spread up the food chain to larger marine animals and finally to the humans who eat them. Plastic in the seas also pollutes the oceanic waters, lowering the oxygen levels and affecting the survival of marine animals including whales, dolphins and penguins. Birds and land animals get caught in the choke-hold of plastic on beaches. It poses a threat to the functioning of marine ecosystems, and micro-plastic particles floating in the ocean are toxic for all living beings.

 

Why have you decided to partner with Plastics For Change? 
At Garnier, we believe we have a duty to empower people all around the world. Garnier has been committed to Solidarity Sourcing programs since 2008 and we aim to continue sourcing more ingredients and material that create a positive social impact. We hope to empower 1,000 communities by 2025.

 

Over 3 billion people around the world live without access to organised waste collection. That’s almost half the planet’s population. Some of the world’s most underprivileged people collect this waste to try to make a living. The waste collectors, many of them women, often live below the poverty line and work in appalling conditions. Through Plastics For Change, Garnier is supporting the holistic development of waste collector communities in India. Plastics For Change supports education for children, healthcare, nutrition, financial literacy and empowerment for girls & women - the basic foundations of a healthy and happy community.

 

What is ocean bound plastic?
Ocean bound plastic is defined as abandoned plastic waste recovered within the range of 50km from shore and that will eventually end up discharged in the ocean by the effect of winds, rainfall, river flow or tides.

 

Why are you opening a collection center in Chennai?
Andrew Almack, Plastics For Change’s Founder has a long standing experience in South Asia. Along with his team, they have identified Chennai as a key area to operate into, which is why we have decided to open our first Collection Center there. Chennai is located on the southeast coast of India where a major quantity of plastics end up in the ocean and waterways. Thanks to the help of 300 Waste Collectors we are hoping to collect more than 2 000 tons of plastic the first year.

 

What initiatives is Garnier taking to tackle plastic pollution worldwide? 
Garnier is committed to an innovative policy of packaging optimisation to promote the circular economy. We also look beyond our own products to fight plastic pollution, including by collecting waste plastic. Our Plastic Stewardship program has four key focus areas, and is entirely science-based.

 

We reduce plastic packaging whenever possible:

• We innovate to develop plastic-free packaging
• We commit to lighten our plastic packaging

 

We phase out virgin plastics

• In 2021, 31% of our annual plastic consumption is with the use of recycled plastic

 

We build and support circular models to close the loop on plastics

• We commit to 100% recyclable, refillable or compostable packaging by 2025
• We commit to help consumers recycle packaging effectively. We estimate and understand plastic waste in our local markets

 

We actively tackle plastic waste

• We support the collection of plastic from the environment hand in hand with Ocean Conservancy and Plastics For Change