L'OCCITANE Cares | L'OCCITANE en Provence

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Our Values

Ever since it was founded in 1976, L'OCCITANE has nurtured simple values: authenticity, respect and sensoriality. This is more than a philosophy; it is a commitment that, over the years, has influenced many important decisions.

All of our actions and choices are guided by a twofold desire: to preserve and to pass on. It is this that gives our brand its life force, its meaning and its purpose.

Authenticity

Behind any good product, there is always a true story. Behind every L’OCCITANE bottle is a traceable origin and land, producers with exacting standards, and techniques inherited from the traditions of Provence – or elsewhere. Our mission is to pass on beauty traditions and "savoir-faire" from the south of France, via products that can be appreciated by everyone in the modern world. Learn more about this beautiful land from which we source our ingredients, by visiting our online magazine:

FANTASTIC PROVENCE >

Respect

At L’OCCITANE, we are committed to limiting the environmental impact of our actions and products, to improving the well-being of both our customers and employees, and to supporting the causes close to our heart whenever possible. Through braille labelling, we strive to make our products accessible to visually impaired people. Through both the company and the L'OCCITANE Foundation we continue our efforts so that we can build on these commitments even further.

L'OCCITANE FOUNDATION >

Sensoriality

Our effective beauty products are the result of bringing together tradition, nature and research. But our researchers also focuses on pleasure. From its texture to its fragrance, a L’OCCITANE product always offers a delicious moment of well-being and sensory delight. From scents to colors, from interior lighting to welcoming staff, we design our stores so that every minute spent with us is rich in enjoyment and discovery. Finally, to prolong the journey and further delight the senses, L'OCCITANE has developed spas that reflect the soul of the brand, inspired by the wetlands and dunes of the Camargue region in Provence.

L'OCCITANE SPA >

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Philanthropy

Since its creation in 1976, L’OCCITANE has been involved in the community. In 2006, L’OCCITANE created its Foundation to better carry out these initiatives. With an annual budget of about 1 million Euros, the L’OCCITANE Foundation has two main fields of action: the support of visually impaired people worldwide and the economic emancipation of women in Burkina Faso.

L’OCCITANE employees are also involved in Foundation projects, as well as a special initiative to support reconstruction in Japan following the 2011 tsunami.

Economic Emancipation

For more than 25 years, L’OCCITANE has used shea butter from Burkina Faso in its products. To reinforce this partnership, the L’OCCITANE Foundation supports the economic emancipation of local women with literacy programs and the promotion of entrepreneurial projects. More than 7,000 Burkinabe women have gained autonomy thanks to these programs.

Every year for Women’s Day in March, L’OCCITANE offers a special soap made in Burkina Faso, donating 100%* of the proceeds towards the construction and functioning of literacy centers for local women. In 2012, more than € 153,000 was raised.

*Price of sale in stores, excluding tax, transportation fees and production

Support of the Blind

As a sensorial brand, L’OCCITANE choses to support the visually impaired by offering braille on most of its packaging. The Foundation goes farther by facilitating the professional integration of the visually impaired and fighting preventable blindness in developing countries. More than 500,000 people have received ophthalmologic care thanks to this program.

Every year for World Sight Day in October, L’OCCITANE offers a solidarity product, donating 100%* of the proceeds to support projects to fight preventable blindness in developing countries.

*Excluding tax, transportation costs and production

L'OCCITANE Employees

Since its creation, the L’OCCITANE Foundation has involved L’OCCITANE employees in its projects. In France, the Foundation supports groups of employees who help train Burkinabe women how to make soap.

L’OCCITANE employees worldwide also support local initiatives to support the visually impaired, to increase the reach of the Foundation’s missions. A network of 12 international correspondents helps the Foundation to better communicate with its employees around the world.

Examples of Local Projects
• Regional L’OCCITANE offices have collected more than € 80,000 to support associations that fight preventable blindness. Some 6,900 people have benefited from these efforts through, for example, the development of audio books as well as equipment that improves daily life for the blind.
• In Malaysia, employees work with the Malaysian Association for the Blind.
• In the US, the New York corporate team has supported Helen Keller International for three years.
• In Russia, teams have collected € 18,000 to finance braille books for the Blind Youth Foundation.
• In Canada, employees have come together to support ORBIS Canada and the organization’s “Flying Eye” airplane hospital.

For more information, we invite you to view the FOUNDATION BROCHURE >

L'OCCITANE Supports Japan
After the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, L’OCCITANE resolved to facilitate reconstruction in Japan, a country which is very dear to the brand. After initially donating 50,000 products, L’OCCITANE participated in the reconstruction of a community center in Kamaishi, inaugurated in April 2012 in collaboration with Children Without Borders.

Local Projects

Based in the Alpes of Haute-Provence, anchored in its territory, L'OCCITANE is a brand very involved in its community. We support and value the men and women who make this region come alive. The brand values respect, authenticity and sensoriality, which are at the heart of its commitments, along with a real desire for the preservation of nature and communication of the regional savoir-faire. L'OCCITANE is equally as invested in the areas of culture, sports and tourism with local and regional partnerships.

