Sourcing timber sustainably:
Our strategy to preserve forests
1/3
of the planet surface is pure forest!
Forests are the guardians of ecological balance. Without them, maintaining a harmonious and balanced environment would not be possible. They are not only essential for the well-being of ecosystems, but also for the sustenance of all animal and human life.
The 4 key roles of forests
The 4 key roles of forests
When confronted with this topic, chances are one word comes to your mind: deforestation.
But what exactly is deforestation? And why is the reality much more more intricate?
We’ll see how these two high-stakes phenomena coexist.
Deforestation is the large-scale, intentional clearing of forests or trees, typically to make way for agricultural activities, logging, urban development, or other land uses.
Forest degradation is the harm or negative alterations to forest ecosystems, which can occur through various factors (such as pollution, wildfires, invasive species, climate change, or unsustainable logging practices).
- Definitive forest cover loss
- The conversion of a forest aera to a non-forest aera
- Relatively well covered by the media and measured by the scientific community
- Non-permanent forest cover loss
- The conversion of a primary forest
to a planted forest for commercial purposes - Less visible, thus less covered and relatively unknown to the public
3/4
is attributed to agriculture.
More than half
is attributed to forestry.
Heavy environmental and social stakes
- Wildlife’s natural habitat erasure that threatens biodiversity
- Forests that are damaged or planted using practices like clearcutting or monocropping are less effective in absorbing carbon dioxide, making them less efficient as carbon sinks
- Weakening the root systems of trees accelerates soil erosion
- The water cycle is negatively affected by certain practices of the wood industry
- Indigenous and local communities can be displaced and have their rights to land tenure violated
- Some operations use exploitative and unsafe labor conditions
- Forced labour has been observed in some cases
Civil societies and NGOs expose unsustainable practices like the clearcutting of trees, faults in the existing certifications for timber-based products or human rights violations.
Overall, controversies are on the rise within the industry.
Over the past two decades,
Europe has tightened its regulations to create a cleaner business environment.
Here are the most significant:
EURD: The European Regulation on Deforestation and forest degradation
- Actors need to be transparent and disclose location of the forest
from which timber originates - Due diligence
CSDDD: The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
- Due diligence means every actor is held accountable on the actions taken across their entire value chain
As the global leading Beauty company, L’Oréal acknowledges its special role in preserving forests.
The L’Oréal for the Future (L4TF) initiative oversees the actions the Group takes towards a more durable management of timber resources.
Read to discover our sustainability requirements!
« By 2030, 100% of the ingredients in our formulas and bio-sourced packaging materials will be traceable and from sustainable sources, none of which will contribute to deforestation. »
The Timber Strategy, L’Oréal’s sustainable sourcing strategy for timber is built on four key actions:
We ensure 100% of bio-sourced materials we buy are certified by 2030.
You may know the main certifications
existing for timbers: FSC & PEFC.
FSC is recommended as the most robust standard recognized on the market.
Certifications are essential, but not enough!
Recycled material is certified too
That is how we prove that the material is indeed recycled and not virgin, therefore not linked to any deforestation or forest damage.
Forest Management Certification
– Applicable by: forest owners, concessionaires
– Requirements: good forest management
Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification
– Applicable by: wood and paper industry, distribution
– Requirements: traceability
– Main standard: FSC & PEFC
Keep in mind:
- Only a company with an FSC certificate can sell FSC-certified products!
- A certificate holder is not obliged to buy only FSC-certified paper and cardboard.
- For this reason, an FSC certificate holder supplier does not only sell FSC-certified products.
We aim to gather 3 levels of geographical information about our materials to link them to their forest of origin :
- Country
- Region
- Plot (GPS coordinates, requested by the EUDR)
This information is key to conduct a proper risk assessment. deforestation or forest damage.
Once we know the material’s origin, we assess risks linked to our sourcing countries and define the mitigation measures we request from our suppliers. We also stay alert for any grievances reported by other stakeholders such as media, NGOs, local communities…
Let’s take an example:
If a NGO report on environmental violations comes out, we look at the data provided by our suppliers to check if any actor or area linked to our value chain is mentioned in the report.
If it’s the case, we directly contact said supplier to manage and resolve the complaint.
What kind of grievances does L’Oréal want to address?
This involves working closely with you and the upstream value chain.
Annual campaigns:
Every year, we collect your data to ensure that we are meeting our requirements (certified materials, valid CoC certificate, transparency to forests of origin, commitment to source sustainably, forest policy, forestry practices…).
Evaluation:
We assess our partners’ performance with the Sustainable Timber Score.
With this score, L’Oréal directly encourages its most virtuous partners linked to the forestry sector.
STS results are shared with L’Oréal buyers as a tool to support our partners closing the gaps, with clear action plan.
Starting from 2023, STS are integrated in the annual suppliers’ performance evaluation.
Principles under STS calculation :
We take into account certified materials, valid CoC certificate, transparency to forests of origin, commitment to source sustainably.
The Group is dedicated to being a pioneer and a role model in the global timber industry. Here are some ways we make it happen:
- Being an active member of FSC international to support higher standards
- Engaging in active collaboration with NGOs, experts..
- Sharing good practices with business peers
- Being part of a coalition for sectorial transformation
An example of a paper supply chain
How does the CoC work accross the value chain?
The Sustainable Timber Score
L’Oréal for the Future set ambitious objectives to safeguard our planet’s resources. The program aims to be a model for corporate social responsibility & sustainability within the cosmetics sector and the broader business community. Here are two more topics we will learn about together:
- Living wage
How can a global company make sure that every worker meets their basic needs, across all countries and activities? - Decarbonization Reducing CO2 emissions means finding new solutions in all aspects of business. How do we make it happen?
Stay tuned!
Thank you for reading!
