French beauty giant L’Oréal USA has received the Cradle to Cradle certified SILVER for its Biolage R.A.W. Nourish shampoo and conditioner, an accolade which is said to cement its commitment to sustainability.

The certification was awarded based on the ‘evaluation of the products’ material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness’, with the Cradle to Cradle certification being awarded on a five level system – Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each higher level has stricter criteria while companies are awarded the levels based on their lowest scores in any quality category.

Jonathan Maher, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability for L’Oréal USA, said, “Through L’Oréal’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, we have been able to create a product line that truly combines our commitments to high performance hair care and environmental stewardship.
“We are extremely proud of this Cradle to Cradle certification because it exemplifies how our Sharing Beauty With All sustainability program encompasses every aspect of our product’s value chain, from formulation to packaging and production.”

L’Oréal USA formulated R.A.W. product line using its comprehensive database of ingredients and their environmental properties, with the Research & Innovation teams working to the highest level of biodegradability to achieve the Silver certification.

The certification announcement highlights the company’s dedication to ‘sustainable innovation and environmental stewardship’ across its R&D activity, with the product line being produced in L’Oréal’s Kentucky manufacturing plant, which achieved 100 percent renewable electricity at the end of 2016.