Guerlain doesn’t just want to help women look good—they also want them to feel good about the process. That’s why the historic French perfume, makeup and skincare house, which celebrates its 190th anniversary this year, has been dedicated to their eco initiatives for the last decade. “I think sustainability is the responsibility of everyone—civilians and companies,” says Guerlain CEO Laurent Boillot. “I will say to my teams that we are not going to save the planet ourselves, but we are going to do a little more than our part. Companies choose where they can be better; biodiversity is so important for us because it’s not only about taking the flowers and honey—we are giving back more than we take and leaving to the next generation more than we received.” Boillot shares how Guerlain is going green by…
…becoming the first perfume and cosmetics house to be certified by Ecocert. Guerlain worked with Ecocert to earn this first-of-its-kind certification, earning recognition for its commitment to biodiversity and the climate. “Too many companies are pretending to do something and they don’t, so we want evidence of what we are doing,” Boillot says. Guerlain makes sure to measure and track all of their efforts so they can see their impact. “There is total transparency. It’s a competitive advantage: it’s good for the product, it’s good for the planet, and it’s good for the business. It’s not charity—it’s essential.”
…planting 10,000 orchids in the TianZi Mountain Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China since 2009. “When we started skincare, we were really looking at the natural ingredients that can do something for your skin, and there was this mystery about the orchid,” Boillot says. “It can grow in a very difficult environment, so there is something in that flower that we should learn from and could bring us good technology for anti-aging. The research brought us to one type of orchid that was best developing in China because it was the perfect biodiversity element. The more biodiversity, the richer the flower and the richer the molecules.” Guerlain went to the source and met with locals who were growing the orchid. “We said we are not going to only buy orchids from you, but we are going to help you reforest that region because if we do so we can guarantee your soil and the richness of biodiversity. It’s now been 12 years with them and we’ve given them long-term contracts. In Yunnan, it brought people from that region, which is a remote place, back to their land; we are developing a micro-economy.”
…reducing C02 emissions by half by 2020. Since all of Guerlain’s products are designed and made in France, they have to export them. Instead of opting for transportation via airplanes, they are moving toward trains, which takes more time but has a lower carbon footprint. “When we changed our factory three years ago, we created a factory that has a very low impact,” Boillot says. “Our more ambitious target is to be carbon neutral by 2028.”
…sponsoring the Brittany Black Bee Conservation Society in Ouessant for 10 years. Honey is known for its healing properties in skincare and Guerlain’s research led them to the black bee that lives on a remote island off the coast of France. When they learned the bee was endangered, they teamed up with the Brittany Black Bee Conservation Society. “You start with something important for your company, you discover something more important for the world, and you do both,” Boillot says.
…creating an internal Sustainable Development Department. Launched 10 years ago, the department has since grown to a bureau of 18 people, representing every team within the company. They work together to set and meet sustainability goals across Guerlain. “They are emissaries of sustainability in different parts of the company to be certain that everyone is moving forward,” explains Boillot.
…redesigning their packaging to use less materials and resources. By 2020, their aim is that 100% of Guerlain products will be eco-designed and they are well on their way. The newly redesigned packaging for Orchidée Impériale includes a pot that’s 60% lighter than before, and 95% of their perfume bottles are recycled through CEDRE, LVMH’s recycling platform. “Perhaps this is the most difficult part of our work because if it you think about luxury in the beauty business, especially in France, the more layers in packaging, the better,” Boillot says. “My point was to say the C02 impact is first; it’s not ecological at all to have so many layers of paper. We are working to preserve the beauty of our products but reduce the impact of the packaging.” Guerlain also offers refillable, personalized perfume bottles at their boutiques.
…sourcing sustainable ingredients. “We started a program to look at every single ingredient, keeping just what is necessary and getting rid of everything that could be bad for us,” Boillot says. “You can know every part of it and the sourcing, where that is coming from on the planet and who is behind it. I am opening the books and it forces me to be as responsible as possible.” They also reformulated older products to make them more sustainable.
…partnering with people who share their values. Guerlain recently launched a campaign with Angelina Jolie. “She’s quite an engaged person on violence against women,” Boillot says. “When I met her we spoke a lot about how she likes that we are sustainable. She has awareness and a big voice. She told me a really emotional story about her mother using a Guerlain powder with a beautiful scent… (The next time) I came with all the powders, she smelled one of them and said, ‘wow, that’s my mom.’ Sometimes there is synchronicity; we have a natural fit.”
…planning for the future. Though there are already many sustainability initiatives underway at Guerlain, there are more to come, including increasing biodiversity and working even more closely with suppliers and farmers. Eventually, Guerlain will buy their own land to farm several of the ingredients they use. “The program will take at least 20 years to get to actuality, but you need to start at some point,” Boillot says. “I don’t want to be sustainable for the purpose of being sustainable. I need to respect my customers and they are deserving of not only the best ingredients but also efficacy—that’s what we’re known for. We should take the time to recognize that and make it happen.”
