How fruit and plant stem technology can make skin care less impactful on our planet

This is a sponsored article from SustainabilityTracker.com member Enbacci Skincare.

The ugly truth is that most product-based brands and businesses, including within the cosmetics industry, don’t want to admit that consumerism isn’t sustainable. To claim to be a “sustainable brand” is an oxymoron. But, what if we told you your fruit and plant stem cell skincare obsession could actually be helping rebuild ecosystems?

Promising results against premature skin ageing through the use of fruit and plant stem cells in the personal care industry erupted a little over 10 years ago.  Over the years, Enbacci has expanded its catalogue of products to include formulations with rare varieties of grape, apple and flower stem cells.”. Despite being recognised as an eco breakthrough at the Rio20+ Sustainability Conference in 2012, it is only recently that the technology behind sourcing fruit and plant stem cells has gained recognition by consumers for its sustainability practices compared to traditional naturally derived ingredients.

The Benefits?

Less agricultural land usage: The highlighting feature of this technology is that very little plant material is required. A small sample of fruit flesh is enough to cultivate a batch of stem cells for product formulation use. This ultimately has benefits in evaluating the agricultural sustainability of these raw ingredients. Unlike conventional biomass production, agricultural land is not required. Therefore, we are not contributing to environmental issues such as deforestation or destruction of habitat. 

Less water consumption: There is also a significant reduction in water consumption compared to conventional biomass production. Along with the significant reduction, water filtration processes are reduced, meaning less energy and less greenhouse gas emissions. 

No use of harmful chemicals: There is also no need for fertiliser or pesticides, so these toxic chemicals are not being introduced to the environment and damaging our ecosystem. In fact, fruits like the apples used in our products are organically grown by a local Swiss farmer. Through the fruit and plant stem cell cultivation process, conservation practices are also being supported.

Preserving Biodiversity: When you buy Enbacci products, you are actually contributing towards the funding of preserving biodiversity. For example, the variety of apples used in Enbacci’s skincare products is known as the Uttwiler Spätlauber. It is famously known for its longevity and storability. Unfortunately, there are very few trees of the Uttwiler Spätlauber left in the world. A majority of the remaining trees are organically managed by a local Swiss farmer and his family, whose mission is to preserve the genetic diversity of rare fruits and nuts for generations to come. This particular variety of apple was integrated into the Swiss National Action Plan for the Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in Food and Agriculture, and is protected by the ProSpecie Rara (a Swiss, non-profit foundation whose purpose is to conserve and promote genetic diversity of flora and fauna).

Why else do we embrace this technology?

As a brand and as a business, Enbacci’s Sustainability aim is to look at the ways we can reduce our environmental impact and our ecological footprint. Using a process based on product life cycle assessments, we make production decisions based on the evaluation of the raw materials, the farming practices involved, particularly where the raw ingredient is naturally derived, and the process or processes involved to get that raw material into a form that we can incorporate into our products (looking at how much energy is required to convert the raw material into a form that we can use) and assessing how a product is used and discarded – is water required for use (like cleansers) and if so, how might the product affect our waterways. 

With the age of information upon us, we see consumers being more conscious of the effects of their purchasing decisions, looking to support purpose-lead brands or brands that give back to the community. When consumers purchase from Enbacci, they can be confident that sustainable measures have been implemented to produce the final product they purchase, and in the case of our collection of fruit and plant stem cell products, their purchase is helping to fund the preservation of genetic diversity on our planet. 

This is an article from a SustainabilityTracker.com Member. The views and opinions we express here don’t necessarily reflect our organisation.