Spearheading Sustainability

Emma Lewisham was founded to make a meaningful, lasting difference in the beauty industry.

We took on the challenge of building a brand that would create a better way and problem solve our way towards a truly sustainable beauty industry. To us this means a model of circularity, a carbon positive path, traceability and transparency. You can read more about what actions we are taking under each of these pillars within this section.

It struck me how the beauty industry was contributing to many of the environmental issues we are facing today. The urgency of climate mitigation led to the formulation of the Paris Agreement in 2015. Its objective is clear: to keep global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, while pursuing a limit of 1.5°C global temperature increase.

To meet pressing environmental and climate goals, we all have to change the way we have been doing things, and that change has to happen now.

The take-make-dispose of model of beauty is a model we have to change for the sake of our planet. It’s estimated that 100 billion units of beauty containers, jars and tubes, are incinerated or sent to landfill and our oceans every year. And on top of that, beauty packaging is the single biggest contributor to carbon emissions in the industry. Somewhere along the way, that became an acceptable standard.

I am determined to bring about a solution and an end to the enormous amount of waste that is going to landfill annually, and to significantly reduced the industries carbon footprint. The solution to me is clear. To create a waste free, landfill free model of beauty, we need to move to a circular model of beauty. In doing so we would not only reduce billions of units of waste going to landfill, but dramatically reduce our carbon emissions by 70% (source: The LCA centre).

From launch we have set out to be leaders in the circular beauty movement, and to move beauty towards a carbon positive path.

It will take a large-scale effort from many parties to reverse the current state of the planet. We believe all businesses must play a role in moving the needle and attacking the problem. We are committed to playing our role, right now.

Please do reach out to us with ideas, questions and feedback on anything relating to our sustainability. We are open to listening, learning and holding ourselves accountable for the decisions we make.

You can also learn more in our Sustainability Strategy

Emma x

Circular Beauty

A linear model of beauty is not sustainable, and we need to bring an end to it fast. For beauty to truly be sustainable, it has to be circular. By doing so we will reduce billion units of waste being incinerated or going to landfill, and reduce carbon emissions by 70%.

Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle

The Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle is all part of our relentless pursuit to set a new standard in the beauty industry. We have a goal to be a 100% circular designed brand, which means all of our products and packaging can be kept in circulation and contributes to the lowest carbon emissions model of beauty.

Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle Refill Programme

If you have previously purchased a Skin Reset Even Skin Tone Serum, Supernatural Triple Vitamin A+ Face Oil or Supernatural Anti-Ageing 72-Hour Crème and have finished your bottle or jar, you have the option to participate in our Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle Refill Programme.

FIND OUT MORE

Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle Recycling Programme

The Emma Lewisham Beauty Circle Recycling Programme is a free, incentivised rewards initiative to ensure beauty products are kept in circularity. We’re rethinking the entire process of a beauty product’s lifespan. We offer free returns, rewards and recycling for not only our own facial products but for all brands’ facial products.

FIND OUT MORE

Carbon-Positive Path

Sustaining the current state of our planet is not enough. The planetary crisis we are facing needs to reversed. This is why Emma Lewisham are going beyond just “being sustainable”.

Aligning with the urgent objective of the United Nation’s 2015 Paris Agreement (halving CO₂ emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050), Emma Lewisham is working towards a regenerative and carbon positive path by moving to a circular model, investing in natural, recycled material for packaging, and sourcing from regenerative farming - and offsetting any remaining emissions.

Emma Lewisham Logo

Sustaining the current state of our planet is not enough. The planetary crisis we are facing needs to reversed. This is why Emma Lewisham are going beyond just “being sustainable”. It is our mission to be a 100% circular designed and carbon positive product business by June 2021.

Aligning with the urgent objective of the United Nation’s 2015 Paris Agreement (halving CO₂ emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050), Emma Lewisham is working to regenerate and save the planet by rapidly reducing carbon emissions - by moving to a circular model, investing in natural, recycled material and sourcing from regenerative farming - and offsetting any remaining emissions.

Carbon-Positive Path

We are on a carbon-positive path. To meet global climate goals, we all have to change the way we have been doing things, and that change has to happen now. We will be going further than carbon neutral, as it is no longer enough just to sustain – we have to regenerate. We are currently measuring our carbon footprint across our entire operations from our first year of business and will finish this process by June 2021. We want to hold ourselves accountable for our emissions from the beginning and act as we plan to carry on.

We are measuring the emissions of everything from the 150 ingredients we use, global transportation, and end of life. From the start we have looked to reduce our impact by incorporated things like natural and recycled materials. Next, we will reduce our impact by becoming 100% circular, and incorporating more recycled material and ingredients from regenerative farms. And finally, we will offset what small amount is left, making Emma Lewisham products carbon positive.

