Trump might call them “green scams”, but companies are quietly moving forward with multi-million-dollar sustainability projects—just ask beauty giant L’Oréal
When asked to name a product critical to the world’s sustainable future, few would pick the modest showerhead—unless you’re a hair salon that washes clients’ hair for a living, of course. For salons, using 70% less water matters greatly when trying to reduce carbon footprints, and it’s also more efficient.
The Water Saver showerhead is the result of a partnership between Swiss startup Gjosa and L’Oréal, the global beauty brand and member. At its core, the Water Saver makes water… wetter—breaking streams into droplets better suited for rinsing hair. Today, 5,000 salons across Europe use it.
Science and engineering form the backbone of most business operations—whether producing concrete or lipstick. A decade ago, during the sustainability boom, it seemed every company had experts offering solutions for sustainable packaging and renewable energy. Then came COVID, rising inflation, and Donald Trump making sensational claims that the climate agenda was nothing but a “green scam”. As a result, many companies shifted away from highlighting their environmental policies.
But sustainability isn’t a passing trend. While political climates have changed, the core challenge—living well on Earth for the next hundred generations—remains unchanged.
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Consumers, however, need a different message. For too long, climate action was framed in terms of virtue and morality. Though those are useful, consumers are frankly more focused on cost. L’Oréal calls this “dual excellence” sustainability, merging climate responsibility with economic viability. Sustainable products can be cheaper at scale, boost consumer engagement (new products are exciting), and improve financial performance. Others refer to this as the “double bottom line”, covering both planet and profit.
“We’re going to pursue superior financial results and also exceptional social and environmental impact,” Ezgi Barcenas, chief corporate responsibility officer for L’Oréal, tells me.
“It’s a business model. You are not only offering the consumer the choice of a product with a lower environmental footprint, but also an accessible price point, and it’s a way for us to attract new consumers, not only creating loyalty, but also attracting new consumers into the category, right? So, it is solving for the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability.”
Earlier this year, thirteen firms were selected to collaborate on sustainability projects.
Packaging is one of the most complex challenges. L’Oréal has set an ambitious target: making 100% of its plastic packaging reusable, refillable, recyclable, or compostable. Through various partnerships, the company is exploring heat-resistant sugarcane materials, plant-fiber lids instead of plastic, and seaweed-based packaging—seaweed grows without fresh water, land, or fertilizers.
“The idea behind it is to really go after those solutions that are market-ready, so that we can quickly pilot and test them and then bring them to scale depending on the solutions and the results that we get,” Barcenas said.
“[The companies] are solving for the same shared challenges that we collectively face today, and they are very resourceful and thoughtful in their own unique ways. We can send clear demand signals to the innovation ecosystems around the world so that, year over year, we can articulate what we’re looking for and we can inform those innovation pipelines as well.”
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This isn’t early-stage work; it’s at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7-9, meaning it’s nearly ready for in-market commercialization.
“The idea behind it is to really go after those solutions that are market-ready, so that we can quickly pilot and test them and then bring them to scale depending on the solutions and the results that we get”
Ezgi Barcenas, chief corporate responsibility officer for L’Oréal
“We’re really excited about this process of offering our partners mentorship, access to our internal teams, access to external experts and partners as well, and then ultimately turning this into a successful pilot to bring these solutions to scale,” Barcenas said.
Chemist Eugene Schueller founded L’Oréal in 1909 with a gentler hair dye formula. Today’s consumers want more than just great-looking hair—many also want to be kind to the planet, regardless of political rhetoric, as long as products are affordable.
