Beiersdorf achieves key sustainability goals for 2020

Beiersdorf has published its annual Sustainability Review for 2014, highlighting the progress made towards its key sustainability goals since adopting its "We care." strategy three years ago.

The company has been able to cut its CO2 emissions per product sold by 48 percent, meaning it has already exceeded its 2020 target by 18 percentage points. Overall, 12 percent of its annual sales are achieved by products with significantly reduced environmental impact, a share that Beiersdorf aims to raise by up to 50 percent by the end of the decade.

Since 2013, a total of 244,811 families have been supported sustainably through the global social commitment of the company, showing the progress made towards the 2020 target of one million.

Inken Hollmann-Peters, vice-president for corporate communications and sustainability at Beiersdorf, said: "We owe this success to the dedicated engagement of our employees in all of our affiliates worldwide."

The firm is also seeking new ways to improve its performance, with a recent analysis of the Nivea Face Care range revealing that plastic jars may be more environmentally friendly than glass jars – the opposite of past expectations.

By switching the whole Nivea Face Care range to plastic jars, the packaging's greenhouse gas potential can be cut by at least 15 percent, it is estimated.