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“We’re incredibly excited and supportive about Garnier’s initiative,” Ms Beard said. “We’ve chosen to partner with Garnier because of their commitment to sustainable practices and products. We choose to partner with businesses that are taking clear and direct steps to change their practice, and we like to work with them on that journey.” The plastic pollution crisis affects the entire planet, she adds, and it takes every person, actioning out small roles, to address it. “It’s got to be tackled along the whole supply chain, so from plastic producers and manufacturers to the consumers, and us as individuals,” Ms Beard said. “One of our values is that we all have a part to play, and Garnier is really taking steps in that direction and taking responsibility for their own production and products, to be more sustainable and hit their targets by 2025.” An aim to sea green In the September 2020 issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants magazine, Retail Media spoke with Garnier General Manager Consumer Products Division Geoff Bellingham about the launch of its ‘Greener Beauty’ initiative. Six months on, and Garnier says it is already taking huge strides in terms of sustainability practices and achieving its greener goals. “We’re so proud of the work that we’ve done already, using sustainable sourced and renewable ingredients in our products,” Ms Hanger said. “In 2020, a huge milestone for us was launching our Organics skin care range, where all the star ingredients from the range come from renewable sources that are able to be regenerated each year.” The entire value chain is assessed at Garnier, including sourcing renewable ingredients, product formulas, packaging methods and the factories its products are developed in. Ms Hanger says the same sentiments will apply to products the company is excited to be launching this year, “including our newest launch of \\\\\\\[Micellar\\\\\\\] Reusable Eco Pads”. “Each Eco Pad is designed to be reused up to 1000 times and really encourages women to make the switch from using regular cotton pads, which end up in landfill,” she said. Many of Garnier’s ‘Greener Beauty’ targets surround the main concerns of virgin plastic, increasing levels of biodegradability and reducing water consumption. Ms Hanger touches on how these concerns are being addressed throughout its production process. “Most plastics that Garnier uses in our packaging today are PET \\\\\\\[polyethylene terephthalate\\\\\\\], PP \\\\\\\[polypropylene\\\\\\\] and PE \\\\\\\[polyethylene\\\\\\\],” she said. “These materials can be recycled and reused several times and are the most commonly recycled plastic materials in the world. “In 2019, our use of recycled plastic saved 3670 tonnes of virgin plastic globally. “Working in close partnership with our packaging suppliers and plastic manufacturers around the world, we’re developing robust sources of supply for post-consumer recycled plastics, aiming to reach 100 per cent \\\\\\\[use\\\\\\\] by 2025.” Discussing Garnier’s project on ‘rethinking’ water use, Ms Hanger said: “We already have three ‘waterloop’ factories, where 100 per cent of industrial water use – for cleaning and cooling, for example – is re-treated, reduced or reused water.” Beyond its own production processes, Garnier is also promoting sustainability via its partnerships, specifically with Take 3 for the Sea. “Garnier is the official ‘green partner’ of Moonlight Cinemas, sharing the green beauty message – along with plenty of our favourite products – with cinemagoers this summer season,” Ms Hanger said. “To benefit Take 3 for the Sea, Garnier will be donating $2 for every ticket sold to presenting partner screenings of I Am Greta, the powerful documentary designed to inspire climate change action.” Waves of education Donations from Garnier are being directly funded into the education programs that Take 3 provides to schools, businesses and multinationals. Ms Beard says Take 3’s mission is to “inspire participation in simple actions that reduce the impacts of plastic pollution and waste in the ocean and broader environment”. “We have a lot of initiatives in place that we’re developing to help achieve those AS SEEN IN RETAIL PHARMACY 25 goals,” she said. “We have education programs, we have student leadership programs, we’re really passionate about our young audience and growing young people to be leaders and advocates for the environment, as they’ll be inheriting the planet from us.” The goal for Take 3 is to educate one million young people by 2025, and with the launch of its online program recently, Ms Beard says participation has “increased exponentially”. “It’s got to be tackled along the whole supply chain, so from plastic producers and manufacturers to the consumers, and us as individuals.” What can other businesses do to be supporters of such change? “Companies like Garnier are taking huge steps to reduce their plastic footprint and really showing great leadership,” Ms Beard said. “It can be done. “We do believe other businesses will follow. We’ll always look to work with businesses that want to make change, and go on with them on that journey. “At the simplest level, we do corporate clean-ups with businesses \\\\\\\[including oceanfront sites and rivers\\\\\\\] ... and it’s a fantastic opportunity. “It’s not just the education, where their team is learning about the plastic pollution, but it’s also giving them an opportunity to take action and actually remove litter and remove waste and stop it from going into the ocean.” Additionally, businesses can supply funding for Take 3 towards its education programs, as with Garnier’s Moonlight Cinema donations. Ms Beard encourages anyone that wants to get involved to reach out to the team at take3.org to discuss the different opportunities that are available. “The big message is: simple action can, and does, make a difference,” Ms Beard said. “That’s what Take 3 is all about, and that’s what we bring to the partnerships, whether they’re with businesses, individuals or multinationals.” To read the full feature as it appears in the March issue of Retail Pharmacy magazine, visit: retailpharmacymagazine.com.au/magazine RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • MAR 2021