Credo Strives for Ethical Beauty

Credo Beauty’s mission is to create a safer, more sustainable, more ethical beauty industry. That is why Credo recently joined The Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI), a global “do-tank” committed to establishing a fair, responsible and sustainable mica supply chain in the states of Jharkhand and Bihar in India. RMI’s goal is to eliminate unacceptable working conditions and eradicate child labor by 2022.
 
Mica is a mineral commonly used in beauty products, especially makeup with a shimmer or glitter, as it imparts sparkle, sheen and brightness. While mica is a safe and natural cosmetics ingredient, it is not “clean” by Credo’s standards, as it is often mined by child workers in India, where the majority of the mica used in the beauty industry is sourced. 
 
Approximately 90 percent of the mines in Jharkhand and Bihar are unregulated. Instead of attending school, approximately 22,000 children may be working in mica mines. Though Indian laws prohibit child labor, they are just not enforced.
  
“Clean beauty is not only about safer formulas with more plant-based ingredients,” said Mia Davis, Credo’s director of Environmental and Social Responsibility. “Ethical production needs to be a part of the ‘clean’ movement. Compensating people with a living wage and ensuring safe working conditions is crucial. Credo has joined RMI to work with other stakeholders to call for these basic human rights.”
 
RMI uses a multi-stakeholder approach that engages companies, civil society organizations, industry associations and governments. Together, they are able to develop and implement three integrated program pillars that will create responsible workplace standards, empower local communities and support the establishment of a legal framework for the mica sector.
 
Annie Jackson, Credo’s co-founder and COO commented, “This is a complicated issue, and the supply chain is very murky, so processors’ claims of ‘no child labor’ may be meaningless.  We joined RMI so that we can work together with others in our industry. We know that can’t change this issue this alone, nor can we just stand by.” 
 
Credo will play more of a role in the RMI in 2020, joining the organization's working groups, and engaging Credo’s 120+ brand partners to participate in this important work, to eradicate child labor and improve working conditions and wages for adults.