L’Oréal's Laurent Duffier On Sustainability In The MENA

L’Oréal Middle East Managing Director Laurent Duffier spoke to Inc. Arabia about the global beauty leader’s sustainability efforts at the second L’Oréal For the Future Summit it staged in Dubai in September.  

L’Oréal, a global leader in the beauty industry, reiterated its commitment to sustainability at the second L’Oréal For the Future Summit that it staged in Dubai, UAE in September. 

At the event, L’Oréal Middle East announced a new partnership with beauty retailer Sephora that shall see both parties commit to four key areas – reliable consumption, eco-designed point of sale materials, women empowerment, and upskilling in sustainability – that will steer their joint efforts towards achieving their sustainability targets by 2027. 

In terms of consumption, both companies will be working together to increase the availability of refillable, refills, and reusable products from L’Oréal’s luxury brands in the Middle East, with digital media campaigns and in-store visibility to create adoption among customers.  

L’Oréal Middle East will also be adopting 75% eco-designed point-of-sale (POS) materials in Sephora stores under its 3R strategy: “respect consumers, regulations and the environment; reduce weight by innovative product design; and replace traditional materials with those that have a better environmental footprint.” 

Finally, as part of the L’Oréal’s Beauty for a Better Life program, both L’Oréal Middle East and Sephora will work with a local non-governmental organization (NGO) to train, upskill, and prepare 100 underprivileged women for employment in the beauty industry.   

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, L’Oréal Middle East's Duffier talked about the company's focus on sustainability, stating, “It's a moral obligation… We don't really have a choice but to do something if we want the planet – and the company – to continue.” 

Duffier also noted the importance of L’Oréal’s collaborations with companies big and small to realize its sustainability goals. "L’Oréal has a tradition of partnering with entrepreneurs and startups,” he shared. “These partnerships often bring ideas that align with our sustainability vision.”  

Here, Duffier highlighted L’Oréal’s TechQuest program, in which selected startups get to work with the company on proofs of concept. "In sustainability or any other domain, we seek innovation,” he said. “We are eager to support new ideas that can make a difference."  

This year’s L’Oréal For the Future Summit featured HE Abdulla Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Sharjah Consultative Council and former UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, as a keynote speaker. It also staged panel discussions with representatives from companies like Ehfaaz, Aramex, Goumbook, and Mohebi Logistics that addressed topics such as waste reduction, circular economy strategies, and carbon dioxide reduction efforts. The summit also included workshops and activities organized by Climate Fresk, a French nonprofit focused on raising climate change awareness.