L’Oréal has partnered with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) to establish a Sustainable Innovation Accelerator aimed at addressing key environmental challenges in the beauty sector. The initiative, supported by a €100 million ($116 million) investment over five years, seeks to advance the company’s 2030 sustainability targets by identifying and supporting scalable solutions.
The programme, managed by CISL’s Canopy innovation team, will focus on seven priority areas: low-carbon and climate-smart solutions, water resilience, nature-based solutions, alternative ingredients and materials, elimination of fossil plastics, circular resource management, and sustainable and inclusive business models.
James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at CISL, said, “In the age of disruption, future-focused corporates recognise the power of partnering with universities and startups to source and develop new technologies, innovations, and ventures which create long-term value for the company and society. We’re delighted to partner with L’Oréal to run a sustainability-focused innovation programme to source and accelerate commercially relevant solutions today for the problems of tomorrow.”
The accelerator will support startups, SMEs, and established innovators with ready-to-pilot solutions, with the aim of integrating sustainability into the core of the beauty industry. Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at L’Oréal Groupe, commented, “At L’Oréal, we have always embraced and nurtured innovation, co-creating with partners across our value chain to drive positive change within the beauty industry. As we work with our ecosystem to pave the way for a more sustainable future, we know that we have to be even more intentional in seeking, advancing and scaling pioneering solutions. We are looking forward to collaborating with a growing number of innovators and problem solvers worldwide.”
