British Beauty Council launches the Great British Beauty Clean Up

The British Beauty Council (BBC) has launched a new initiative through its Sustainable Beauty Coalition.

The Great British Beauty Clean Up will encourage the beauty and spa sectors to collaboratively tackle industry waste head on.

According to The Courage to Change Report, the beauty industry produces over 120 billion units of packaging globally, much of which goes to landfill.

In fact, the beauty industry accounts for one third of all landfill waste and 70 per cent of its plastic waste is not recycled.

Launching in March 2025 during Waste Week, the Great British Beauty Clean Up will see retailers and brands collaborating to significantly reduce waste.

The Great British Beauty Clean Up

The initiative will focus on increasing industry and consumer awareness – and adoption of – reuse and refill systems.

It will also strive to increase recycling rates through spotlighting take-back schemes and household recycling.

To date, 21 retailers and brands have expressed interest in joining. The Sustainable Beauty Coalition is urging brands and businesses operating in the UK to get involved.

Register your interest and download the toolkit here.

Tackling inclusivity

The BBC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI) has also shared results from a census on the deeper make up of the sector’s workforce.

A Beauty Industry That Looks Like You highlights the importance of inclusivity and illustrates how the industry is progressing.

The findings of the census offer unique insights into diversity, equity and inclusion in beauty and spa for years to come.

“The DEI Committee has been working on identifying and addressing barriers within industry. Historically, the beauty industry has been denounced for its lack of inclusivity,” said Millie Kendall, CEO of the British Beauty Council.

“Although progress has been made, the shift towards genuine inclusivity is still evolving.

“The A Beauty Industry That Looks Like You census findings clearly highlight that – although the industry is increasingly welcoming of those with diverse characteristics – there is still a clear lack of representation for those living outside of the parameters of ‘traditionally’ heteronormative, westernised, physically able norms.

“It’s time for brands to actively seek out the voices and perspectives of diverse communities and address this disparity.”

See the full census here.

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