L’Oreal India’s manufacturing facility in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, has achieved 100 percent carbon neutrality for scopes 1 and 2 of the Green House Gas Protocol. Scope 1 emissions include those from the use of coal, oil, and natural gas, while scope 2 emissions include those from electricity, steam, and heat. This achievement is consistent with the brand’s global sustainability commitment, L’Oreal for the Future, which states that by 2025, all brand-operated sites worldwide must achieve carbon neutrality.

To achieve 100 percent neutrality, the Baddi plant replaced conventional boilers with electric boilers, reducing diesel consumption to zero, and switching the source of electricity to a hydropower plant. The brand aims to reduce CO2 emissions and operate within planetary boundaries by improving energy efficiency and using 100 percent renewable energy.

Jai Ram Thakur, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh said, “Himachal Pradesh Government is committed to contributing towards India’s sustainability goals and has been taking pragmatic steps for environment protection and initiatives to reduce CO2 in the state. It is a matter of happiness that L’Oreal, a leading global cosmetics group has also been supplementing the efforts of the State Government in the protection of the environment by setting up a carbonneutral state-of-the-art factory at Baddi. I extend my good wishes for achieving this distinction.”

Commenting on the milestone, Amit Jain, Managing Director, L’Oreal India said, “Our Baddi Plant’s 100 per cent carbon neutrality marks a major milestone, as it’s aligned to the global sustainability targets we set for ourselves and also is in line with India’s net-zero goals. We are happy to report that the emissions associated with electricity and fuel consumption have been reduced to zero, thereby having no carbon impact on the environment.”

L’Oreal India is committed to the communities surrounding its Baddi factory and has implemented a variety of socioeconomic initiatives to improve their lives and fulfil its sense of purpose. The school near the Baddi factory, established by the brand in collaboration with the NGO Nirmala Niketan, provides free education to approximately 200 students ranging in age from 6 to 14 years. The company assisted the Himachal government in providing critical oxygen equipment, medical supplies, food, and hygiene kits for Covid-19 relief.

To uplift and assist women affected by the Covid fallout, the company launched a livelihood support programme to assist them in rebuilding their lives. The brand collaborated with the Primary Healthcare Centre in Baddi as part of the global solidarity programme to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical personnel as well as food and essentials to migrants and their families.