Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has taken the world by storm. Companies are now expending a great deal of effort to reduce carbon emissions and water consumption, as well as enhancing developing economies and other efforts to numerous to count. Sensient Technologies is no different, with programs encompassing a wide range of societal and environmental concerns.
“I am particularly proud of our products that not only provide our customers with safe and superior technical performance but also allow our customers to reduce their own environmental impacts. We believe that these products can drive real improvements in our environment.” – Paul Manning – Chairman, President and CEO of Sensient Technologies
Making CSR commitments is no easy task in the Personal Care Market. Care should be given when endeavoring on incorporating sustainable practices or raw materials into innovations and product launches. A good example of a “debatable” practice is growing corn for ethanol. A recent Reuters article stated the following:
Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a law enacted in 2005, the nation’s oil refiners are required to mix some 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol into the nation’s gasoline annually. The policy was intended to reduce emissions, support farmers, and cut U.S. dependence on energy imports. As a result of the mandate, corn cultivation grew 8.7% and expanded into 6.9 million additional acres of land between 2008 and 2016, the study found. That led to widespread changes in land use, including the tilling of cropland that would otherwise have been retired or enrolled in conservation programs and the planting of existing cropland with more corn, the study found.
This highlights the need for smart CSR initiatives that Sensient Beauty is currently focused on. When evaluating natural sources for our innovations, we focus on four principles:
- Just because it is natural does not necessarily mean it is safe. Safety must be validated.
- Natural ingredients must also have demonstrated efficacy and stability since beauty products have longer shelf lives versus other consumer packaged goods industry, i.e. food.
- A naturally derived ingredient should not consume a disproportionate amount of environmental resources.
- Always endeavor to ensure the stability of supply.
Deciding when to use natural ingredients is no easy decision. It take creativity, innovation, and good old-fashioned hard work. For Sensient Beauty, it is well worth the effort. Moreover, we can incorporate many of the aspects of Sensient’s Seed to Shelf and agronomy programs, which can be found here.
We also invite you to view Sensient’s 2021 Sustainability Report
As a multi-sensorial beauty & personal care ingredient supplier, we are a trusted partner that puts the individual’s sensory experience at the center of beauty. To inspire beauty partnerships that do good.
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