Responsible Sourcing, Production and Packaging

Just as NIVEA respects the human skin’s natural balance, we respect nature itself. That’s why we are committed to continuous improvement in sustainability at every step – from our formulas to the way we produce and package our skincare and beyond.

RESPONSIBLE SOURCING

Sustainable from the start

Good things come from the best possible sources. We strive to use sustainably sourced raw materials that are renewable where possible. Our research teams keep looking for new, better ingredients and alternative sources in order to reduce our environmental impact.

We keep an open mind for the most sustainable solution, which may also include using an ingredient synthetically instead of using the natural source. In many cases, synthetically produced ingredients are more pure and of more consistent quality, and do not need fields to grow plants and water crops. In some cases, this may make synthetically produced ingredients the more resource-friendly choice, Whether renewable and natural or synthetic: for NIVEA, safety, quality and sustainability are top criteria when sourcing our ingredients.

SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION IN CULTIVATION REGIONS

Globally Beiersdorf conduct activities directly in the regions where palm oil is cultivated in order to improve the local working and living conditions of farmers with small and medium-sized oil palm plantations over the long term and to protect the environment. Our aim is to work with farmers on transitioning to more sustainable farming without further deforestation.

For example, since mid-2018 we have been collaborating with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on a project in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. We are supporting a total of three villages with a population of around 4,500 inhabitants. Its aim is to train smallholder farmers in more sustainable cultivation practices and help them obtain legal recognition for their cultivation areas. We helped establish an overarching association, allowing them to share knowledge more efficiently and to represent their interests jointly. The first phase was completed in 2022, and the project was extended for a further four years. In the second project phase (mid-2022 to 2026), the aim is to recruit at least 300 members for the farmers’ association and certify at least 200 members of the association according to the RSPO standard. Moreover, the smallholder farmers are to be given direct market access to a palm oil mill. The second project phase is also being supported by one of our suppliers, the specialty chemicals company Evonik.

Since 2020, Beiersdorf and Evonik have been supporting the WWF in a second project to realize a landscape project in Sabah, Malaysia. We are working with small and medium-sized farmers on an area of 15,000 hectares to bring their palm oil cultivation in line with the RSPO standard by 2026. Another aim is to create a forest corridor to restore a continuous habitat for the migration of wild animals such as orangutans. By working with communities and plantation owners, we seek to reduce conflicts between humans and animals along the migration routes.

In addition to the aforementioned projects, we are also supporting a project carried out by the Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP) in Sumatra, Indonesia, as part of a consortium with 26 partners. The project location is known as one of the last refuges for endangered species such as the Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, and the Sumatran elephant. It is our aim to help preserve the buffer zone around the national park. To achieve this, we are establishing sustainable landscape management, setting up a water management system to protect the river and riverbanks, and promoting sustainable oil palm cultivation through regenerative agriculture.

OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION COMMITMENT

Beiersdorf had already committed to ambitious climate targets back in 2020, which apply to both the Consumer and tesa Business Segments: By 2025 we plan to achieve an absolute reduction of 30% in energy-related Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions1 compared to the 2018 baseline figure. We also aim to reduce indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along our value chain (Scope 3 emissions) by 10% by 2025. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has confirmed that our climate targets are in line with the 1.5-degree scenario of the Paris Climate Agreement. The Consumer Business Segment has set additional targets to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 30% in absolute terms by 2025 versus a 2018 baseline and achieve climate neutrality in all its production centers by 2030.

We once again made progress with regard to our climate targets: We reduced absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in the Consumer Business Segment by 40% and at tesa by 38% compared with the 2018 baseline. This led to an overall reduction of absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of 39%. This means we achieved our 2025 Scope 1 and 2 emissions target at Group level early.The Consumer Business Segment reduced its absolute Scope 3 emissions2 by 18% over the same period. In 2023, we have set the target of achieving net zero emissions by 2045. As we have already met our Scope 1 & 2 target for 2025, we have also updated our short-term climate target in this context. The Beiersdorf Group is thus committed to the following targets, which were validated by the SBTi at the beginning of 2024:

by 70%	By 2032, we aim to reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and absolute Scope 3 GHG3 emissions by 40%, from a 2018 baseline.
90% from	By 2045, we want to reduce absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by a 2018 baseline.

MORE ON SUSTAINABILITY

NIVEA’S CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

Understand our sustainability approach in regard to reducing CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, plastic, recycling, palm oil sourcing, free-from microplastics and more. In 2020, we have set new targets to meet in 2025 following the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to deliver transparency in our environmental commitments and stance on animal testing. We are passionate about research for better, safer and more sustainable formulas and ingredients.