"We are proud to be recognized with CDP's top rating once again. It affirms our strong efforts to improve the environmental performance of our product portfolio and decarbonize our business as a whole," explains Vincent Warnery, CEO of Beiersdorf AG. "And it's a testament to our conviction to drive the sustainability transformation of our industry - while exciting our consumers and delivering exceptional results."
Each year, the non-profit organization CDP (formerly "Carbon Disclosure Project") assesses the environmental disclosures of companies according to strict criteria, such as the management of environmental risks, the completeness of data submitted or the commitment to robust and ambitious targets. "Our Sustainability Agenda CARE BEYOND SKIN and its environmental pledges are built on science. Our climate target for instance is validated by the Science Based Targets initiative and aims to reduce CO2e-emissions by 30 % absolutely across scopes 1-3 until 2025. This is a leading commitment within our industry," explains Jean-Francois Pascal, Vice President Sustainability, Beiersdorf AG.
Stephanie Barraud, Senior Vice President - ASEAN, Beiersdorf Co., Ltd., adds: Beiersdorf's production facilities in Thailand follow the same approach, using environmentally friendly production processes to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Achievements to date include improving waste disposal and since 2016 there has been Zero Waste Landfill and employing innovative production methods has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 43%. Now, 100% of the electricity used comes from alternative sources. Skin care and cleaning products use environmentally friendly plastic or biodegradable ingredients, and green packaging has also been developed. Since 2021, NIVEA products have been 100% free of microplastic/beads, as well as NIVEA Sun products which are Coral-reef safe, eco-friendly sunscreen and do not contain Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3, BP-3), Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), 4-Methylbenzylid Camphor (4MBC) and Butylparaben these are harmful to coral reefs. Beiersdorf is committed to continuous research and development to make skin care products more environmentally friendly.
Strong achievements along all three CDP dimensions
In 2023, Beiersdorf reached another important milestone along its climate care journey with the opening of its new production center in Leipzig, Germany. The plant meets the highest environmental and sustainability standards and operates CO2e-neutral by using renewable electricity and biogas for heat generation. In the future, Beiersdorf plans to develop this plant into an "Energy+" site that generates more sustainable energy than it consumes.
To preserve forests as a natural mitigation to climate change and source of biodiversity, Beiersdorf also further strengthened its commitment to support smallholders to cultivate palm oil more sustainably. Together with its long-standing partner, the WWF Germany, Beiersdorf has extended its project in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, aiming to certify a farmer group with 200 members according to the international Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standard by 2026.
Last, but not least, the company is also acting on water. For the skin care company water is a fundamental component of many of its product formulas - hence, it plays a crucial role in production processes and during product use. Together with WWF Germany, Beiersdorf is working on Water Stewardship. This includes the responsible planning and management of water resources through a stakeholder-inclusive process that involves site and catchment-based actions. As part of its strategic partnership with WWF Germany, Beiersdorf has conducted a comprehensive water risk analysis and will put long-term, context-based water targets along the entire supply-chain into action shortly.
Source: Spark Communications