We recognise tackling the concerning climate crisis cannot be done alone. Emma Lewisham will share any circular-designed and carbon positive intellectual property that it’s created to any beauty brands, in the hopes of encouraging other beauty brands to tackle the climate crisis we are facing as a global community

Supply Chain Transparency

There's a huge and very complex supply chain in beauty, and we review and take ownership for every aspect of it. Emma Lewisham traces and discloses every ingredient we put into our products, every component of our packaging, where we source our ingredients from, and where we need to improve and find solutions as a company.

Our ingredients all go through a robust vetting process (and why traceability is so important to us) to ensure ingredients are: biodegradable, organic (where available), non GMO, cruelty free and child labour free. We promise to take ownership for the decisions we make and openly share these, and our thinking behind them.

Our vision is to only use ingredients from regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming that seeks to increase biodiversity and, importantly, capture carbon in soil and plants to take it out of the atmosphere.

The Rodale Institute, which helped pioneer this approach to farming, released a white paper in 2014 that estimated that the world could sequester more than 100% of current annual carbon emissions through regenerative farming practices

Regenerative agriculture

Our vision is to source 100% of our ingredients from regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming that seeks to increase biodiversity and, importantly, capture carbon in soil and plants to take it out of the atmosphere.

Emma Lewisham is now working with two farms Globally who implement regenerative, organic practices.

FIND OUT MORE

Transparency

We research every ingredient and openly share information on our supply chain, suppliers, products, ingredients, our position on palm oil, packaging and how we do business. We have also shared our goals and ambitions (see our sustainability strategy) that we are striving for. We are not perfect and still have many challenges to overcome, but we are open about these, take ownership and are constantly pushing forward and making progress.

Emma Lewisham Logo

We research every ingredient and openly share information about our supply chain, suppliers, products, ingredients, packaging and how we do business. We have also shared our goals and ambitions (see our sustainability strategy) that we are striving for. We are not perfect, but we are constantly making progress, being open and taking ownership.

The Emma Lewisham Standard

It is our mission to move beauty towards a circular model. To prove that natural and scientifically-backed and luxurious and sustainable can co-exist. The Emma Lewisham standard covers what ingredients we do and don’t use, our PETA cruelty free certification, RSPO palm extracts and more.

FIND OUT MORE

Beauty Regulation Changes

An open letter we sent to the Environmental Protection Authority in July 2020 asking them to update their list of banned ingredients to align with best international practices and the latest scientific research.

FIND OUT MORE

Animal Welfare

We firmly believe animal cruelty is more than just testing the finished beauty products on animals. Not only do we not test on animals, we review every ingredient in our products, to ensure they are not tested on animals. We also are constantly reviewing ingredients we use to ensure that popularity and demand does not lead to deforestation and loss of animal life.

FIND OUT MORE

Made in New Zealand

Our laboratory and manufacturing site is ten minutes from Emma Lewisham’s headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. This is so Emma can have the closest of involvement in our R&D process, connect with the people who manufacture our products and sign off on all of our small batches produced. We care deeply about how all of our products are made and producing them in the most thoughtful way possible. Our laboratory produces our products using renewal energy, has strict waste management plans, water recycling processes in place and treats people with fairness and respect. We are incredibly proud of everything that goes into the production of our products.

FIND OUT MORE

Farm to Face

Emma Lewisham is a natural skincare brand. All of our ingredients have one essential characteristic: they can be found in nature. We take ownership of reviewing each ingredient ourselves and reviewing the documentation of each ingredient. See our list of ingredients for 100% transparency and traceability of where our ingredients are sourced from.

Our vision is to use 100% ingredients from regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming that seeks to increase biodiversity and, importantly, capture carbon in soil and plants to take it out of the atmosphere.

FIND OUT MORE

Palm Oil

As one of the larger drivers of deforestation we are profoundly aware of the ethical, environmental, and social implications of using palm oil. However, the question of whether or not to use palm oil is complex and challenging.

Palm oil is an ingredient we have spent a lot of time becoming educated on, speaking to environmentalists, sustainability consultants and scientists to ensure we can make informed decisions and can share with our customers why we have made them. The reality is – it’s not a black and white issue. The major consideration is not what oil is used (whether this is palm, coconut or something else) but how the oil is grown and produced

Emma Lewisham does not use palm oil in our products. But we do have ingredients in our products that are made from palm oil (i.e. palm oil derivatives) that are RSPO mass balanced supply chain certified. This means sustainable palm oil from certified sources is mixed with ordinary palm oil throughout the supply chain. However, we aspire to have all our palm oil derived ingredients to be ‘RSPO Segregated’ (this means certified RSPO oil is kept separate from ordinary palm oil throughout the supply chain) and Identity Preserved (from a single identifiable certified source).

We believe this is the holy grail of using palm oil derivates (and any vegetable oil). However, this is currently close to impossible to attain, as the demand simply does not meet supply. We collectively as an industry and individuals need to be pushing for this level of sustainable palm oil

FIND OUT MORE

Reef Safe

All Emma Lewisham products, particularly sunscreens, are designed to be marine friendly and reef safe.

FIND OUT MORE