French beauty brand Guerlain has joined the Union for Ethical Bio Trade (UEBT) to strengthen its commitment towards ethical sustainable sourcing.

The announcement was made on 5 June to coincide with World Environment Day. Joining UEBT will enable Guerlain to maintain transparency and continue improving its practices.

Sustainable development is an essential concern for the House of Guerlain and the conservation of nature has been among its core actions over the past 14 years.

Forty of its most significant sourcing channels will be inspected now it has become a UEBT member. These will include, for example, the supplier in Calabria, Italy, through which Guerlain sources bergamot, mandarin and neroli.

Guerlain will roll out sustainable development plans so the brand, along with its suppliers and producers can go even further in terms of sourcing natural materials through ethical, environmentally friendly methods. The aim is for its supply chains to be certified with the UEBT standard by 2026.

SOURCING NATURAL MATERIALS 

“Through this firm action, the House reaffirms its commitment to sourcing its natural materials in a manner that respects humankind and nature,” the brand said.

Founded in 2007, the UEBT is a non-governmental organisation recognised for its standard of practices regarding ethical sourcing of ingredients produced through biodiversity.

UEBT has established an ethical BioTrade standard based on the principles of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development BioTrade Initiative.

Updated regularly, the standard is aligned with the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nation’s goals for sustainable development.

In order to become a member of the UEBT, commitments must be made to source in accordance with seven principles. These are conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biodiversity; socio-economic sustainability; compliance with national and international legislation and agreements; respect for rights of workers and communities; and clarity about land tenure, right of use and access to natural resources.

As a member of the UEBT, the House of Guerlain says it is committed to sourcing that respects humankind and biodiversity.

The brand also indicated it is setting new objectives and improving sourcing methods to ensure they are compliant with the UEBT standard in terms of ethics and biodiversity.

Guerlain strongly demonstrated its sustainability credentials during this publication’s ground-breaking Travel Retail Sustainability Week event, achieving ‘Sustainability Trailblazer’ status in the fourth and final session of the acclaimed Travel Retail Sustainability Pitch Programme.

[See the below video of the final session of the Travel Retail Sustainability Pitch Programme featuring Guerlain at Travel Retail Sustainability Week]

Cecile Lochard, Sustainable Development Director at Guerlain also participated in the ‘Beautiful Future: Sustainability in Fragrance, Skincare and Cosmetics’ educational session on 19 April at TRSW.

Commenting on the company’s decision to join UEBT she said: “At Guerlain, raw materials have been a source of inspiration and innovation ever since the creation of our House, so it seems only evident that we should make a commitment to protecting biodiversity, in ensuring the quality and sustainability of our creations and savoir-faire, while giving back to nature as much as she gives to us.

“We are delighted to take this commitment even further today with the UEBT, which enables us to coordinate our actions with the new expectations of Society and of our customers, all of which are backed by ambitious objectives.

“The UEBT standard encompasses a number of social, environmental and economic criteria. The fulfilment of these criteria involves playing an active part in preserving the diversity of our ecosystems while helping people around the world to lead dignified and healthy lives.”

[Cecile Lochard, Sustainable Development Director at Guerlain participated in the ‘Beautiful Future: Sustainability in Fragrance, Skincare and Cosmetics’ session at Travel Retail Sustainability Week which can be seen below.]

Rik Kutsch Lojenga, Executive Director, UEBT added: “It’s wonderful to see a leading luxury brand such as this one expressing its commitment to ethical sourcing that respects people and biodiversity.

“By committing to improve its sourcing of naturally derived ingredients in accordance with an internationally recognised standard, Guerlain stands right at the forefront of the industry.

“In doing so, they are responding to the ever-increasing demands of today’s consumers for brands not only to protect biodiversity, but also to protect the communities that enable the raw materials to be grown and harvested.”