Sustainable Beauty Coalition announces three hires with aim to tackle environmental issues

The Sustainable Beauty Coalition, a working group formed by the British Beauty Council, has hired Jo Chidley, Mark Smith and Oriele Frank as Co-chairs to lead its strategy for the next year.

The Sustainable Beauty Coalition was formed to advocate on "behalf of the beauty industry for better sustainability practices". The Coalition is made up of sector experts, brands, suppliers and industry representatives from across the industry.

As Co-chairs, the new hires will focus on driving systematic sustainability change across the beauty industry. Spanning consumer, industry and policy challenges, the role will pioneer change across a range of topics, such as greenwashing, plastic waste and consumption.

Mark Smith is the Director General of NATRUE, an international non-profit association for natural and organic cosmetics. Jo Chidley is the Co-founder of Beauty Kitchen, which is a circular economy expert and chemist. Finally, Oriele Frank is the Chief Product and Sustainability Officer and Co-Founder of Elemis.

Co-chair, Mark Smith, said: "I have been representing NATRUE on the Sustainable Beauty Coalition Steering Committee since 2021. Collaboration is key; so, I am delighted to be promoted to co-chair to share leadership of the coalition with my esteemed colleagues, Jo and Oriele. We will continue our work with a wide-range of stakeholders, to inform, engage and most importantly - champion change."

The Co-chairs will be supported by a Steering Committee made up of experts including:

• Sara Vaughan, Innovator, Creator Brands with Purpose, Positive Change Maker
• Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder, A Plastic Planet and Plastic Free
• Laura Babbs, Global Head of Sustainability, No7 Beauty Company
• Ruth Andrade, Earth Care Strategy Lead, Lush Cosmetics
• Elsie Rutterford, Co-Founder, Bybi
• Barbara Colombo, Sustainability Director, L’Oréal UKI

Jayn Sterland

In addition to the new Co-chair appointments, Jayn Sterland, the Managing Director of Weleda, has been promoted from the Chairperson of the Sustainable Beauty Coalition to the British Beauty Council’s Pillar President for Environmental, Social and Governance.

Sterland commented: "As my two-year tenure as Chair of the Sustainable Beauty Coalition draws to a close, it is encouraging to look back and see how, in those two years, and with the expertise of a knowledgeable Steering Committee plus the passionate support of our Advisory Committee, the SBC has truly found its voice.

"Thanks to the team, there has been significant progress but there’s still much to be done, in an industry that is often resistant to change – birthing a new sustainable, future-proof beauty industry can be a laborious and at times painful process, but essential to our continued evolution."