LAS VEGAS—With 2010 being declared “Biodiversity Year" by the United Nations (UN), Evelyne Bismuth’s presentation on “Cosmetics, Sustainability and Biodiversity: Challenges and Impacts for a Better World," at SupplySide West highlighted a timely issue for the cosmeceutical industry.
Bismuth, business development manager for the United States and Latin America, Alban Muller International, explained biodiversity encompasses the diversify of the world related to whole life on Earth, the general awareness of the degradation of the environment, and man’s responsibility to nature. She noted we haven’t been doing a good job in regard to the health of the environment as certain populations of plants and animals have been decreasing while the human population have been increasing.
Biodiversity is an important issue for the longevity of human life, however, because it guarantees a wide range of foods, drugs and materials we rely on.
For companies seeking a profit, Bismuth said biodiversity offers an opportunity for innovative development and access to new raw materials. These companies need to use technologies that improve the sustainability of raw materials, reduce energy usage, allow for transparency, and offer ethical societal dimensions.
Consumers also help drive biodiversity, she said, noting a 2009 survey by the Union for Ethical Biotrade, which found 85 percent of consumers want more information on the biodiversity of products, 87 percent prefer ethical ingredient supply chains, and 79 percent said they would boycott companies that did not follow biodiverse principles.
Companies can win over these consumers by offering clearer product labeling and reevaluating their business practices regarding prospection, research and development (R&D), production, and marketing and sales.
“We need to change to allow green energy and holistic approaches, and get companies to improve their practices," she concluded. This way, man and nature can be reconciled, and cosmeceuticals companies can still enjoy nice profits.