L’Oréal goes above and beyond with CO₂ reduction goals

Fighting climate change: a priority

L’Oréal recognised the importance of rising to the challenges presented by the global environmental crisis more than 20 years ago, and began reducing the environmental footprint of its manufacturing plants and distribution centres in 2009. Its Sharing Beauty With All sustainable development programme further strengthened these commitments in 2013, backed by concrete improvement targets for products and impact reduction: between 2005 and 2020, the Group reduced CO₂ emissions at its plants and distribution centres by 81%, all while increasing production volume by 29%.

L'Oréal also joined Business Ambition for 1.5°C in 2019 and is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Launched in 2020, L’Oréal for the Future sets several milestones on the way to meeting that target:

- Reach carbon neutrality at all sites by 2025 (scopes 1 and 2), a goal already achieved by all Chinese and American subsidiary sites.

- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions (scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 50% on average per finished product by 2030 (25% compared with 2016) by tackling direct and indirect impacts tied, for example, to supplier business and consumer use. 

Innovating to make products more sustainable

Driven by its commitment to making the use of its products more sustainable, L’Oréal is innovating and investing to reduce their indirect environmental impact, since most of a product’s CO₂ emissions are actually directly linked to its use by consumers. For example, 70% of the carbon footprint of shampoo comes from the energy used to heat the water required to rinse it out. So, L’Oréal partnered with Swiss startup Gjosa to develop a practical solution for hair salons: the Water Saver showerhead. This remarkable innovation can rinse out shampoo with just 2.4 litres of water, compared with the usual 7 litres.

L’Oréal is also developing solutions like dry shampoos, leave-in conditioners, solid shampoos and quick-rinse products that require less—or no—water to rinse out, in order to reduce CO₂ emissions from the energy required to heat the water.

To combat climate change, the Group is rolling out initiatives to reduce the impact of transporting products and supporting strategic suppliers in their own green transitions, especially in their efforts to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions.   

Working together to encourage sustainable consumption

L’Oréal’s sustainable transformation relies strongly on an accurate assessment of the impacts of its products and the action taken to mitigate them. This same information also plays a crucial role in enabling consumers to make informed, sustainable choices, which is why the Group rolled out a social and environmental labelling system graded from A to E to better inform consumers. L’Oréal also came together with four other multinational companies in an unprecedented collective effort to develop an industry-wide rating system to assess the environmental impact of beauty products.

To raise awareness among the public and encourage more companies and organisations to work hand in hand to address the climate emergency, L’Oréal was the official sponsor of the opening ceremony for Climate Week NYC 2021, a major annual event in New York devoted to accelerating climate action by bringing together companies, governments and organisations.