Caring for the planet
Preserving resources and limiting human impact on the planet’s ecosystems is not enough. We must proactively work to transform the world and restore its beauty, which some human activities have altered. At Clarins, this ideal drives our actions so that we can pass on the most beautiful planet possible to future generations.
Environmental impact
To fight climate change, we must first reduce our environmental impact in France and worldwide.
In 2020, we achieved carbon neutrality thanks to our emissions reduction and offsetting programs. In 2025, we will achieve a second milestone by reducing our carbon footprint by a further 30%. In the meantime, we are constantly working to address every aspect that impacts our environmental footprint.
Responsible sourcing and purchasing
Since 2021, our new Responsible Purchasing Charter has committed all our suppliers to complying with the basic tenants of ethics, human development and environmental protection. Taking our commitment a step further, we chose to have them evaluated by Ecovadis. Today over 50% of our key suppliers are rated; 80% will be rated in 2025.
Minimalist formulas
We have chosen to decrease the number of ingredients in our formulas and to reduce the amount of energy required to manufacture our products. Whenever possible, we opt for recipes that can be prepared at room temperature. To ensure continuous progress, we also developed a twofold tool to assess the environmental, social and health impact of our products: the Green score for our formulas and the Pack score for our packaging.
Reducing energy consumption
In France, 100% of the power we use comes from renewable energies (electricity and biogas). We are also reducing energy consumption on a global scale: everywhere we operate we have rolled out a voluntary policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and optimizing use of natural resources. The policy even covers our stores—each point of sale now has an environmental rating.
Clean distribution and shipping
Reducing the environmental footprint of our international markets means reducing air shipping to a bare minimum. It already accounted for 2% of our freight in 2022. Outside of Europe, we opt for maritime shipping, and we are always looking for cleaner solutions. For example, in 2021 we entered a partnership with Neoline, which aims to roll out international shipping aboard sail-powered cargo ships.
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Our plants and ingredients
Organic and regenerative agriculture drives our approach. Since Clarins was founded in 1954, plants have been at the heart of all our products.
Protecting nature, which provides the majority of our ingredients, is an integral part of our history and our way of doing things. We are firmly committed to not only protecting but also improving biodiversity.
Organic first
Our supply chains focus overwhelmingly on organic plants, and we encourage and support the development of new organic supply chains around the globe. In 2022, we supported and approved 10 conversions to organic farming. With the certification of 6 new plants, more than 60% of the 210 plants in our herbarium are now organic. By 2025, 80% will be organic.
Domaine Clarins
Domaine Clarins embodies our philosophy: the site produces exceptional ingredients while ensuring the utmost respect for nature. Located in the heart of the Alps, at 1,400 meters above sea level, Domaine Clarins has set aside several hectares for the observation and cultivation of plants according to production norms that go far beyond organic certification. Permaculture, traditional agriculture techniques, natural inputs, horse-drawn ploughs, and more. Domaine Clarins ascribes to the principles of regenerative agriculture and has a positive impact on the soil and biodiversity.
Our vision for Domaine Clarins is long-term: in 2021 we voluntarily enrolled the site in an ORE (Real Environmental Commitment) program with the French Ministry of the Environment, which requires compliance with the strictest environmental norms for the next 99 years.
Biomimetics and green chemistry
These two terms mean that plants inspire our research and are the raw materials for all of our formulas. 81% of our active ingredients come from plants. Every day we strive for continuous improvement in line with our “open formulas” policy: our entire skincare catalogue—90 formulas—was revamped from 2018 to 2021 to make our products even more natural.
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Circular economy
Once we achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, we committed to reaching plastic neutrality in 2025. To reach this goal, Clarins applies the 3R method—Recycle, Reduce, Reuse—to all steps in production. Our product packaging is the number one target of our continuous improvement approach.
Recycled and recyclable packaging
Recyclability of all our packaging is a priority: through research, we constantly strive to reduce its environmental footprint to a bare minimum. By 2025, all of our skincare packaging will be recyclable and/or refillable and will be made of 50% recycled materials. We have launched a similar program for our make-up catalogue.
Aiming for zero waste
We have been working to reduce our waste for several years. In 2021, we decided to aim for zero waste status. This goal has a twofold impact at Clarins:
- A drastic reduction of packaging paired with a policy of reuse: collection of used packaging in stores.
- Reduction of our industrial waste combined with a 100% recycling of it.
Supporting local distribution channels
The key to local distribution is local production. At Clarins, our manufacturing plant and R&D laboratories are located at the same site in Pontoise, France. Most of our ingredients are also produced in France, at one of the country’s many Clarins-certified farms. This made-in-France policy not only guarantees quality; it also reduces our reliance on transportation.
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Protecting nature and biodiversity
Passing on a more beautiful planet is about taking our commitments beyond the scope of our business to ensure we have a positive impact on the earth. For many years, we have encouraged, funded and supported initiatives that protect nature and biodiversity around the globe.
Protecting natural ecosystems
In the 1990s Clarins helped to found Alp Action—now known as Asters—to protect the Alpine forests the company has always cherished. Our support has helped to roll out five preservation programs and protect about a hundred endangered species.
Clarins has also come to support other programs over the years, in particular alongside ethnobotanist Jean-Pierre Nicolas. For example, Plastic Odyssey tackles the challenges presented by plastic and shares solutions for reusing and recycling it.
Reforestation and agroecology
In 2012, we joined PUR, an initiative founded in 2008 by Tristan Lecomte to encourage companies to invest in social and environmental programs. Via our Seeds of Beauty reforestation program, we have helped to plant over 700,000 trees worldwide.
Meaningful partnerships
To move towards ever more sustainable production, Clarins has joined expert and committed organizations such as :
- Global Shea Alliance for sustainable shea butter production
- Roundtable on Substainable Palm Oil, for a sustainable exploitation of palm oil
- Responsible Mica Initiative, since its founding in 2017, for a sustainable exploitation of mica