5th Engineering Cosmetics and Consumer Products Conference

How Responsible Supply Chain Plays a Role in Sustainable Ingredient Design

Author

Winterburn, S. - Presenter, Rowan University
Inolex’s three pillars of business are innovating sustainably, operating purposefully, and engaging respectfully. The first pillar relates to green chemistry and life cycle thinking which are integral in designing ingredients with a net-positive impact on our world, and inside of the second pillar is the principle of responsible procurement. For our numerous plant-based ingredients, we consciously choose the feedstocks that adhere to green chemistry principles and align with the ethical and sustainability standards that the personal care industry upholds. In this talk I will review some of our key feedstocks like brassica, palm, and castor, and how we take different approaches to mitigate risk in the supply chain, increase traceability, and participate in actions to improve environmental impacts. There are also strategies that can be implemented like regional manufacturing that contribute to overall sustainability by minimizing the distance that products need to travel to get to the end customer. The upstream development of the supply chain as it pertains to feedstock selection, ingredient manufacture, and ingredient transportation is a vital part of maintaining a sustainable material life cycle.