The EcoBeautyScore Consortium—an initiative to develop an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products—is now live, according to the group, which now encompasses 36 cosmetics and personal care companies and professional associations.

The purpose of the EcoBeautyScore Consortium is to enable consumers to make sustainable choices through an environmental impact assessment and scoring system. With small and large companies and associations from four continents, the EcoBeautyScore Consortium remains open for other companies and associations to join, assert current members.

The initiative was first announced in September, as reported by Happi.

Amorepacific was the latest company to join the consortium. It is the first Korean company in the group. Coty joined earlier this month.

Additional members include companies in Happi's Top 50 and International Top 30 Reports, medium-sized companies and organizations: Babor, Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, Cosmébio, COSMED, Cosmetic Valley, Cosmetics Europe, cosnova, The Estée Lauder Companies, Eugène Perma, FEBEA, The Fragrance Creators Association, Henkel, IKW Beauty Care, The International Fragrance Association, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Just International AG, Kao, L’Oréal Groupe, LVMH, Nafigate, NAOS, Natrue, Natura &Co, NOHBA, Oriflame, P&G, Paragon Nordic, Puig, PZ Cussons, Shiseido, Sisley, STANPA, and Unilever.

The EcoBeautyScore Consortium is developing an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products. The approach has a global scope and may help provide consumers with clear, transparent, and comparable environmental impact information, based on a common science-based methodology. This will contribute to meet growing consumer demand for greater transparency about the environmental impact of cosmetics products (formula, packaging and usage). A significant proportion of consumers (42%) is interested in buying brands that concentrate on circular and sustainable practices.

The work plan of the EcoBeautyScore Consortium: to co-build a scientific methodology for the environmental impact assessment and scoring system

The Consortium is working with the experienced sustainability consultancy Quantis to ensure a robust and scientific approach to co-build an assessment methodology and scoring system that are guided by and articulated around:

• A common method for measuring environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of products, backed by the principles of the “Product Environmental Footprint” (the European Union’s PEF scientific method based on life cycle assessment (LCA) for quantifying the environmental footprint of products).

• A common database of environmental impact of standard ingredients and raw materials used in formulas and packaging, as well as during product usage.

• A common tool that enables the assessment of the environmental impact of individual products, usable by non-experts.

• A harmonized scoring system that enables companies, on a voluntary basis, to inform consumers about the environmental footprint of their cosmetic products. The methodology, data base, tool and scoring system will be verified by independent parties.

Operationally, the EcoBeautyScore Consortium is also supported by Capgemini Invent (project management) and Mayer Brown (legal counsel).

The  members of the EcoBeautyScore Consortium have started to work together organized in thematic working groups. A footprinting and scoring prototype is targeted for end of 2022, providing the environmental scoring for a selection of product categories at first. It will then be verified by independent parties.

The Consortium is open to all cosmetics and personal care companies, regardless of their size or resources. Other stakeholders will be informed and consulted throughout the process. All companies will benefit from the pre-existing work and are invited to contribute with their own experience. The Consortium will also consult external experts, including scientists, academics, and NGOs to make sure the process is as inclusive as possible. The work developed by the Consortium will be published and may be used on a strictly voluntary basis by both Consortium participants and all other interested parties.

“We are proud to be the first Korean beauty company to join the EcoBeautyScore Consortium. It is proof of our willingness to strengthen our sustainability management," Park Young-ho, chief technology officer and head of Amorepacific R&I Center, said today when Amorepacific announced its membership. "Amorepacific will continue to broaden eco-conscious product development and provide customers with transparent and reliable information about the environmental impacts of our products."

“At Coty, sustainability is the ultimate driver of innovation. As a leader in Beauty, we are committed to collaborations that move our entire industry toward more sustainable innovation and greater transparency. We are delighted to join this Consortium, which helps Coty deliver the groundbreaking sustainability progress I came here to lead and drive crucial change in our industry,” Shimei Fan, Coty’s chief scientific officer said earlier this month when the beauty company joined the initiative.

Companies and professional associations wishing to know more are invited to contact: contact@ecobeautyscore-consortium.org.