Natura &Co gives first annual update on Commitment to Life 2030 Sustainability Vision

News provided by

Jun 22, 2021, 10:29 ET

The progress report will be live streamed as an open conversation and will convene world leading experts to discuss critical issues
Natura &Co to announce the launch of a new data tool to aide conservation of the Amazon, and will call for the creation of science-based targets on biodiversity in order to achieve the Paris Agreement
Natura &Co set to be first multinational to ensure their workforce reflects the demographic composition of the societies in which it operates

SÃO PAULO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Natura &Co — home of Avon, Natura, The Body Shop and Aesop global beauty brands — and the world's largest certified B Corp, will today give its first annual update on progress made and the challenges faced since the launch of its 10 year Commitment to Life plan in June 2020.

The plan sets out 31 targets which will see Natura &Co step up its actions to tackle some of the world's most pressing issues, including the climate crisis and protecting the Amazon, the defence of Human Rights and ensuring equality and inclusion throughout its network, and embracing circularity and regeneration by 2030.

The progress report will be livestreamed as an open conversation and will convene world leading experts on the biodiversity crisis, conservation of the Amazon, the circular economy and equality to discuss how businesses can play their part in solving environmental and social problems.

Key updates will include:

The launch of a new monitor tool called PlenaMata, in partnership with MapBiomas and InfoAmazônia. Currently data about the health of the Amazon is disparate and hard to use. This new portal, built in collaboration with multiple groups, will overcome that problem by create a centralised database to inform initiatives for the conservation and regeneration of the Amazon biome.
A renewed call to build an agreement on nature with the same importance it has been given to climate and carbon. The company supports the creation of science-based targets for biodiversity as Natura &Co believes that without a bold plan to reverse nature loss, the goals of the Paris Agreement will never be achieved.
As part of a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, Natura &Co will set out a new plan to ensure its workforce reflects the demographic composition of the societies in which it operates. This will be a first for a listed multi-national business with a network in more than 100 countries and has many challenges around personal data and data protection laws in different countries. Natura &Co aims to develop new ways to tackle inequality and underrepresentation.

Roberto Marques, Executive Chairman and Group CEO Natura &Co, said; "We are sharing our progress – and our challenges - in the spirit of transparency, and in the spirit of collaboration. Our business model holds ourselves accountable to balance profit & purpose, which is why we will always report our social and environmental performance with the same transparency as we do our financial performance. With 75% of Fortune 500 companies not having carbon neutral commitments by 2030 in place, it's clear that the world has a long way to go. The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and it will be incumbent upon the private sector to step up and push for change in order for the goals of the Paris Agreement to become a reality. Equally, social justice will continue to be an aspiration unless businesses step up to ensure diversity and inclusion through every aspect of their structure and its entire network in which they participate. Our Commitment to Life vision is ambitious, but with collaboration, creativity, and care, we will achieve it."

Tasso Azevedo, founder of MapBiomas, said; "We are launching an instrument to engage the private sector, civil societies, local communities and governments to articulate the fight against deforestation and successful conservation and regeneration initiatives"

Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, said; "I am grateful to Natura &Co for convening this important dialogue on diversity equity and inclusion. While we´ve made some great strides toward the SDGs, persistent inequality threatens to derail our progress with gender inequality the most glaring of all and the COVID19 crisis has made the economic gender gap even wider. Threatening to slow or reverse any progress we have made. Embracing diversity and inclusion has proven not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do. I congratulate Natura &Co on their ambitious targets. Target setting is crucial for progress on diversity and inclusion, because what gets measured gets done. Our workforce should reflect the diverse world in which we live in. Responsible business leaders can and must set the tone from the top, because the evidence is clear, when women and other underrepresented groups are empowered, everybody wins"

Akanksha Khatri, Head of Nature and Biodiversity at World Economic Forum, said; "We are seeing an unprecedented interest in and commitment to fighting the climate and nature emergencies facing humanity. Despite this increasing attention on the topic of nature loss, there is still limited understanding on how it can be material to businesses and what the private sector can do to address this challenge. Business leaders, governments and heads of civil society organizations must come together to create an integrated nature action agenda to tackle the issues of climate, biodiversity, forests, oceans and sustainable development."

Highlights from the first year of progress:

Natura &Co's preservation of Amazon forest increased from 1.8 to 2 million hectares
Access Benefit Payments totalling 8.7MM R$ were made to communities in the Amazon
The gender balance of the management team reached 49%
On track to close a 0.9% unexplained pay equity gap by year end 2021
$4.87m was invested in regenerative solutions, such as Ekos Tukumã
$94m was invested in causes, including donations to fighting COVID-19, supporting breast cancer awareness initiatives, and support for victims of domestic violence

About Natura &Co
Natura &Co is a global, purpose-driven, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group which includes Avon, Natura, The Body Shop and Aesop. Natura &Co posted net revenues of R$36.9 billion in 2020. The four companies that form the group are committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact. For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Founded in 1969, Natura is a Brazilian multinational in the cosmetics and personal care segment, leader in direct sales. Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand that seeks to make a positive difference in the world. The Australian beauty brand Aesop was established in 1987 with a quest to create a range of superlative products for skin, hair and the body.

SOURCE Natura &Co