The strategy began three years ago and aimed to cut CO2-emissions per product sold by 30% by 2020; a feat the Nivea skin care maker has already achieved.
"We have cut our CO2-emissions per product sold by 48% and have, therefore, already exceeded our Planet-commitment for 2020 by 18 percentage points“, says Inken Hollmann-Peters, Vice President Corporate Communications & Sustainability.
”We owe this success to the dedicated engagement of our employees in all of our affiliates worldwide.”
Product assessment
The German firm explains that the next steps are to meet targets for Product and People, and Dorle Bahr, Head of Environmental Sustainability & Safety, explains that, for product, this is where Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) becomes important.
“We use LCA to look into the environmental impact of all our products and then make decisions based on this,” she says.
“From here on, we are using LCA to highlight the hotspots in our products and with this information we can then work with our suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of our products.”
This search for more sustainable solutions can lead to surprising results too says Bahr, who uses the example of plastic and glass jars for skin cream, as an example.
Using LCA to investigate a product’s environmental impact - including raw materials, production processes, as well as transport, product application and disposal - an analysis of the Nivea Face Care range revealed that plastic jars appears to be more environmentally friendly than the previously used glass jars.
By switching the whole range to plastic jars, the packaging's greenhouse gas potential can be cut by at least 15%, explains Bahr.
Today, already 12% of annual sales are achieved by products with significantly reduced environmental impact. By 2020, Beiersdorf aims to raise that share by up to 50%.
People power
In the People area, Beiersdorf aims to reach and improve the lives of one million families by 2020.
Since 2013, a total of 244,811 families has already been supported sustainably through the global social commitment of the company, its brands and employees.
”Our business is caring for consumers and their families. As a trusted family member all around the world, Nivea is and always has been part of consumers’ everyday lives. Nivea’s social commitment to families means we stay authentic and true to our brand”, adds Inken Hollmann-Peters.
Another important element of Beiersdorf’s sustainability strategy is the social brand commitment.
By maintaining transparent communication and encouraging active consumer involvement, the company’s community projects aim to strengthen the brand’s positioning.