These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.
Maya Colombani believes nature and people are more beautiful together. As chief sustainability and human rights officer for L'Oréal Canada, this Montreal resident was named a 2024 Clean50 Canada Honouree for her team's work driving decarbonization, circularity and Indigenous partnerships in the company’s supply chain, product manufacturing and distribution, and consumer engagement. Under her leadership, L’Oréal Canada has become one of the world leaders in sustainable development in the cosmetics industry.
Tell us about your work.
As the largest maker of beauty products in the world, L’Oréal understands we have the responsibility to lead the rest of the industry toward a future that promotes the wellbeing of people, communities and the natural ecosystems on which we depend, not just for our products, but for life itself. This is so much more than a pretty statement. We insist on zero deforestation when we obtain our raw materials. We aspire to ensure all our ingredients are fairly traded, respecting the human rights of the communities in places like Burkino Fasso, and that supplying them to us provides a pathway out of poverty. Our manufacturing and offices are powered by renewable energy. We are striving to use only plant-based plastics by 2030. We prefer decarbonized transportation like trains, and incentivize our distributors to invest in electric trucks. We negotiate reduced environmental impact with our retailers. As a company, we rate financial cost as equal to environmental impacts, but we do not expect consumers to pay a “green premium,” preferring instead to offer a significant discount. Our consumers are encouraged to purchase perfumes in refillable glass containers, which reduce inputs by 40 per cent, and people save 20 per cent when they do so. And we provide them with transparency about the environmental impact of their choices.
We use natural ingredients to make our products, so it is important to give back to nature. We asked Tree Canada for a recommendation for a program they viewed as strategic but lacked a willing finance partner. Under the leadership of, and in partnership with the Tłı̨chǫ government, we are planting one million trees in the Northwest Territories. This program will heal lands devastated by wildfires and regenerate caribou habitat by merging the traditional knowledge of the Tłı̨chǫ people with modern forestry practices, ensuring the nation has all the resources and capacity to oversee the ongoing work of replanting forests burnt by wildfires in their traditional territories.
We also support First Nations Executive Education, a school for and by First Nations.
How did you get into this work?
I worked for L’Oréal as the director of sustainable development in Brazil with the responsibility to transform our business model to incorporate commitments to people and the planet into our operations. In 2022, I was offered the chance to bring my experience to Canada. I jumped at it because my CEO An Verhuslt-Santos told me it was a “clean slate,” and I never refuse a new adventure.
What makes it hard?
Culture change is always challenging, but we are doing it all across our business all at once. It is interesting!
What gives you hope?
The challenges of keeping global heating below 1.5 degrees and tackling inequality cannot be met, if we rely solely on individuals, governments and not for profits, and continue to see the economy as only serving profits. We are an example of how the private sector can do well foregrounding wellbeing for communities, nature and the economy, even in the midst of the geo-political storms in which we find ourselves. Good for business is good for nature and good for our communities.
What keeps you awake at night?
How to increase the impact of all our programs. How can we add the most value while making the biggest difference?
How do you think the way you were raised impacted where you are now?
My French mother and Corsican sailor father raised me in the mountains and on the sea. They taught me to see happiness was only attainable if my efforts were good for nature, good for people and good for those that need food on the table. I could not do this work if it did not deliver all three impacts.
What would you like to say to young people?
Do not underestimate the power of your voice and your actions. Use them for the good of something bigger than yourself.
What about older readers?
This is not work to be left solely on the shoulders of the young. Listen to them and then, use your influence, wisdom and experience to increase their impact.
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