Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Europe 2015 Agenda Announced

London – Major developments in green materials, sustainability metrics, ethical labels, and digital marketing will be featured in the European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit (www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com/Europe). The summit will be hosted at the Paris Marriott Champs-Elysées on 21-23rd October.

With cosmetic and ingredient firms under growing pressure to reduce their environmental impacts,sustainability metrics are gaining popularity. The opening session looks at popular approaches to measure environmental and social footprints. Elizabeth Laville, Founder and Director of Utopies, will present the latest sustainability metrics on cosmetic products.

Yves Rocher will show how it is using such metrics in its sustainability strategy, whilst Bruno Garnier from Carrefour will state how the supermarket chain is addressing its packaging impacts. Vicky Murray from Neal’s Yard Remedies will outline the steps it has taken to become the first carbon-neutral retailer in the UK. Featured speakers will also debate the practical use of metrics: do they over-complicate the green agenda, or help focus sustainability efforts?

The green materials session will give an update on the growing array of sustainable ingredients available to product developers and formulators. Henrik Vingaard, Sourcing Director of AAK, will highlight the pitfalls and opportunities when sourcing raw materials from Africa. Active Concepts will show how sustainable extraction methods can help with product innovations. As the cosmetics industry looks to move away from polyethylene beads, J. Rettenmaier & Söhne will outline the green exfoliant alternatives. Other speakers will cover green chemistry in cosmetic formulations, novel marine ingredients, and sustainable alternatives to palm oil.

With concerns about labels proliferation in the cosmetics industry, the ethical labels session will give an update on recent developments and give future projections. Details will be given of new labelling schemes, such as Vegan Society, Nordic Swan and Fairtrade. Farhan Tufail from Halal Certification Schemes will highlight the potential of the Halal labelling scheme for cosmetics.

With over 20 standards now for natural & organic cosmetics, leading certification agencies will discuss recent developments. Carmen Esteban from the ISO Working Group will give an update on the ISO standard for natural and organic cosmetics. Is this the solution to global harmonisation? Tom Hornshøj-Møller, R&D Manager at Urtekram, and Salma Chaudhry of the Halal Cosmetics Company will give the brands perspective on adopting ethical standards.

The digital marketing session will look at the disruptive influence of mobile technology on the marketing of cosmetic products in the context of sustainability. Manuel Fernandes from Friends of the Earth will show how its ToxFox mobile app is being used to screen safe cosmetics. Thorsten Kremser from Faktor 3 will highlight the growing potential of social media marketing: how can cosmetic brands fully utilise Facebook, Pinterest, You Tube, Twitter and Instagram?

Sonia White, owner of the UK online retailer Love Lula, will give pointers to brands on how to maximise online retail sales. Other speakers will cover digital consumer behaviour and mobile commerce developments. The agenda of the European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit reflects the growing complexity of sustainability in the beauty industry.  

According to the organiser Organic Monitor: brands not only have to consider green ingredients / formulations and labelling schemes, but also packaging impacts, raw material sourcing, carbon and water footprints, operational efficiency, as well as the pervasive influence of mobile technology on marketing. This 7th European edition aims to help the cosmetics industry resolve many of these sustainability concerns.

About the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit

Since 2009, the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit has been covering sustainability issues in the cosmetic & personal care industry. The international series of summits now takes place in the major geographic regions of the world. The European edition will be hosted at the Paris Marriott Champs-Elysées on 21-23rd October.

Originally published on www.worldpressonline.com