WellBeing China Economy

To include both men and women in all activities is not only important for a society. Also from an Economist’s viewpoint it is simple a waste of resources to underutilize the talents and abilities of half the workforce.

For L’Oréal it was therefore not an unusual idea, to develop together with UNESCO the "For Women in Science" program. After all, already 55% of all members of research teams of L’Oréal are women. And the proof of the trust put by L’Oréal into women can also be seen in China by the fact that the boss of the YUESAI plant of L’Oréal, Mrs. Monica Yan, is a women, as well as the technical director for China, Mrs. Chea Lun.

The success of the "For Women in Science" program worldwide in 2004 led to the cooperation of L’Oréal, the All China Women’s Association, the China Science and Technology Association, and the UNESCO Chinese Commission to establish "Chinese Young Women in Science Fellowship" as an extension to the international partnership.

The Chinese Young Women in Science Fellowship is selected on an annual basis. The first period will last 5 years: from 2004 to 2008. This program annually grants 4 Fellowships to promising young women scientists at doctoral or post-doctoral level.

L’ORÉAL China hopes to carry on the spirit of the international program in order to make the Chinese Young Women in Science Fellowship the most influential one in the field of science in China and thereby support the development of the Chinese economy on a scientific basis.

Saving the Environment by saving money

For a responsible company it is obvious that it should try to minimize negative environmental impacts of its activities at all stages. Fortunately this almost always also makes sense in an economical way: By using less electricity, water, raw materials and packages, the company can save money and provide customers with their products at better prices.

L’Oreal has pursued an active policy of finding ways to reduce the necessity of using electricity and water in the production processes. As a result the total amount used worldwide has risen much slower than the volume of production. For water for instance the amount needed per finished product could be reduced by more than a quarter in the last ten years.

Packaging plays an important part in the sector of cosmetic products. At L’Oréal, special teams are researching ways to continuously improve packaging in terms of aesthetic appearance, intelligible information, ease of transport and storage, ergonomics as well as the environmental impact.

To reduce the environmental impact of the packaging four sorts of activities can be identified: Reduction at source, the promotion of recycling, the use of recycled materials and a prolonged product life.

L’Oréal not only is using this activities itself, it also requires the suppliers to use reusable package materials. Transport packaging like boxes and trays for the transport of empty shampoo bottles etc. between the suppliers and the factory are also reused. The sum of all this simple measures, like printing information on the back of boxes instead of extra leaflets, safe tons of paper – and money.

But the lifecycle of a product does not end when it arrives at the customer. Encouraging the consumer to recycle all packaging is another way to safe money and to help the environment at the same time.