Skincare accounts for around 42 per cent of the global cosmetic market, and the supplement industry has been continuing to grow despite export-related issues during the global pandemic. The first thing the B Lab team thought of upon hearing these statistics was: “Geez, these two industries have an immense power to be a force for good in society.”
Image: Jeuneora’s Skincare products
So, joining the B-eauty B Corp crew, the team at Jeuneora have shared numerous insights into how the industry can tread more lightly on the planet and its people, demonstrating their impact through practice. To welcome Jeuneora to the community, we sat down with the team to learn a bit more about their sustainable naturally-sourced plastic, and how they’re sharing their success with communities well beyond their supply chain.
It’s so great to have another beauty B Corp join the community from Aotearoa New Zealand. Tell us a little more about Jeuneora.
We use the power of nature with a helping hand from science to make natural supplements and cruelty-free skincare, for you and the planet. Our founder, Monique Kaminski, founded Jeuneora in 2016 in Aotearoa New Zealand. She saw the need for products that could not only be a healthy support to everyone’s busy lifestyles, but that could be the go-to foundation for beauty too. There were two non-negotiables for Monique when starting the company: “to formulate and manufacture locally, and to use sustainably-sourced marine collagen (a by-product of the fishing industry) as [her] hero ingredient.”
The team’s backgrounds in research, design and business have helped to make Jeuneora the strong and natural Aotearoa New Zealand brand that it is today. We’re super passionate about what we do, our people, our products, our customers and our environment.
Now, in 2022, our products are sent to tens of thousands of glowing customers all over the world. We’ve continued to innovate and launch helpful, easy-to-use marine collagen and plant-based beauty and wellness supplements, along with Jeuneora Skincare — a fun, effective range of skincare that will brighten any bathroom shelf.
Image Source: Jeuneora
The diverse industry backgrounds of the Jeuneora team really do make for innovative products. Was there a reason you wanted to certify as a B Corp?
We wanted to certify because the certification not only recognises the work that we have done so far, but also helps keep us honest and provides a roadmap for how we can continually increase our efforts to do better as we grow.
Consumers are increasingly expecting businesses to be more transparent and to be able to back up their sustainability claims. B Corp certification is a marker that people can trust; it holds companies accountable for their social and environmental output.
How have these expectations of consumers, and Jeuneora’s purpose, shaped some of your business choices and areas of impact?
To start with, the personal care and beauty industry doesn’t always have the best reputation when it comes to sustainability due to concerns around unsustainable packaging. It’s estimated that the beauty industry as a whole generates up to 120 billion units of plastics packaging per year which are typically very difficult to recycle. So, the choices we’ve made around packaging are where we’ve been able to make our biggest environmental impact.
Our plastic supplement containers are made from a climate-positive raw material which is 100 per cent sugarcane. Sugarcane plastic eliminates the need to use virgin plastic made from non-renewable resources such as crude oil. Our sugarcane plastic containers are able to be recycled through curbside programs almost everywhere, as well as through our TerraCycle recycling programme. What’s more, is that sugarcane absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere as it grows. Pretty clever, right? You can read more about why we have chosen to stick with plastic, and the environmental considerations behind sugarcane plastic here.
Reducing plastic packaging was a key driver for us to also use a percentage of recycled plastic in our skincare packaging.
We offer our customers a free-to-use guaranteed recycling programme with TerraCycle, so every empty container can be repurposed into useful things like playgrounds, outdoor furniture and fence posts.
Reducing plastic packaging was a key driver for us to also use a percentage of recycled plastic in our skincare packaging.
Image: Sugarcane plantation by Josh Withers from Unsplash
$1 from every purchase made through the Jeuneora online store, is also donated to one of three charities that are very close to our team’s hearts. Our customers get to choose where they would like their donation to go. So far, together with our customers we have raised $10,542 AUD for the World Wildlife Fund, $9,837 for Hagar, and $15,002 for KidsCan. We’re so excited to keep giving back as our organisation continues to grow.
It’s great to hear that you’ve done your research about eco-friendly packaging options, and been transparent with the public about what you’ve found. In line with that, what business practices do you hope to see become the norm?
When people think about sustainability, they generally think of the environment. But being a truly sustainable business is about so much more than that — it’s not only about what is good for the planet, but what is good for employees, customers and communities in which a business operates.
We think it is important for businesses to take a holistic approach to their business practices and seriously consider their impact across all of these areas. We believe that’s what it takes to be truly inclusive, sustainable and regenerative.
At Jeuneora, ongoing improvement is a constant focus for us. We know it is important to always look for ways to improve, and would love for this to become the norm for businesses around the globe.
Sustainability isn’t about getting a check mark and moving on, it’s about constant evolution and getting better as time progresses.
We couldn’t agree more! Are there any B Corps that you’ve looked to for inspiration during your journey?
Being an Aotearoa New Zealand-based business, we have been lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible businesses that are Certified B Corporations, like Fix and Fogg, Kathmandu and Sharesies. American-based B Corp Allbirds has also been an inspiration for us too. They are truly a global leader when it comes to purpose-driven businesses that are changing the world.
And, at Jeuneora, we can’t speak about B Corps without mentioning Grow Good. When we initially started our journey with B Lab, we found it to be quite overwhelming and weren’t sure where to start. Grow Good is an incredible Aotearoa New Zealand-based provider that helped us through the assessment and certification process, and continues to serve as a countless source of inspiration for us.
Image Source: Jeuneora
It’s wonderful to see the community of B Corps helping one another out. In the spirit of helping, do you have any advice for aspiring Bs or businesses out there looking to have a positive impact on the world?
Don’t overthink it, but give it the time it deserves. The assessment can initially be quite daunting, but if you approach it question by question and answer the questions with how your business compares to industry standard — instead of comparing it against an unattainable level of perfection — it makes it feel a lot more comfortable.
And, don’t worry if you don’t get 80 points on your first try! It just means there are areas where you need to improve, but if you’ve allocated the appropriate level of time and resources it won’t be an issue. B Corp certification is a holistic certification that covers every aspect of your business — it’s normal if it takes time to get there.
Congratulations to Jeuneora for certifying as a B Corp. If you’d like to keep up with what they’re doing, head over to their website: jeuneora.com
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