LOCAL PARTNERS >
LOCAL SPONSORSHIPS >

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Social Responsibility

Respectfulness is at the heart of L’OCCITANE’s values, helping to guide its social policy, with the following major points:
• Development of human resources to support the group’s growth while allowing employees to express their potential career aspirations
• Work / life balance
• The integration of people with disabilities: The openness to diversity, particularly disabled people who are enrolled in the human resources policy of the company, and bound by the actions of the disability team.

A proactive policy is in place regarding both safety and ergonomics in order to prevent accidents and ensure the welfare of employees.

Finally, L’OCCITANE is involved in the community through solidarity projects and its Foundation. “The company is only part of a whole, and one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development is the responsible relationship that a company has with its community. L’OCCITANE is an economic and social member of the first order for the Provence-Alps-Cote-d’Azur region. Beyond the Mediterranean, L’OCCITANE has also created strong links with the Burkinabe community for over 20 years. Thanks to shea butter, it has further strengthened these ties with the actions of its Foundation in Burkina Faso.” - Olivier Baussan, Founder of L’OCCITANE

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Responsible Purchasing

In the interest of rigorously maintaining the traceability of our ingredients and the sustainability of our supply chain, L’OCCITANE has a team dedicated to our relationships with producers. Our formulas, inspired by the knowledge of nature, always have the utmost respect for the environment, avoiding any form of biopiracy.

To provide a recognized framework to our policy of business ethics, we adhere to the UN Global Pact and its ten principles in the fields of human rights, labor rights, environmental rights and the fight against corruption.

Sustainable Ingredients

The history of L’OCCITANE is intimately linked not only to the plants of Provence and the Mediterranean, but also the people who grow them. Our quality and traceability criteria are rigorous and demanding. We support local producers and we choose, when possible, certified, organic and/or P.D.O. ingredients. We give preference to small, integrated production networks. If a wild plant becomes overexploited, we set up controlled cultivation programs. Finally, we work with all organisations at a regional level to help preserve endangered crops or to revive long-forgotten cultivations.

SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENTS >

No Biopiracy

The patents registered by L'OCCITANE are based on therapeutic or cosmetic developments that are the result of research carried out by its internal research and development department.

L’OCCITANE does not patent applications based on traditional knowledge (biopiracy), but it carries out new effectiveness tests and research into different blends of ingredients to meet beauty needs. Its patents do not prevent another company from using the same plant.

Ethical Business Practices

Since 2011, L’OCCITANE has formally embraced the core values and principles of the UN Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labor standards, environment and anti-corruption.

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Sustainable Development

We try to limit environmental impacts of every aspect of our work, from the creation of our formulas to the development of our packaging, including production and distribution. In order to continually reduce our environmental impact, we entered the certification process for ISO 14001.

Our employees and our boutiques take care of the environment by following instructions developed to encourage active participation of all in this regard.

Formulas

L'OCCITANE has taken the following actions to reduce the environmental impact of its products:
• No phthalates in fragrances since 2005
• Gradual withdrawal of parabens
• The use of plant oils rather than mineral oils
• Limited use of silicones

OUR FORMULAS >

Packaging

L’OCCITANE has a charter for the eco-design of its packaging, focused on four goals:
• Reduce: the weight of packaging, the amount of wasted product, the environmental impact
• Recycle: preference for materials that are a product of the public waste disposal industry, design of packaging that allows consumers to separate the components
• Reuse: preference for materials that have already been recycled, such as in our eco-refills
• Control: the ecological commitment of our suppliers, the overall impact of our products on the planet by the establishment, life cycle assesment.

Our pioneer ranges in terms of eco-conception are Aromachologie and Verdon, which were chosen to lead the way for other collections. The men’s Verdon range was launched in 2010 with the use of 100% recycled PET for its single-pack materials, marking a first for L’OCCITANE and an exception step for the cosmetics industry. The development of eco-refills for shampoos and conditioners in the Aromachologie collection were next, followed by a series of eco-refills in several ranges.

Production

Limiting the environmental impacts of its production sites is one of the major axes of L’OCCITANE’s environmental policy, with three objectives:
• Reduce our energy consumption
• Reduce our water usage and wastewater pollution
• Reduce the amount of waste produced while increasing the amount of waste recycled

Employees

More than 1,000 people work at our industrial sites. Many initiatives have been taken to get employees involved in the efforts made to reduce our environmental impact.

Logistics

The evaluation of our carbon footprint performed in 2011 allowed us to pinpoint the areas that needed improvement in the downstream logistics: a reduction in air transport and the filling of transport containers. A carbon reduction action plan, linked to downstream logistics, has been put in place to address these issues.

Boutiques

L’OCCITANE ensures that the materials used are environmentally friendly, such as paints, lime, minerals or lumber from sustainably managed forests.

Our stores are no longer lit exclusively by halogen spotlights, but with iodide lamps and LEDs. The units in the new-concept stores are also lit by LEDs or compact fluorescent lamps, which allow for up to 40% energy savings on lighting.