Environment
We have always needed nature for our products. And nature needs us now more than ever. That is why protecting our planet is one of our most urgent tasks. We are working hard to increase the positive environmental effects of our actions and minimise the negative. We would like to outline our point of view on a few hotly debated environmental issues. We have made a firm promise when it comes to the things we’re passionate about – the environment, nature, responsibility and sustainability – and there is one thing we will never forget: sincerity.
Climate neutral. Is that a good thing?
Our work at our head office site in Eckwälden has been climate neutral since 2020. We avoid directly creating CO2 emissions by using green electricity and biogas made from waste materials. Additionally, we make carbon-offsetting payments to compensate for unavoidable emissions. It would be much cheaper for us to offset all of our CO2 emissions rather than avoiding creating them in the first place. In doing so, we could still loudly congratulate ourselves for achieving “carbon neutrality,” as so many others do. However, we know that this is not the time for celebration as there is still so much work to do. Our goal is to reduce our CO2 emissions all the way down our value chain to almost zero. As appose to just buying just by buying our freedom, we want to do everything we can to keep reducing our CO2 emissions.
Waste paper. What’s the deal?
Out with the new, in with the old? When it comes to protecting the environment, reusing waste paper is clearly the best option. Recycled raw materials conserve valuable resources and therefore protect the environment. That is why our folding boxes no longer contain materials made from FSC primary fibres, as we now use 100% recycled materials instead. We also strive to constantly increase the recycled components in our other packaging.
Our aluminium is rubbish. Is that such a bad thing?
Aluminium: practically made for recycling. It can be recycled as many times as needed at no detriment to its quality. That is why our aluminium tubes are made from 100% recycled material from industrial waste (PIR). Any production waste resulting from the processing of aluminium is collected and melted down again. This enables us to cut down energy use by 95%, and therefore hundreds of tonnes of CO2 and millions of litres of water. Our 30, 50 and 75ml cosmetic tubes are already made from 100% recycled materials, with our tube sizes soon to follow.
100% vegan. With beeswax?
We mainly use plant-based and mineral ingredients for our cosmetics. However, depending on the type of care and skin needs, we also intentionally use raw animal materials. Beeswax, for example, is a valuable substance: a gift from nature that we take extra care to use responsibly. That’s why not all of our products are vegan. It’s worth noting, however, that even 100% artificial, mineral-oil-based cosmetics are always 100% vegan. Which of course sounds better than “100% synthetic”.
Goodbye tubes. Hello mould?
Why do our products still come in plastic tubes? Partly because plastic is easy to recycle and offers excellent protection for our products. Pure natural cosmetics without synthetic preservatives are very sensitive. We have to make sure that unsuitable packaging doesn’t cause the valuable content to go off prematurely and end up being wasted. We sell our day creams in aluminium tubes rather than glass jars because the risk of contamination from using your fingers is too high. In this regard, product protection means resource protection to us – and therefore environmental protection.
0% microplastic. Is this the end?
Our natural cosmetics are exclusively made from ingredients of natural origin. They are free from mineral oils, silicones, synthetic preservatives and fragrances, as well as from microplastic, of course. Incidentally, the use of solid microplastic particles in cosmetics will soon be banned throughout the EU. Liquid plastics, such as the silicones that can be found in shampoos, are not affected by this ban and can still be used in conventional cosmetics. We choose to keep them out of our products, and therefore out of the sea.
Clean, organic, ecological. What’s in a label?
Natural cosmetics are in vogue, but just how natural are they really? And which of the many labels can we trust? The NATRUE label has the answers. Only natural, organic cosmetics carry this international quality label. Independent auditors check compliance with guidelines every year and ensure that our formulas and ingredients pass the test, therefore preventing any risk of greenwashing. This is certainly not a problem for us, as every Dr. Hauschka product carries the NATURE label. This also applies to our ingredients: over 80% of our vegetable raw materials are organically cultivated. We want to make this percentage even higher – and to increasingly migrate to Demeter farming.
