Watsons increases Sustainable Choices products to 8,000 as part of sustainability commitment

As Earth Day is approaching, Watsons, the flagship health and beauty brand of A.S. Watson Group, is increasing the number of Sustainable Choices products to 8,000 and pledging to offset over 2,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, as part of its sustainability commitment.

Sustainable Choices is a scheme which empowers customers to make behavioural changes towards a sustainable lifestyle. Products that qualify as Sustainable Choices must meet specific criteria, such as being made with better ingredients or materials, using better packaging, offering refill packs, featuring reusable or replaceable components promoting less waste.

Making it easier for customers to find these products which are good for the environment, Watsons is now offering over 8,000 Sustainable Choices products globally, ranging from skincare to shampoo, both in stores and online.

Teaming up with ClimatePartner, Watsons will launch a carbon compensation project in July that will offset carbon emissions from seven Sustainable Choices products, including Naturals by Watsons Coffee Exfoliating Soap, Watsons Fruity Mask, Watsons Bamboo Paper, among others.

The carbon emissions of these product have already been measured by calculating the emissions from cradle-to-customer plus end-of-life, and then the remaining emissions will be offset through a nature-based project independently verified for its social and environmental impacts by TÜV Austria, an internationally recognised specialist in environmental auditing.

To raise awareness of sustainable products, customers will be able to identify the carbon compensated products by the ClimatePartner Certified Labels with a QR code to know more about the carbon compensation project supported.

Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia & Europe) said, “Fighting against climate change is a pressing priority for all of us today. As a leading health and beauty retailer, together with our customers, we are a massive force for good and play a significant role in making an impactful change to our planet. Watsons is now accelerating its efforts in tackling environmental challenges and investing in nature-based solutions and carbon compensation projects.”

As part of the carbon compensation project to fight climate change, Watsons is also supporting ClimatePartner’s Forest Protection initiatives in Rimba Raya, Indonesia. Through reforestation in degraded areas, the forest is restored, carbon stocks are increased, and the overall health of ecosystem is promoted. In addition, the natural habitat of endangered Bornean orangutans is preserved as the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve is home to a wide variety of animal and plant species. This carbon compensation project is A.S. Watson’s sustainability commitment on top of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction which has already been vetted and validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

“Watsons understands that its responsibility goes beyond being a health and beauty retailer. We’re dedicated to setting an example in fighting against climate change," added Ngai. “Everyone plays a crucial role in making a meaningful difference, and together we can make a big impact. By embracing our social purpose of ‘Look Good. Do Good. Feel Great.’, Watsons will continue to inspire our customers to join us in our journey towards a greener, more sustainable future.”

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Watsons for more information. 

Back in February, Watsons dived deeper into sustainability with a new "Let's Go Green with MIRROR" campaign, done in collaboration with local boy band MIRROR. The campaign was launched across four Asian markets including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore.

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