L'Occitane Group announces new ecosystem fund, pledges to help restore damaged landscapes in Australia

Beauty giant L'Occitane Group is supporting the environment with the launch of a new fund.

The French conglomerate has announced the creation of the ‘L'Occitane Ecosystem Restoration Fund.' It will be dedicated to protecting biodiversity, and supporting land severely affected by natural disasters -- with the company citing the recent examples of Australia's ongoing bushfire crisis and the fires in the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires.

"We are truly shocked and saddened to see the devastation from the recent fires that have destroyed beautiful landscapes, native wildlife and communities in different parts of the world," said Reinold Geiger, CEO of the L'Occitane Group.

"As responsible business leaders, we cannot just sit back and watch. We need to do our part to help rebuild a healthy ecosystem for the sake of the generations to come."

The fund, which will be financed by an internal donation campaign among the group's shareholders, will be used to respond to climate emergencies on an "ad hoc" basis as they unfold.

An initial support fund of €400,000 has been pledged to finance long-term projects, with €200,000 set to be donated immediately to tree-planting and agroforestry schemes in Australia, in a bid to help restore its landscape over the next decade.

The L'Occitane Foundation will select these projects alongside the company's agricultural engineers and its operational teams in the country.

L'Occitane Group -- whose beauty brands include L'Occitane en Provence, Elemis and Erborian, is not the only major beauty player currently strengthening its efforts to protect the environment.

Skincare behemoth Dove, owned by Unilever, recently pledged to reduce its virgin plastic use by more than 20,500 tonnes per year, and begin using 100% recycled plastic bottles where possible across its product ranges in North America and Europe.