Some of the raw materials we use are in limited supply and there is no guarantee that they will always be available. We are working continually on future strategies to resolve this issue in good time. In order to achieve our 2020 goal of generating 50% of our sales from products with a significantly reduced environmental footprint, we have developed a sustainability product scorecard that allows us to steer product development. This will enable us to minimize packaging waste and maximize formula efficiency.
The Raw Materials Policy, which we developed in 2006, documents our careful handling of raw materials and lays down internationally standardized criteria for their selection.
Florena uses ingredients from natural and sustainable raw materials in all its care products (incl. soaps and shower gels) and does not use any artificial dyes, mineral oils, silicones or polyethylene glycol (PEGs). In addition, all Florena care products make use of ingredients from certified organic cultivation.
In its firming care line, for example, Florena uses organic great burdock fruit from the Lower Saale Valley in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. By purchasing the great burdock fruit, Florena is giving targeted support to projects that focus on the conservation of rare plants and, consequently, biodiversity through the preservation and development of appropriate habitats. Florena also supports the work of the landscape conservation association ‘Landschaftspflegeverein Saaletal e.V.’, which aims to protect the significant biodiversity of the region.
Green tea from Sri Lanka is used in the product range for combination skin. This raw material is a fair trade product and is produced by certified organic farmers. This means that fixed prices, that are 50% above the market price are guaranteed. Additionally, free training and technical advice are provided. Florena’s purchasing power allows it to support local farmers to help themselves and to achieve higher productivity.
Beiersdorf does not use palm oil in the manufacture of its cosmetics, nor does it produce any palm oil or palm kernel oil derivatives. However, we do use – as is customary in the cosmetics industry – agents such as emulsifiers and surfactants in a range of products. These are usually produced from mineral and vegetable oils such as coconut and rapeseed oil – or palm oil and palm kernel oil. In addition, one of the bar soaps that Beiersdorf sources from a supplier contains an ingredient that includes processed palm kernel oil. Our aim is to ensure by 2015 that all of our suppliers use sustainably produced and certified palm oil and palm kernel oil in the raw materials they supply to us. Until then, Beiersdorf is supporting the sustainable production of palm oil and palm kernel oil by regularly purchasing enough certificates to cover its annual consumption. We are also cooperating closely with our suppliers to ensure greater transparency along the supply chain. As a member of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), Beiersdorf also promotes sustainable palm oil cultivation practices. The RSPO has over 500 members, including palm oil producers, oil processing companies, oil traders, companies from the consumer goods industry, banks, investors, and numerous non-governmental organizations. This is just one of our many efforts in the field of responsible sourcing. ...more
Beiersdorf does not use animals to test cosmetic products. This has been our policy long before the directives regulating animal testing in cosmetics went into effect in the European Union in 2004. We are convinced that using animals to test cosmetic products in order to prove that they are safe and effective is not necessary. Some ingredients of cosmetic products however are tested on animals by suppliers in order to be in compliance with legal regulations.
The ingredients of cosmetics are regulated in Europe by the chemical law (REACH). For the registration dossier data from animal tests is required in order to prove their safety for humans and the environment. Legislative bodies have put great effort into minimizing the amount of required animal testing and the industry invests millions of Euros to develop alternative testing methods. Unfortunately, despite many years of immense efforts from the industry and science, there are still no replacement methods available for all of the safety issues required to be addressed by European lawmakers that can deliver reliable results and show a product or material is harmless. Chinese law requires animal testing to be conducted for some product categories as a prerequisite for local product licensing. In such cases the tests are conducted by state-authorized local institutions as part of the licensing process.
We have been working successfully for more than 25 years in the scientific communities, expert panels and associations on the development of in-vitro alternatives to animal testing. Beiersdorf has developed a process which can be used in the future to test substances all over the world for their allergy potential without testing it on animals. As a result Beiersdorf Research was awarded with the 30th Research Prize in November 2011 for “Promoting methodical works with the goal of decreasing and replacing the use of animal testing” by the German Federal Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). Beiersdorf Research has also developed a wide range of other alternative testing methods and already uses many validated methods on a daily basis in the company.
We are actively advocating for the worldwide acceptance of existing animal test-free alternative methods by respective authorities. Further, we support both in terms of personnel and financially the scientific efforts to fill the gaps where alternative methods are not yet available.
