What is Corporate Sustainability in the Personal Care Supply Industry?
Corporate sustainability can have different meanings depending on the business context. For Integrity Ingredients we believe that the concept of sustainability is a major pillar of Clean Beauty and define it as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Therefore, we recognize three primary pillars for corporate sustainability: social, environmental, and economic or we see it, people, planet, and profits. Combined, these core components help us to embrace sustainability in a way that is beneficial to efficiency, sustainable growth, and customer value.
The 3 Components of Sustainability
Economic
Contrary to its name, the economic component is not about profit at any cost for Integrity Ingredients — it’s about corporate risk management. The importance lies in the balance between profit and ethics. Although a change in our supply chain may bring short-term financial gains, we are extremely skeptical if there is any risk of potential damage to our reputation and welfare and that of our customers. On the other hand, the economic pillar also provides a counterweight to extreme sustainability measures that we are sometimes pressured to implement, such as immediately abandoning all ingredients that are not natural. The economic pillar essentially makes it possible for us to continue executing sustainability changes at a gradual, but financially stable rate.
Social
The social component is all about the mutual support between Integrity Ingredients and our employees, customers, and the community. Treating employees fairly and having a respectful supply chain process leads to increased productivity, creativity and innovation as well as strong retention and engagement. Overall, practicing sustainable social strategies in the long run results in a workforce with greater skills and more motivation. Creating a strong, community-oriented culture encourages innovation – and thus the ability to improve upon existing products, processes, and business models. On a global scale, the social pillar means knowing where and how your supply chain comes to fruition through sustainable labor, a safe work environment, fair wages, and respect and economic sustenance for the indigenous communities from where our ingredients are derived.
Environmental
The environmental component is for Integrity Ingredients the most important out of all three. It is our mission to advance Clean Beauty and the “Beauty with a Conscience Movement”. In so doing, we have found that sustainability practices for our company are often the most innovative because we are constantly reviewing existing processes to find better, greener alternatives. By reducing our carbon footprint and waste, we are also able to see a positive impact in our Industry, our reputation and thus our financial returns. Some common goals that help us both to increase profits and reduce our environmental impact are implementing transportation management systems and optimizing ingredient manufacturing. As awareness around environmental issues increases, we believe that it is important for us to have a mission of green sustainability and chemistry to build a reputation with consumers as eco-friendly.
Why is Corporate Sustainability Important?
The focus on these three components of sustainability – economic, social, and environmental synergistically help us strive for more sustainable practices. We have long since abandoned a tunnel vision focus on fast profits at the expense of the environment to a more mutual interdependence and eco-innovation. Adopting sustainable practices not only helps the environment, but for Integrity Ingredients it has also proven that sustainability initiatives lead to an improved brand image, reduced costs, increased productivity, and happier customers and employees.
