Coty Inc., one of the world’s largest beauty companies
and a global leader in fragrances, is set to partner with carbon recycler
LanzaTech to introduce sustainable ethanol made
from captured-carbon emissions into its fragrance products.
LanzaTech, a leader in the production of
next-generation sustainable ingredients, captures industrial emissions — such as
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide produced in steel manufacturing — and
upcycles the waste gases into a new, more sustainable source of ethanol. Coty’s
scientists have worked alongside LanzaTech and production partners over the past
two years to develop a high-purity, carbon-negative ethanol that is suitable for
use in fragrances.
Coty will incorporate this carbon-captured ethanol into its manufacturing
process, with the goal of having the majority of its fragrance portfolio using
LanzaTech’s recycled,
CarbonSmart™; ethanol
sourced from carbon capture by 2023.
LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren said:
Everything you need to know about the state of play in molecular recycling
Join us as Katherine Hofmann, Sustainability Strategic Initiatives Manager at Eastman, explores the potential for this new recycling category to help fuel a circular economy for plastics - Wed, Oct. 16, at SB'24 San Diego.
“Addressing our climate challenge requires collaboration across multiple sectors. We are proud to be developing this partnership with Coty to show that carbon recycling can enable sustainable production of fragrances. Single-use carbon must be a thing of the past; and this project exemplifies our vision of a CarbonSmart future, where consumers are able to choose products made from recycled carbon.”
Ethanol is a core ingredient in fragrance products, enabling the efficient
dispersion of the scent. Coty fragrances contain ethanol sourced from a range of
natural raw materials — including sugar cane and sugar beet — which use land,
water and fertilizers. This new, carbon-negative ethanol utilizes near-zero
water consumption and reduces the requirement for agricultural land — which, in
turn, supports biodiversity. Sustainability consultancy
Quantis
conducted a screening life cycle assessment which shows significantly reduced
overall environment impacts for Coty with the new ethanol.
“Sustainability is the ultimate driver of innovation, and Coty is focused on
creating outstanding products that are truly clean and green,” said Coty CEO
Sue Y. Nabi. “Ethanol is the number-one ingredient purchased for the
fragrance category; and over time, this partnership with LanzaTech
will significantly reduce the environmental impact of our products. It’s not
only the right thing to do, it makes commercial sense, too – with today’s
consumer rightly demanding that their favourite brands share their commitment to
sustainability.”
LanzaTech — which won both the People’s Choice and Target Overall Winners awards
at the Sustainable Brands Innovation
Open
in 2015 — compares its carbon-recycling technology to that of a brewery; but
instead of using sugars and yeast to make beer, industrial pollution is
converted by bacteria to fuels and chemicals.
The partnership with LanzaTech will be an important step for Coty as it
continues its journey to becoming a more sustainable and circular business.
Coty’s Beauty That Lasts sustainability
strategy — which is guided by the UN
SDGs — sets out a range of
time-bound targets, including a 30 percent reduction in absolute CO~2~e emissions
by 2030.
Coty’s long-term carbon savings from switching to the CarbonSmart ethanol are
unclear at this point. But a spokesperson for LanzaTech said that the over 20
million gallons of carbon-negative ethanol that the company has produced to date
is the equivalent of avoiding 115,000 tons of CO~2~.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Mar 4, 2021 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET