Incentives for Cosmetic Companies to Go Green

Businesses (traditionally) have always operated based on the main goal of achieving profit maximization. Profit maximization is crucial for any business to stay alive and prosper, which means prioritizing ways to cut costs. Manufacturing, distribution and afterlife of products used to be considered solely on financial factors. With the future at stake, consumers are now conscious about how their products affect the environment. This includes the whole product life cycle; from manufacturing and shipping, to consumption and finally after-life (disposal). This creates conflict for companies: environmentally friendly and cost friendly do not usually coincide… resulting in businesses having to pick one segment or the other. Many of us do not make these decisions directly within organizations, but we can have an influence.

As you have read in previous blogs from BLU, cosmetics are one of the most wasteful industries, especially since most packaging is made from plastics. As we all know, plastics take hundreds of years to degrade, and contribute to pollution in our air, water and soil. Cosmetic companies know this is a problem, but their bottom line must come as a primary priority… or else the company won’t exist. How do we incentivize businesses and their supply chains to act in a more green fashion? Obviously, consumers don’t have direct control, but we do have indirect control through our purchasing decisions. Think of purchasing products as ‘voting’; the products you buy support the company that makes them. The more products sold, the more resources the company has to expand and grow. However, we may want to support and ‘vote’ for eco-friendly products, but many of us do not have the economic means to support them. This is where governments must step in, and force companies to comply with ecological standards in order to make these products accessible (and safe).

A great example of successful government intervention can be found in the banning of microbeads. Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic under 5mm in size, which could be found in many exfoliants, hair spray, creams, cleansers, and toothpaste. In small doses, microbeads are not harmful for humans when used for cosmetic care. However, once they go down the drain they become extremely hazardous - due to their tiny size and inability to degrade. The unknown consumption of these plastics affects every aquatic species, and in turn, our food. Governments were made aware of these harmful effects about 7 years ago, and many countries have since banned the production, selling and use of them in cosmetic products. These laws forced cosmetic companies to find solutions by using safer ingredients, without raising the price. Without these laws, companies would have no pressure to stop producing them - especially since consumers liked the feeling of microbeads in their care products.

This of course, is only one example of a successful (and extreme) incentive to protect the environment. Full bans, although effective, are extremely difficult and expensive to implement. Overall solutions are not easy to find, and there is no one simple answer. In the past years, consumers have become more aware of the detrimental effects our lifestyles can have on the planet. We have changed the way we choose and ‘vote’ for our products. Companies now have an incentive to innovate eco-friendly products, and make them more widely available because of our support. Of course, these products are still expensive, but as more innovation comes along, the cost will go down. In the meantime, support when you can. Your purchase allows companies to grow and keep innovating, and discourages the companies who don’t (because they don’t get your money)! Do your research before you buy, and make your ‘votes’ count.

Although the prices are not as low as drug-store brands, here are some affordable eco-friendly cosmetic companies:

Elate Beauty (based in Victoria, BC!): price range $16 - $60

Fat and the Moon: price range $8 - $42

Pacifica: price range $5 - $21

Love Beauty and Planet (hair and body care): $3.00 - $25