The North American edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit will feature advances in green materials and the potential of digital marketing. Taking place in New York City on 15-17th May, the 3-day summit organised by Organic Monitor will focus on several green issues that are gaining momentum in the cosmetics industry.
A first session will discuss the opportunities provided by green materials, and the challenges associated with such ingredients: their environmental footprint, the difficulties in measuring it, the use of plant cell technology and the potential of biomimetics (naturally inspired) molecules. Since the shift to green cosmetic ingredients is also bringing supply chain risks. Kenneth Ross, CEO of Global ID, as therefore been invited to highlight the growing incidence of fraud involving mislabelling and adulteration of materials. Guidance will be given to cosmetic and ingredient firms on how to mitigate supply chain risks, as well as details on scientific methods to authenticate green materials. Another speaker will discuss the prospects for a new sustainability standard for plant-based ingredients.
A second session will be devoted to digital marketing and will look at the impact of mobile devices and digital marketing on consumer behaviour towards personal care products. Lily Tse, CEO and founder of Think Dirty - a mobile application that rates over 55,000 beauty products according to the health and safety risks of their ingredients - will demonstrate the pervasive influence mobile apps can have on consumers. Charlene Swanson Crawford, president of Eco Diva Beauty, will highlight the business opportunities provided by e-tailing (online retailing), whilst Edelman will give case studies of brands that have successfully deployed social media and digital marketing strategies.
Aveda and Seventh Generation, two of the largest green brands in North America, will give papers in the Sustainability Best-Practices session. Seventh Generation will give insights into its sustainability plan; the consumer goods company has set 2020 goals to reduce its carbon footprint, create zero waste, responsibly source raw materials, and support local communities. Aveda will share its experiences in becoming resource efficient and using clean energy. In another paper, Kurt Nuebling, CEO and co-founder of Primavera, will state how green buildings can contribute to sustainability whilst adding social value.
Approaches to reduce the environmental impact of personal care products by using metrics and sustainable packaging will also be discussed at the summit. Other papers will explore approaches to reduce the packaging impact of personal care products and the possibilities provided by ‘closed loops’ whereby packaging is removed from waste streams for re-use or for new applications.
The summit will end with a technical workshop on green active ingredients. Judi Beerling, technical research manager at Organic Monitor, will highlight the opportunities provided by novel actives from plant, marine, and new technological processes. Practical guidance will be given to formulators and product developers looking to use green actives in personal care formulations.
More information at: www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com
