Beauty is our passion. So says Horst Robertz, managing director and head of procurement, production and research at BABOR, Germany’s leading luxury cosmetics company.
“This is particularly true when it comes to protecting something especially beautiful: our planet,” enthused Robertz.
As a third-generation owner-managed company, sustainability is part of BABOR’s corporate philosophy. Now the company presents its plans for the future: The Green Agenda 2025.
To care and be respectful towards nature is deeply rooted in the DNA of BABOR. The brand, founded in 1956 as “biomedical natural” cosmetics, was one of the first companies to deal with issues like wastewater treatment and waste separation.
Now, Europe’s No.1 professional skincare brand is ready to do so much more in its quest for a greener planet.
“At BABOR, we firmly believe in sustainable business practices – for our customers, our products and the environment. We are all called upon to think more broadly and more concretely about sustainability. The Green Agenda is the action plan that transports BABOR’s sustainability philosophy into the future,” added Robertz.
“At BABOR, we firmly believe in sustainable business practices,” says Robertz
The Green Agenda 2025 includes three main priorities: CO2, packaging and ingredients.
Bye-bye, CO2
Thanks to green electricity, photovoltaics and climate-neutral renewable natural gas, production at the headquarters in Aachen has been carbon neutral since 2014. The whole company BABOR is climate-neutral since 2020.
Together with ClimatePartner, BABOR has made a detailed calculation of its carbon footprint and implements its own measures to offset all emissions that the company cannot yet prevent.
Today, BABOR compensates both – the emissions that the company and its employees produce as well as those related to the supply chain of the products – from delivery of the raw materials up to the shipment of the finished product to the customer.
BABOR aims to place even more emphasis on preventative rather than offsetting measures in the future. In the new office building, BABOR makes use of sustainable technology and has reduced energy consumption by 45% thanks to geothermal energy, a gas-powered combined heat and power unit (CHP), special cooling ceilings, as well as heat exchangers.
The BABOR Beauty Cluster, the company’s new production site, will be largely energy self-sufficient. Mobility concepts and reforestation programmes in the vicinity of the company headquarters support the path to achieving this objective.
BABOR’s headquarters
Green packaging
The objective is for all of BABOR’s packaging to be 100% recyclable and plastic use will be reduced by 30%.
BABOR already refrains from using plastic filler materials in its packages and uses FSC-certified paper whenever paper is required. Packaging developers are currently designing the first packaging solutions made from recycled materials, foregoing cellophane wrapping of the products whenever possible and re-examining the shipping cartons.
Clean ingredients
All formulations will be free of microplastic particles and environmentally critical synthetic polymers. Resource-critical raw materials will be replaced by certified resources and alternatives.
All new formulations will be developed without microplastics and synthetic polymers. By 2023, current formulations will be adapted to alternative formulations as part of relaunch activities wherever possible.
Where necessary, polymers that preserve resources and are environmentally friendly are to be used instead. Only certified palm oil derivatives are used and their use will also be reduced.
BABOR’s CO2 neutral windpark
Dedicated to the Planet
For 14 years, the creams produced by the company have been delivered by a “green” postman: Thanks to a partnership with DHL, deliveries are CO2 neutral.
For shorter distances, employees hop aboard the company-owned BABOR electric car. BABOR was the first company in Aachen to install charging stations for electric cars of employees at the company headquarters and promote the switch to e-mobility.
BABOR’s charging station for electric cars
“Our resolve to be socially and environmentally responsible is something that stems from deep inside BABOR,” explained Robertz.
“This resolve was often ahead of its time and has always gone above and beyond what is required by law. Today, these problems have reached global proportions and we cannot solve them alone. But we can make a difference. The answers are there. And we will find them. It’s in our DNA.”
A healthy glow with Cleanformance
Cleanformance is BABOR’s new clean cosmeceutical skincare line that blends clean beauty, plant-based ingredients and the powerful precision of the brand. Featuring prebiotics and probitotics, Cleanformance products help balance and restore the skin’s microbiome for a vibrant, healthy-looking complexion.
Sustainably sourced Red Maple Bark acts as a powerful antioxidant to improve skin’s elasticity and resilience, while Phyto CBD fortifies skin with necessary fatty acids to hydrate and regenerate.
As an eco-conscious and 100% Climate Neutral brand, BABOR has a committed approach to Sustainability that translates directly into every step of BABOR’s process – from their green manufacturing and packaging to our naturally derived and sustainability sourced ingredients.
Cleanformance utilises over 95% naturally derived and 100% vegan ingredients, with 0% microplastics packaged in only recycled materials. Its outside packaging is made of 80% recycled paper while tubes are made from 30% recycled plastic. Creams and serums are packaged in 100% recyclable glass that shows content levels for complete brand transparency .
For each Cleanformance product sold, BABOR will plant a tree in their BABOR forest near their company headquarters in Aachen, Germany.
BABOR's Plant A Tree Campaign
