Winners Named in the Sustainable Beauty Awards

The winners of the inaugural Sustainable Beauty Awards were announced at a dedicated awards reception in Paris on October 21, 2013. Attended by over 160 executives, the awards reception honored operators making a valuable contribution to the sustainable development of the beauty industry.

Award winners were chosen from three finalists, selected from over 100 international entries. Reflecting the diverse nature of sustainability, the winners comprise dedicated natural and organic beauty companies, as well as multinationals involved in finished products and ingredients.

The 2013 winners and runner-ups by award category are:

  • Sustainability PioneerL’Oréal USA–Garnier won for its beauty brigade program, which diverts beauty packaging from landfills. Working with Terracycle, the program has collected 2.5 million pieces of packaging waste and upcycled it into new products. Organic Monitor commends the program because of the high environmental footprint of packaging waste, which comprises a third of household landfill waste.
  • The Greek company Apivita was the Sustainability Pioneer runner-up because of the social impact of its pastilles project. In partnership with Medicins Sans Frontiers, Apivita launched sweet pastilles in 2012 with all proceeds given to social causes.
  • Sustainability LeadershipWeleda was recognized for its value-creation model. Since 1921, the Swiss company has spearheaded a number of projects that cover various aspects of sustainability.
  • The flavors and fragrances multinational Firmenich was the category runner-up for its holistic approach to sustainability, which involves partnering with NGOs and stakeholders.
  • Sustainable PackagingLaboratoires Expanscience was awarded for the reduced packaging footprint of its Mustela range of baby care products. By deploying the ecodesign approach, it is removing about 60 tonnes of plastics from product packaging.
  • The Irish company You Organic Skincare was the runner-up for the low environmental footprint of its novel packaging. It uses aluminium foil packaging pouches for its organic body care products.
  • Sustainable IngredientInternational Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) won with its LMR Rose Water Essential. The ultraconcentrated material has a significantly lower ecological impact than traditional rose waters.
  • AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry was runner-up with its Recentia serum. Produced by Zeta Fraction technology, the material is produced by a novel sustainable processing technique.
  • Green FormulationsJasmin Aromatique was awarded for its range of certified organic beauty products. The Australian company received high ratings for its organic skin care formulations.
  • Bulgaria-based Alteya Organics was the runner-up with its line of rose water-based skin care products.

The Sustainability Beauty Awards were launched by Organic Monitor to recognize the sustainability achievements of operators in the beauty industry. Speaking at the awards reception in Paris, Amarjit Sahota, founder and president of Organic Monitor, said, “As well as giving industry recognition, we hope the awards will inspire others in the beauty industry to take the green road.”

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