#124 EcoBeautyScore - How green is my cream?
Is your favourite cream really sustainable? And how can you even tell? This episode of "5 cups a day" is about the EcoBeautyScore - a new rating system that visualises the environmental impact of cosmetic products. Similar to the Nutri-Score for food, the scale ranges from A (very good) to E (high impact). This means you can finally compare creams, serums etc. transparently.
Host Ralf Podszus visits our "sister colleagues" at Beiersdorf in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel. There he meets Dorle Bahr, Head of Sustainability Strategy & Reporting. She drives the sustainability agenda at Beiersdorf, is passionate about sailing - and drinks at least five cups of coffee a day. And Anke Pilzner, Global Claim Advisor & Expert for Green Claims. She ensures that sustainability communication remains honest - and loves doing puzzles to clear her head.
FYI: Beiersdorf and Tchibo belong to the same family of companies, reason enough for us to go over every now and then and see what our neighbours are up to.
The EcoBeautyScore makes visible what has often remained in the dark until now: the actual environmental impact of a product. This is not about a single criterion, but about a holistic view.
- 16 environmental dimensions are included in the assessment, including CO2 emissions, water consumption, impact on biodiversity, energy efficiency and potential pollution. This provides a broad picture of how a product affects our planet.
- The basis for this is a life cycle analysis. It looks at all stages in the life of a product: from the extraction of ingredients and packaging materials, through production and transport, to use at home and finally disposal.
- The result of this complex analysis is presented in a simple letter system from A to E. Similar to the Nutri-Score, consumers can easily compare products within a category and make more conscious purchasing decisions.
We also talk about,
- why 99% of NIVEA and 100% of Eucerin facial care products are already rated A or B and
- how small start-ups can benefit from the score, even though the development was mainly driven by corporations.
Find out whether you would change your favourite product if it suddenly had a "D" and why the EcoBeautyScore creates more transparency for everyone. Listen now!
"This is a real milestone, it's unprecedented for 70 companies to come together and agree on a method for an entire cosmetics industry." Dorle Bahr
"We firmly believe that the introduction of the EcoBeautyScore will lead consumers to choose a more sustainable product [...] and also to more sustainable consumption." Anke Pilzner
"We take 16 different environmental criteria into account, which cover the entire product life cycle." Dorle Bahr
Want to know more about the EcoBeautyScore? Then take a look here at Beiersdorf.
