Iguatemi Costa, senior scientific manager for natural and sustainable ingredients, Natura will lead a session at In-Cosmetics Formulation Summit on ‘Natura commitment towards life – vision and practices to innovate below 1.5 degrees’ on Tuesday, November 17. For more information and to register to attend In-Cosmetics Formulation Summit 2020, visit: https://summit.in-cosmetics.com/ He recently conducted a Q&A with Happi via email.



Happi: Natura has a rich history of eco-friendly efforts. How have these efforts evolved in the past decade?

COSTA: We have invested even more in science, technology and innovation to improve our products and seek innovative solutions to achieve a more balanced relationship between business and sustainability.
 
We have directed our efforts to explore biodiversity sustainably to promote conservation and to keep the forest standing. We contribute to the development of the Amazon region and work in accordance with CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) principles to conserve the ecosystem and improve the quality of life of the communities that supply our biodiversity inputs from the Amazon. From the perspective of our product portfolio, the goal has been to keep creating great products, increasing the rate of ingredients of natural origin, while keeping the environmental impact as low as possible. 


Happi: Is there a sense of urgency today that wasn’t there 10, 5 or even a year ago? If so, what’s driving these concerns?

COSTA: I understand that the need to act has existed during all of this time. What seems to be happening today is a broader sense of the centrality of this debate. Today we have an even greater understanding of the impacts of non-action, plus success stories that show it is possible to succeed in an agenda that balances economic and socio-environmental results. Advances in technologies that were not previously available, an increasingly demanding and engaged consumers, and a global network interested in discussing practical actions on this agenda, which is key to enforce major changes, has driven the sense of urgency.


Happi: The 1.5°C target was established years ago. What has Natura done since 2015 to meet the 1.5°C challenge?

COSTA: During the 2019 Climate Summit held by the United Nations (UN) in New York, we were among the corporations to sign the commitment to reduce global warming to 1.5°C, in relation to pre-industrial levels. But as early as 2007 we launched our Carbon Neutral Program to measure, reduce and neutralize our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The idea was to adapt our activities to achieve a balance for the planet, focusing on its biodiversity and using its resources consciously and intelligently, combining the best of cosmetic science with the traditional knowledge of the communities involved in the Brazilian social and biodiversity ingredient chain. Our formulators use an “environmental calculator” which permits the potential impact to be monitored from the product conception stage, enabling the best choices. Our sales and distribution take place through our consultant network, online sales and physical stores, optimizing the distribution of our products using an intelligent logistics system that prioritizes river and maritime transportation. The inventory enables us to map GHG emissions throughout our value chain, from the extraction of raw materials, through production and distribution, to the post-consumption disposal of our products (scopes 1, 2 and 3).
 

Happi: What are the challenges of innovating at these levels?

COSTA: Among the biggest challenges are ensuring the aesthetics, texture, stability, maximum cosmetic efficacy and the complete safety of the product, based on a portfolio of ingredients and materials with self-imposed limitations determined by their footprint. This requires a highly-skilled R&D team and a network of partners and suppliers that is also engaged in finding the best solutions.

 
Happi: Is it too late? Or is it more, better late than never?

COSTA: It is never too late to do something that results in a positive impact on society and the environment. And conserving our planet has to be not only part of our purpose but an essential element in our daily lives to ensure a better life for all of us and future generations.
 
As I mentioned, Natura has been carbon neutral since 2007 and now, with all the companies in the group, we have doubled the stake. One of the goals for the four brands (Natura, The Body Shop, Avon and Aesop) is to achieve zero net emissions by 2030. We consider that the Natura & Co Group’s Sustainability Vision 2030 – Commitment to Life is an instrument that should intensify and expand the group’s relationship network with international organizations, its network of suppliers and other companies that will certainly join the cause in pursuit of the best solutions. We have a common purpose and a number of examples show that this is possible. Furthermore, the consumer is increasingly aware. There are still scenarios possible where the necessary reversals will come about.

 
Happi: What is Natura working on now and what future projects are in the works? 

COSTA: Based on the same commitment I mentioned before (Sustainability Vision 2030 – Commitment to Life), the whole group will aim to contribute to the preservation of three million hectares of forest by 2030, promoting collective efforts to guarantee zero deforestation in the Amazon by 2025. And by 2030, we will also seek to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, expanding what the Natura brand achieved in 2007 and has maintained since then. Additionally, we have a comprehensive program related to circularity in packaging and formulation that will have a very positive impact on absolute emissions, in conjunction with consistent investments in regenerative solutions. On this last topic, for more than 10 years Natura has been developing a project for palm production in agroforestry systems. This is a new sustainable production model for this important natural input that associates the cultivation of palm with other agricultural and forest species, with the adoption of agroecological stewardship practices which guarantee environmental services that mimic those of a forest.