The EcoBeautyScore Consortium has been officially launched, with the aim of developing “an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products” on a global basis.
The consortium has 36 members, including industry associations like Cosmetics Europe and the International Fragrance Association, as well as major brands including Unilever, P&G, Estée Lauder, Johnson & Johnson, Henkel and L’Oréal. Membership is open to others as well.
The consortium aims to develop a system to help provide consumers with clear, transparent and comparable environmental impact information. It is working with sustainability consultancy Quantis to ensure it has “a robust and scientific approach to build an assessment methodology and scoring system”. This will be based on:
- A common method for measuring environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of products, backed by the principles of the EU’s Product Environmental Footprint method for of lifecycle assessment
- A common database of environmental impact of standard ingredients and raw materials used in formulas, packaging and product usage
- A common tool that enables the assessment of the environmental impact of individual products, usable by non-experts
- A harmonised scoring system that enables companies, voluntarily, to inform consumers about the environmental footprint of their cosmetic products
The members have started to work together in thematic working groups. A footprinting and scoring prototype is targeted for end of 2022, providing initial environmental scoring for a selection of product categories. It will then be verified by independent parties.
