Premium Beauty News - The range of green materials for cosmetic and personal care products is widening. What are the main challenges regarding sustainability and safety?
Chris Sayner - The consensus from the Climate Change Conference in France (December 2015) was to reduce the Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) by 50% by 2050 in order to keep Global warming to less than 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The chemical industry has a major part to play in meeting this objective including moving from petroleum based to renewable materials. In Croda we report GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) indicator EN1 measuring the percentage of renewable raw material used. We are in the 60-70% range whereas many companies are under 10%.
The drive for sustainability in Personal Care Ingredients is essentially all things environmental: reducing carbon footprint, water, waste, increased renewable raw materials and use of non-fossil fuel energy, greater efficiency of products in use and sustainable raw material supply. Sustainable raw material supply really focusses on renewable vs petrochemical and of course the sustainability credentials of the renewable raw materials, palm being a current focus.
Premium Beauty News - How can sustainability be assessed and compared?
Chris Sayner - Most companies issue a sustainable summary report each year. Big cosmetic companies are interested in reduction of energy and waste, an increase of renewable ingredients and social accountability. We focus on the twelve Principles of Green Chemistry to assist in reducing our impact on the environment.
We invested a lot in our plant in Delaware sourcing landfill gas from municipal waste to furnish us with 60% -70% renewable energy.
Premium Beauty News - In your opinion, what are the main avenues for innovation in the green ingredients field?
Chris Sayner - Increased use of Bio based, renewable and sustainable raw materials for ingredient manufacture, as well as bio fermentation, which is incremental to new development.
