Sustainability Policy

Everything You Need To Know About Our Sustainable Skincare Products

Here at La Femme Verte we are passionate about using only natural ingredients in our beautiful skin care range for women who are peri through to post menopause and beyond…but our eco-conscious consumerism doesn’t stop there.

Each and every decision we have made, and will continue to make, draws upon environmental and sustainability issues, for example, our choice of carrier oils to ensure we support sustainable beauty in everything that we do.

As we grow, our commitment to sustainability will also grow, and we will use our buying power to drive positive change.

We believe we have an ethical and moral duty to care for the environment, not just for existing generations, but future generations too.

Let’s talk some more about sustainable skin care and our commitment.

 

Sustainable Skin Care

Living sustainably means making choices that have a minimal impact on the environment and human livelihoods. Sustainable skin care is essentially choosing products that will treat our skin, without harshly impacting the environment and allowing ecosystems to flourish.

At La Femme Verte, we are committed to providing sustainable natural skincare by making use of natural, renewable resources, cutting our usage of plastics and aluminium and reducing our carbon footprint.
Our products are natural and plant based, free from parabens and sulphates

We are also committed to using recyclable containers and packaging and here’s why. The pandemic and subsequent lock downs has allowed many of us to slow down and listen to our bodies. The focus on self-care and well-being, including our daily skin care routines, has grown exponentially. It is therefore crucial to stop and think about the life cycle and environmental impacts of their production and packaging?

 

Our focus

Packaging

Here at LFV we care about our impact on the environment and when sourcing our packaging we made two very conscious decisions. The first being to use minimal packaging. You will notice that when you receive our products the shipment is made in a plain, white cardboard box with 100% recyclable filling.

Furthermore, the product itself does not come in a fancy printed outer carton. It comes as is with a card listing the ingredients, ‘Why You’ll Love It’, and information on ‘How To Use’ it. All of this can be recycled (or passed to a friend if you wanted to recommend LFV). We will be shortly switching to QR codes on all of our products and will no longer be including the cards in with the products, as a further step to reducing packaging and therefore waste.

Secondly, we knew we wanted to use an airless pump for our moisturising creams because the bottles are light in weight, they prolong the shelf life of the product by up to 15%, the vacuum mechanism creates less wastage, and no dip tube is required. We searched high and low and could not find an airless pump which is 100% recyclable, but we are working with our supplier to continue that search. Most of the container unit is recyclable, the exception being the pump mechanism. So, we ask you, when disposing of the container please take it apart and remove the pump. The rest can then be put in the recycling bin.

Since launching in August 2021, we have reconsidered ours and our consumers priorities, and concluded that, despite the advantages of airless pump containers, until a 100% recyclable one is available we will be phasing them out from our range and switching to glass jars instead.

 

Waste and recycling

The cardboard box, shredded tissue and tissue paper we use to send product is all recyclable and we ask all of our customers to either reuse these materials, recycle them or compost them when they have finished with them.

 

Isn’t plastic recyclable?

You may be thinking, can plastic be recycled? The answer is yes, and no. There are seven types of plastic, and it is sometimes not economical for local councils to recycle all of them. This is why it is crucial that everyone tries to reduce the amount of plastic they are using.

 

Investing in Increased Quality and Refillable Packaging Options

We will also be introducing pouches for products so you can refill your existing jars and bottles.

 

Raw Ingredients

We use only natural and organic raw ingredients. This means the organic ingredients are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and other toxins. The natural ingredients come from mineral or plant sources and work best when they’re organically farmed. We are passionate about natural efficacy and believe that opting for organic and natural ingredients helps minimise your exposure to potential skin irritants while supporting more environmentally friendly farming practices.

The ingredients we use are produced in a sustainable way, for example we do not use palm oil in any of our products, favouring instead olive based products and other nut, seed and plant based carrier oils.

We select the suppliers of our raw ingredients carefully and consciously select suppliers who commit to taking care of the environment.

We are of the view that nature provides us with an abundance of sustainable raw ingredients which ensure our products remain packed with premium ingredients.

 

Energy

We are very mindful about energy and the majority of our products rely on minimal or no energy during their production.

Where we do use energy to produce a product, all equipment is switched off after use.

Our manufacturing base is very well insulated.

 

Water

Water is also a precious commodity and we are mindful of the water poverty globally. The majority of our products are oil based and do not use water. We will continue with this commitment and introduce new products to our range which use oils rather than water.

We will continue to monitor how we use water at our manufacturing base and reduce our consumption of water not used in products.

 

What changes can I make?

Aim to make small and sustainable changes in your beauty routine over time and between us all we will tackle plastic pollution.

We can all make small changes from what products we buy to how we dispose of them…each small step does really count if we all make a conscious decision to change our behaviour and consumer choices.

John Lewis have created a beauty recycling trial named BeautyCycle. This programme aims to collect empty make-up and skincare product containers and recycle or compost them! The scheme was created in partnership with TerraCycle, and there are numerous ‘drop-off’ locations around the UK. Further details can be found here.

 

For beauty lovers who are interested in going plastic-free, here are some ideas:

1. Stop using face wipes

Face wipes are one of the main culprits when it comes to plastic pollution and the beauty industry. These products are not biodegradable. When face wipes get caught in sewage, on land, or in the sea, they exist there for over one-hundred years.

A natural sponge or muslin cloth does the job just as well…why not try with one of our gorgeous oil to milk cleansers which are just perfect for removing make up and every day pollutants without stripping the skin of all its essential and natural oils.

Using cotton wool pads still? Switch to the fabric cotton pads which can be washed time and time again…Louise swears by these and hopes in the not too distant future we can add these to our skin care range line.

2. Make some make-up swaps

Make-up is synonymous with plastic packaging, so delve into your make-up bag…what could you swap? A top one and easy to achieve is switch your mascara to a beauty brand like Zao. Not only is it packaged in a bamboo case it is also refillable.

3. Switch to a bamboo toothbrush

Plastic toothbrushes are composed of a hard-plastic handle and nylon bristles; both of these materials are tough to degrade. Bamboo is a natural and fast-growing plant; it is also fully biodegradable. Buying a bamboo toothbrush is a great alternative to buying a plastic one; however, it must still be disposed of correctly!

4. Replace bottles with soap and shampoo bars

Remember the old days when we used a good bar of soap? Who remembers Imperial Leather? A bar of soap did the job then and it does the job now. Louise and Sara make their own soap and have great fun playing around with ingredients and fragrances. The Gardener’s Soap is a firm favourite with family and friends and the Lavender and Rosemary Soap is a touch of luxury…a perfect excuse to use everyday.

Have we inspired you?

Why not find a class locally to you and learn how to make your own soap?

But most importantly, actively look on a company’s website to discover their ethos and approach to packaging and plastic waste before deciding whether to endorse that company’s products. Consumers do have the power to bring about necessary change.