Emma Lewisham is actively leading the way forward with its refillable, carbon positive beauty products. Image supplied.
It’s clear that every action plays a part in the kind of world future generations will inherit and this Earth Day is a good reminder that its more important than ever before that we protect and support our natural environment and planet. While there are many brands who are actively working on sustainability and minimising their environmental impact, in the beauty space Emma Lewisham is actively leading the way forward.
In the past year alone, Emma Lewisham has launched a world-first carbon positive beauty product range and 100% circular designed business model, alongside becoming B Corp Certified – B Corp is a global community of for-profit leaders pledging to use business as a force for good.
The brand’s Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle which was launched in February 2021 has seen Emma Lewisham sell over 13,000 refills of its natural beauty products. Since launching the refills, Emma Lewisham have saved 10,295KG of CO2e in total – this is the equivalent to approximately 30.9 litres of Arctic sea ice loss being prevented through reduced carbon emissions. The earth loses Arctic sea ice at a rate of almost 13% per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by 95%. If emissions continue to rise unchecked, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer by 2040.
“Since inception, I was determined to not only set a new benchmark in scientifically proven natural skincare but also in sustainable skincare,” says founder Emma Lewisham. “Being acutely aware of the impact beauty packaging has on our environment, I was passionate about disrupting the current model and pioneering a path towards circular and carbon positive skincare. We offer refills for all our products, and through our global take-back programme – the Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle – customers can send back their empty vessels, free of charge, to be refilled or recycled. This not only keeps our materials in circulation but reduces our carbon footprint by up to 74%. I see business as a tool to tackle problems, find solutions and leave behind something better. To me, this means giving more than we take and using business as a force for good. Profits should never come at an expense to people or the planet and I’m proud to be building a business which proves that sustainability and success can go hand-in-hand.”
By purchasing refills over brand new original vessels Emma Lewisham’s customers are helping save over 1,000KG (a tonne) of CO2e each month. With more customers enjoying and seeing the effective results of Emma Lewisham products the refill part of the business is fast-growing which also shows how much more aware people are becoming of opting for more sustainable options like refills. In the past six months. the demand for refills has grown from 10% to 47% in New Zealand and 4% to 35% in Australia, which is a trend Emma Lewisham is expecting to see continuing to grow.
Emma Lewisham is pioneering the future of beauty with scientifically proven natural skincare that is certified Climate Positive, meaning the products sequester more carbon than they emit. To achieve this, the brand measured each product’s carbon footprint, minimised its inherent emissions as much as possible and then offset their products’ carbon emissions by 125%.
Every product we buy is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in and if we’re going to Invest In Our Planet which is the theme of this year’s Earth Day we each need to take responsibility for making sustainable choices. Refilling and recycling your beauty products may seem like a small thing but as you can see, it all adds up to make a difference.