Chris Skidmore, MP and former UK energy secretary, said in his net zero reviews published this year that: “The UK leads in areas including clean technologies, science, manufacturing and green finance – areas that, if managed right, can lead to new jobs and strong economic growth”.5
Those businesses that look internally at how they operate and form coalitions and working partnerships with other like-minded businesses will benefit the most as the end consumer will increasingly want to spend their money with companies who are actively trying to make positive changes.
As an industry, it’s encouraging to see beauty companies becoming B Corp registered and joining coalitions to speed up the process of tackling urgent issues pertinent to some parts of our sector.
However, I am struggling to recognise any names that operate more in the “aesthetic” rather than beauty sectors, apart from skincare company Pangaea (manufacturers of the brand Medik8), who are currently going through the certification process.
What can you do?
Over the coming year, I plan to record and publish interviews from leading companies that operate specifically in the aesthetic sector to see what plans they have to innovate and make positive changes that contribute towards a more sustainable economy.
I would encourage anyone running a business to actively engage with their suppliers; the more people who ask, the higher this topic will become on the agenda of companies in our sector.
Although it’s unlikely that clinic owners (apart from the larger chains in our sector) would want to go through B-Corp certification, there are many things that you can do to run a more sustainable business that will resonate with your staff and customers/patients.
Finally, for businesses to take responsibility for their role in the urgent transition to a low-carbon, sustainable and fair economy, they need to listen deeply and hear the voices of all stakeholders (customers/suppliers and partners) on which their businesses survive.
We are all on a journey where we are learning what we can do to make a positive change both in our businesses and personal lives.
As small business owners, you have more power than most to instigate change by choosing greener suppliers and/or nudging existing ones to come up with plans for improvement. In addition, any positive changes that you make (no matter how small) can be communicated with your customer database, potentially positively influencing thousands of other people.
If you’re interested in ideas and suggestions, follow the
Sustainability in Aesthetics Facebook group that connects like-minded clinic owners and suppliers who want to be involved in making meaningful changes around the broad range of sustainability issues.
I firmly believe that this will have a positive effect on your profits as consumers look to spend money with companies who are actively engaged in making changes and communicating this rather than ignoring what is going on all around them.
References
- B Lab United Kingdom Website; < https://bcorporation.uk/b-corp-certification/what-is-a-b-corp/ >. (Accessed 30th January 2023)
- The Drinks Business, 5th December 2022, BrewDog has its B Corp status revoked, Sarah Neish, <https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2022/12/brewdog-has-its-b-corps-certificate-revoked/>. (Accessed 30th January 2023)
- B Beauty B Corp Coalition, January 2022, Introducing B Beauty Press Release, < https://www.bcorpbeauty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/B-Corp-Beauty-Coalition.Press-Release.FINAL_.pdf>.(Accessed 30th January 2023)
- Forbes Magazine, 11th January 2022, The Tipping Point: Why Sustainability Will Trigger Exponential Growth, Alexander Frech, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/11/the-tipping-point-why-sustainability-will-trigger-exponential-growth/?sh=3c4fdc722ada>.(Accessed 30th January 2023)
- Gov.uk website, Press Release, 13th January 2023, Net Zero Review: UK could do more to reap economic benefits of green growth, <https://www.gov.uk/government/news/net-zero-review-uk-could-do-more-to-reap-economic-benefits-of-green-growth>.(Accessed 30th January 2023)