Avon releases latest Responsible Business Report

Avon has released its latest Responsible Business Report, The Beauty of Doing Good, an in-depth commentary detailing its commitment to operating responsibly.  

Avon’s responsible business commitment aligns to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where, through its direct selling business model, Avon can make a unique contribution - helping women succeed on their own terms, supporting the causes that matter most to them, democratising beauty and improving our environmental impact. 

Jan Zijderveld, Avon’s Chief Executive Officer, says, “Avon is far more than just a beauty brand – it’s a global movement with the clear purpose of empowering women and making a difference in people’s lives. In building a modern and relevant Avon we also consider our environmental impact and how we operate as a company that makes and sells quality, responsibly sourced products.”

Be the Company for Women

Since 1886, Avon’s core goal has been to support women and provide an opportunity to succeed in their own way, on their own terms.  This is still true today as Avon continues to drive change for women’s economic participation, build a movement of female entrepreneurs, advance women in our workforce and support women’s causes. 

2017 Be the Company for Women highlights include:

• 59% of Avon’s 2017 global workforce and 45% of the Avon Board of Directors were women
• Launched the global Avon Breast Cancer Promise in 2017
• Donated more than $3.5 million globally to help end violence against women and girls, and support victims and their families
• Donated more than $6.7 million globally in 2017 to support the breast cancer cause

Improving Avon’s environmental impact

Avon works to continually reduce its environmental footprint and responsibly manage global operations. The report details progress towards Avon’s 2020 environmental goals to reduce emissions, water and waste, as well as its commitment to reforestation and sustainable packaging. 

2017 improving Avon’s environmental impact highlights include:

• 92% global recycling rate (exceeding 90% target)
• Reduced global water usage by 39%
• 92% of brochure paper met the Paper Promise goal, a comprehensive policy for promoting responsible forest use  
• 92% traceability of palm oil supply for our top 10 suppliers in line with Avon’s commitment to responsibly sourcing palm oil  

Operating responsibly

To Avon, operating responsibly means striving to always be a great place to work, fostering diversity and inclusion, focussing on ethics and compliance, maintaining a responsible supply chain, safeguarding the health and safety of its associates and ensuring product safety and integrity. 

2017 operating responsibly highlights include: 

• Top employer of choice award in five of its markets
• 96% of associates have a good or excellent understanding of the Avon Code of Conduct 
• Conducted 705 supplier audits across 40 countries as part of its social responsibility monitoring programme
• Recorded only 37 safety incidents globally including lost time plus medical treatment beyond first aid

You can read the full report here.