Faced with specific issues such as natural resources, trade with developing countries, cosmetics regulations, the Convention on Biological Diversity…Companies don’t always have the time or money to implement a green strategy.
UNITIS has therefore developped Seeds, a self assesment and management tool of corporate commitment to sustainable development
UNITIS also keeps a close eye on biodiversity, notably through the implementation of the Nagoya protocol on access to biological resources and the monitoring of the European regulation against deforestation and forest degradation.
A few major documents...
Nagoya Protocol
Cartagena Protocol
Bonn Guidelines
UNITIS actions
UNITIS promotes the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and compliance with national laws on access to genetic resources.
In this context, UNITIS, in collaboration with Ingrecos and FEBEA, is working on the drafting of country fact sheets designed to provide information on access and benefit sharing (ABS) procedures for the competent national authorities in each country.
In collaboration with other federations, UNITIS also organizes biodiversity information days every two years.
COP 15 also decided to set up a multilateral mechanism for sharing the benefits arising from the use of Digital Sequence Information (DSI). This mechanism is scheduled to become operational at COP 16.
As this multilateral mechanism could involve private-sector players using DSI, UNITIS is taking part in meetings organized by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, to defend the interests of its members and inform them of the consequences of the decisions adopted.
EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS)
A European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) was adopted by the Commission on 14 October 2020, as the first step towards the “zero pollution” ambition, which is a key commitment of the European Green Deal and aims to better protect citizens and the environment from harmful chemicals, and boost innovation by promoting the use of safer and more sustainable chemicals.
The European Commission published a Restrictions Roadmap under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability on 25 April 2022 that provides detailed information on all ongoing work on future restrictions under the EU chemical legislation.
This Roadmap prioritizes group restrictions for the most harmful substances to human health and the environment, as set out in the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), published on October 2020. The CSS is part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition, which is a key commitment of the European Green Deal with the objective to prioritise carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances (CMRs), endocrine disruptors, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances, immunotoxicants, neurotoxicants, substances toxic to specific organs and respiratory sensitisers substances for (group) restrictions’ for all uses.
General documentation
Deforestation
Regulation (EU) 2023-1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 31, 2023 concerning the placing on the market in the Union and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation and repealing Regulation (EU) n°995/210 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (EU) on June 9, 2023.
It is designed to “minimize the EU’s share of global deforestation and forest degradation”, as well as to “reduce the EU’s share of global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss”.
It will come into force on December 30, 2024.
The regulation prohibits the marketing or export from the European market of products that have contributed to deforestation or forest degradation after December 31, 2020.
It directly affects several raw materials used in cosmetics:
The exhaustive list includes : CATTLE, COCOA, COFFEE, PALM OIL, RUBBER, SOYA, WOOD.
On November 13, 2024, the European Parliament approved a one-year postponement of the law against deforestation. Operators will therefore have to comply with the obligations arising from the legislation from December 30, 2025, while small businesses will have until June 30, 2026.