Ethical sourcing and biodiversity will be featured in the 3rd Asia-Pacific edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit (www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com/Asia), hosted in Hong Kong on 11-13 November.
By casting the spotlight on the environmental impact of cosmetic ingredients, the summit aims to raise awareness and encourage sustainable sourcing in the region. Rapid economic development and industrialisation have had a heavy toll on Asian ecosystems. Dr Muhammed Majeed, founder of international ingredients firm Sabinsa, will set the tone for the summit with his opening keynote on sustainable sourcing. He will explain why a major ethical dilemma Asian countries face is ‘economic advancement or conservation?’ With Asia experiencing unprecedented economic growth, some argue that environmental degradation has been a worthwhile price to pay for rising prosperity. Proceeding speakers will give best-practices in raw material ethical sourcing, showing how economic and ecological development can be intertwined. Novel green ingredients, especially those originating from Asia, will also be featured. The healing properties of ayurvedic ingredients like neem and amla in cosmetic products will be highlighted. Another paper looks at the use of traditional Chinese herbs in modern skincare products. Dr Fred Zuelli from Mibelle Biochemistry will discuss the sustainable harvesting of actives from agricultural raw material. Other topics include marine ingredients, emerging natural actives, and sustainable processing methods. For the first time, the summit will give an update on the legislative framework for cosmetic products in Europe, the US and Asian countries. Details will be given of new EU regulations, which are increasingly perceived as a barrier to market entry by non-European brands. Other papers will look at the mushrooming of green standards, such as natural, organic, fair trade, and green spa.
