Reducing Waste

A highly ambitious policy

L’Oréal has an ambitious waste management policy which goes well beyond regulatory compliance. The Group has therefore set itself a very stringent definition of the concept of “waste”, which includes, for example, raw material packaging or product packaging, sludge from wastewater treatment plants, etc.

In 2018, the Group reduced the quantity of waste generated per finished product by 35% (beyond local regulatory requirements), compared to 2005, while production increased by 37% during the same period.

Generating less waste at source

In order to fulfil its waste commitment, L’Oréal is optimising its use of materials across its manufacturing operations. This approach is based on multiple Group-wide projects that seek to:

• reduce waste related to transport packaging in plants and distribution centres, through eco-design, lightweighting, and optimising, reusing and standardising materials. Another strategy in place is “wall-to-wall” production, whereby a packaging production unit managed by a supplier is established on site. This allows the plant to reduce the transport of packaging and the generation of waste linked to transport packaging;
• improve manufacturing and packaging processes to minimise production losses;
• install sludge treatment systems in plants equipped with a wastewater treatment facility, in order to reduce the volumes generated and consequently the impact of their transport and their downstream treatment.