Sustainability is a huge issue for the world right now and beauty plays an important part in making sure we help, not harm the planet. More and more consumers now take environmental concerns into consideration when buying beauty. The British Beauty Council’s Planet Positive Beauty Guide, published last year, found that ‘a recent study of 23,000 beauty shoppers found almost half (48%) are looking for more information and clarity about brands’ values and commitments to the environment’.
Packaging is a particular issue: As the British Beauty Council’s report states, ‘with 95% of packaging thrown away, packaging is one of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the beauty industry’.
What we can do as consumers:
As consumers, there are small steps we can take to be more mindful in the way we choose and use beauty products. Just some of these steps can include:
- Only buy what you need
- Choose recyclable, refillable and/or minimal packaging
- Swap from plastic packaging to glass
- Make sure you put recyclable beauty packaging into your recycle bin – not the bathroom bin
- Avoid single-use products and sheet masks
- Avoid cotton wool usage by using products that don’t require cotton wool, or using washable cotton pads instead
- Buy British-made brands where possible, to reduce the transportation carbon footprint
Check out the British Beauty Council’s Planet Positive Beauty Guide for much more advice, tips and guidance on going green with your beauty routine.
What sustainability action is Willowberry taking?
Ethics and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do at Willowberry. As a natural skincare brand with a conscience, we are committed to sustainable values that honour the future of our planet.
This is why our cruelty-free products are made in the UK, using ethical ingredients. All of our skincare is packaged in glass bottles and jars inside recyclable boxes and despatched in 100% recyclable parcel packaging.
We are always striving to do better which is why we launched our Sustainable Swaps initiative, making small changes that add up to a big difference, especially when we can influence our supply chain for a bigger effect. Here are some of the moves we’ve made:
- Our chia seed oil is now sourced from the UK, taking it from soil to oil in less than 200 miles
- We use paper parcel tape, saving 250m of plastic for every 1,000 parcels sent
- We swapped unsustainable rosewood oil with coriander seed oil, saving 30 years’ growth for every rosewood tree spared
- Our tamper seals are now biodegradable, saving 10m of plastic for every 1,000 products sold
- We have reduced our parcel sizes, decreasing our waste and carbon footprint by 30%
- We now use non-toxic, recyclable inks on our labels and boxes
- We decided on a pump dispenser when creating our new Willowberry PHA Liquid Exfoliator, to prevent pouring excess product and to remove the need for cotton pads
Find out more on the sustainability page of our website.
The Planet Positive Beauty Guide from the British Beauty Council ends on a positive note, reminding us that: ‘It takes a planet full of people making small changes to make a big difference, so let’s start making more planet positive choices for ourselves and our planet. What could be more beautiful than that?’
Every step counts and taking action can help us all do less harm, more good.
Willowberry is nutritious natural skincare for grown-ups, for your best skin.
A favourite with top make-up artists, Willowberry's luxurious award-winning products protect skin’s natural barrier function, to nourish and revive grown-up skin without telling women to be 'anti-ageing'.
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