Natalie Deacon, Head of Sustainability at Avon Products Inc.
Every month, we present 5 facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This time, Natalie Deacon, Head of Sustainability at Avon Products Inc., shares some interesting insights on her company.
5 facts about Avon Products Inc.
- Avon has been doing beauty differently for 135 years. Avon is a company that connects people, using the power of beauty to transform lives for the better. Millions of independent sales representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis.
- We’re committed to improving our impact on both people and planet. It’s estimated that the global beauty industry produces more than 120 million units of packaging each year. Much of this comprises single-use plastics, complex layers, and components which are difficult to recycle, resulting in up to 95% of packaging contributing to landfill and plastic pollution in oceans. We have ambitious targets to address this – to reduce waste, reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-based plastics, and to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Our aim is that by 2030, 100% of all the packaging materials we produce will be recyclable, reusable, or compostable. We’re already making progress on that journey. 80% of Avon’s products are already reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Additionally, we used 36% fewer tonnes of plastic packaging in 2022 compared to the previous year and we used 47.7 tonnes of recycled post-consumer (PCR) material in our packaging instead of virgin plastic.
- We’re applying Avon’s long heritage in packaging innovation to developing new biobased solutions as we look for long-term, sustainable alternatives to current business-as-usual. Sustainability technology and research is growing at Avon with a focus on biopolymers and biotech, with some exciting opportunities on the horizon.
- We’re accelerating our focus on regenerative, bio-based plastics, for example by upscaling our use of regenerative materials, such as biobased polyethylene. We’re also exploring regenerative, carbon-negative biopolymers to replace traditional plastics. It’s an exciting moment as we consider the impact that our global scale could have on the industry and, ultimately, the planet.