ESTABLISHED in 1995, L'Oréal Malaysia is a company made up of 800 people on a mission to offer all Malaysians the best of cosmetics innovation in terms of quality, efficacy and sustainability.
A leader in beauty, L'Oreal is the distributor of 14 brands of beauty products in Malaysia, including L'Oreal Paris, Lancome, Maybelline New York, Kiehl's, Shu Uemura, Garnier, La Roche Posay, L'Oreal Professional and Kerastase.
L'Oréal recognises that a company's success is no longer measured by its economic performance, but also its contributions to society and the environment. In creating the future of beauty, L'Oreal has forged strong relationships with local partners and suppliers, taking each of them on a journey towards a sustainable industry with responsible and inclusive technologies and services.
Via its new sustainability programme L'Oréal for the Future, the company has laid down its latest set of transformational ambitions to fight climate change, manage water sustainability, respect biodiversity and preserve natural resources.
To reduce its environmental footprint, L'Oréal Malaysia is making headway locally through the following initiatives:
FOREST STEWARDSHIP CERTIFICATION: Working with local suppliers to source paper and wood that have been sustainably harvested from forests, not just for packaging, but also for paper and wooden materials used in its office, boutiques and marketing campaigns.
ECO DESIGN STORES: Lancôme Boutique at One Utama Kuala Lumpur is the first eco-designed store under L'Oréal Malaysia's network. It is based on a new sustainable retail concept, and it has worked closely with suppliers to develop more free-standing stores that meet L'Oréal Group's Golden Rules for Material Sustainability.
REDUCTION OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS AND BOXES: The company is testing the use of reusable boxes to reduce the amount of cardboard boxes and plastic shrink wrap in its warehouse and supply chain. It has also replaced plastic tapes used in e-commerce delivery boxes with compostable paper tapes, reducing its plastic usage by 85 per cent.
SOLIDARITY SOURCING: The L'Oréal Solidarity Sourcing programme promotes social inclusion by helping economically vulnerable people find work and income. In Malaysia, L'Oreal has provided employment for underprivileged and persons with hearing and speech difficulties, in collaboration with supply chain management partner CEVA Logistics.
Aside from environmental programmes, L'Oreal is committed to bolstering its positive socio-economic impact on the lives of people and communities through its long-term philanthropic initiatives.
For 15 years, L'Oreal Malaysia and Unesco Malaysia have worked together through the For Women in Science programme to help empower more women scientists to achieve scientific excellence and participate equally in solving the great challenges facing humanity. The programme has awarded over RM1 million in research grants to more than 40 Malaysian women scientists since its inception in 2006.
In 2016, L'Oréal developed the Beauty For a Better Life programme, a free vocational training for beauty sector skills that draws on its expertise in fields such as hairdressing and make-up. It supports people in difficult living situations, particularly socially and economically vulnerable women, victims of conflicts or violence, or young people who have left home or dropped out of school.
To date, Beauty For a Better Life, in partnership with the National Council of Women's Organisation Malaysia, has helped 96 people to learn hairdressing skills and gain employment.
These initiatives are just the beginning for L'Oreal Malaysia, as it looks forward to creating beauty that moves the world.