PARIS—Chantal Jouanno, the French secretary of state for ecology, will join an esteemed panel of experts at a roundtable debate examining the impact of biodiversity on the cosmetics industry at this year’s in-cosmetics exhibition. Taking place on April 14 during the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, the debate entitled, “Going beyond Natural and Organic: How biodiversity is transforming the cosmetics industry” will provide an important overview of how biodiversity is shaping up the cosmetics world.
Biodiversity is everywhere and plant-based ingredients provide a huge source of innovation for the beauty industry. However, an official report of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) noted in 2008, few of the companies involved in sourcing the ingredients incorporate some or any of the requirements of the convention into their practices—an issue, if ignored, will lead to future problems with sustainability in the sector and ultimately the loss of biodiversity.
The roundtable will provide an insight into key areas for consideration, including awareness, bio-prospecting, innovation and intellectual property. With legal compliance becoming increasingly important for cosmetic manufacturers, regulations, standards and certification will also be examined extensively within the debate.
“Biodiversity offers the cosmetics industry important opportunities to innovate and develop”, commented Richard Hesk, in-cosmetics group exhibition director. “However, it is being lost at such an alarming rate that unless halted, there is likely to be a significant impact on the industry and consumers alike. Although there has been significant progress made in the natural and organic sector over the past few years, awareness of biodiversity’s value and importance is still relatively limited.”
Organized and moderated by Eduardo Escobedo, economic affairs officer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the roundtable debate will also feature Rik Kutsch Lojenga, executive director at the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT); Carole Peille, manager of raw materials and sustainable development at L’Oreal; and Marcos Vaz, director of sustainability at Natura Cosmeticos.