Biodiversity is a source of inspiration and innovation, essential to connect to consumers turning to natural ingredients. The outcomes of the 2017 Biodiversity Barometer research which were presented during the 9th annual conference on Biodiversity, organized by UEBT – Union for Ethical BioTrade – on June 1st in Paris, prove it once again.
Leading companies, interviewed for the 2017 UEBT Biodiversity Barometer, stress the importance of biodiversity for product innovation, for assuring long-term access to natural raw materials, and for responding to consumer interest in naturalness.
'Biodiversity is a key area of work for us. It is not only a matter of sourcing; biodiversity is also a source of innovation, nature is an inspiration for L’Oréal to develop new applications for our consumers,' said Laurent Gilbert, Sustainable Innovation Director, L’Oréal.
Consumer interest
Strong consumer interest in ethical sourcing of biodiversity is confirmed by research conducted by IPSOS for UEBT. Of the 5000 surveyed consumers in 2017, 79% state that companies have a moral obligation to assure they have a positive impact on people and biodiversity. In addition, 72% believe that consumers can positively impact society by buying products from companies that respect people and biodiversity. A majority (73%) of consumers feels good when buying such products, but few (34%) are confident that companies pay sufficient attention to ethical sourcing of biodiversity.
To address these trends, companies are changing their sourcing practices, paying increasing attention to the traceability of natural ingredients, and promoting approaches that respect people and biodiversity along the supply chain. …
