The European Commission's Green Consumption Pledge was launched at the end of January, and L'Oréal is among the first five companies to sign up. The initiative forms part of the European Climate Pact. Participating companies – which in this pilot phase include Colruyt, Decathlon, Lego and Renewd, along with L'Oréal – pledge to accelerate the pace of their contribution to a green transformation of Europe, according to the EU. In addition to sustainable economic recovery, the project aims to increase consumer confidence in the environmental credentials of companies and products.

More Transparency in the Environmental Footprint for Products

"In publishing the New Consumer Agenda last fall, we articulated our goal of empowering consumers to make environmentally friendly choices," according to EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. To do this, consumers need "more transparency on the carbon footprint and sustainability of products."

In accordance with the five core commitments that form the basis of the Green Consumption Pledge, L'Oréal has undertaken to achieve CO2 neutrality for all its sites worldwide by 2025, among other things. The company also plans to reduce the environmental footprint of new and renewed products relative to 2019. This is to apply to all shampoos for the first time in 2021. A further product category is planned to follow each year.

Pilot Phase Runs for One Year

To help consumers make better decisions about sustainable product choices, L'Oréal plans to publish data regarding the environmental footprint of its products on its websites. The group also intends to update the public on the progress of its programme on an annual basis. With all these measures, the company builds on existing activities that are part of the framework of its own sustainability programme.

The Green Consumption Pledge initiative's pilot phase will run until January 2022. The first results will then be assessed and next steps determined, according to the EU.

Sources: European Commission, L’Oréal, photo: XXX