Clarins, Coty, L’Oréal and Groupe Rocher have teamed up on a new initiative to encourage sustainability within the beauty industry.

The four cosmetics giants worked with EcoVadis, a collaborative platform providing sustainability ratings and performance improvement tools, on the concept, which has been titled the Responsible Beauty Initiative (RBI). The initiative was created in Paris with the aim of improving ethical, social and environmental performance and progress throughout the beauty supply chain.

Beauty brands are vaunting their sustainable credentials. Photo: © kasto80 / IStock.com

The collaborative effort aims to strengthen sustainable practices, improve environmental footprint and social impacts and maximize shared value across its collective supply chain. The brands involved will share best practices and processes, leverage common tools to create benefits for suppliers and cultivate a common understanding of sustainability performance across the industry. The aim of the initiative is to boost sustainability in its members’ value chains, while creating benefits for suppliers by engaging them more effectively.

"RBI members are well-positioned to leverage their collaboration to create value and competitive advantage by advancing sustainability performance in its shared global supply chains," said Pierre-Francois Thaler, Co-CEO of EcoVadis, in a statement.

Sustainability has grew in importance among the cosmetics industry, with an increase in consumer awareness regarding the ethics, manufacturing processes and ingredients used in the products.

Back in May, for instance, Chopard unveiled a range of sustainable fragrances created around fair trade ingredients, while Aveda has rolled out various sustainability initiatives, including natural ingredient sourcing, waste management and corporate philanthropy.