Our vocation is to be part of the virtuous movement towards a regenerative economy: a horizon in which human development and protection of nature can be combined, living in harmony for the well-being of people and our planet.
Our path toward optimisation of our sustainability performance aims to improve our overall environmental footprint.
The goal is to combine the needs of cutting-edge high-tech production on a large scale with respect for natural resources and protection of the environment.
In recent years we have undertaken an important energy efficiency project capable of significantly cutting consumption and CO2 emissions.
We are guided by the achievement of three major goals: development of Eco-Pack, use of renewable energy and reduction of waste.
BioNike constantly strives to improve the environmental compatibility of its products throughout their life cycle.
Our certifications are our guarantee of quality, transparency, and reliability.
Our ISO 9001-certified Management System attests to our ability to effectively manage business processes, ensuring a high standard of quality in our products and including activities such as constant evaluation of customer feedback, monitoring of production processes and adoption of ongoing improvements to meet customers’ expectations.
ISO 22716 certification covers good cosmetic manufacturing practices. This standard regulates the production, labelling and distribution of cosmetic products. Possession of this certification provides a solid basis for ensuring that our products are safe, effective and compliant with current regulations.
Although not certified, we operate in accordance with an ISO 13485 Management System, which is the international standard establishing the requirements for quality management in medical devices, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.
ECO-PACK
Our philosophy of packaging is based on the principle of guaranteeing quality, safety, and complete preservation of the formula, along with practicality and gratification for the final consumer, while preventing waste of resources and materials.
To give our project an increasingly concrete form, in 2021 we devised a new Eco-Pack expressing our commitment to 1) Recycle, 2) Reuse, and 3) Reduce as much packaging as possible.
Our achievements
Recycle
- Since 2022 we have been using recycled materials (such as recycled plastic and aluminium) for all our bottles containing products for cleansing the face, body and hair, sun protection and body treatments. In doing so, we achieved the ambitious goal of reducing use of virgin materials for our product packs by 54% in 2022.
Use of recycled materials has allowed us to reduce our total CO2 emissions by 20% and market 55,000 kg less virgin plastic than the previous year.
- All our boxes are made with paper that is recycled or certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies paper from forests managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards).
Reuse
- Whenever possible, we prefer use of sustainable and 100% recyclable materials, such as glass for our facial treatments and aluminium for our Christmas gift boxes.
- To date, 78% of our packaging is 100% recyclable: the only exceptions are multi-material pumps, multi-material tubes, sticks and multi-material applicators.
- Since 2021 we have decided to totally eliminate plastic from our cartons, using only fully recyclable and biodegradable ecological laminates and thermoformed 100% recyclable paper pulp. With this change in our boxed products, we reduced our use of virgin plastic by 4,500 kg, representing 100% of our consumption of plastic in this category.
- In 2023 we achieved a great milestone with the creation of Glam & Green Make-up Kits: we relaunched all our kits containing earths, blushes, compact foundation and powdered eyeshadows with an exclusive new eco-pack that can be taken apart and recycled. This eco-design ensures total separability of all components and facilitates the recovery, selection and recycling of materials.
Reduce
- Since 2021 we have eliminated all use of protective cellophane film on our boxes. The reduction in consumption totals 1,500 kg, representing 100% of our consumption. This reduced our CO2 emissions by 44% over the previous year.
- In 2023 we decided to eliminate the package insert from all face, body, sunscreen and make-up products, reducing our paper consumption by 5,100kg.
Our goals
- Beginning in 2024, we will eliminate the sleeve from all cleansing products for the face, body and hair. This will reduce our plastic consumption by 7,000 kg and reduce our CO2 emissions by 26,000 kg.
- In 2024 we also began using new eco-caps, bottle caps and tubes designed to reduce plastic consumption by 50%.
- We have set ourselves the goal of further reducing use of virgin plastic in our packaging, aiming to achieve use of 85% recycled materials by 2025, extending our use of recycled plastic to include not only bottles for as many products as possible, but also all our pumps, labels and sleeves, progressively including our make-up packs, which so far pose a tougher challenge from this point of view.
- We aim to make 90% of our packaging 100% recyclable by 2025. To further increase the recyclability of our products, we have set ourselves the goal of developing new technologies to make mono-material (100% recyclable) tubes, including use of recycled materials, purchasing only mono-material (100% recyclable) pumps made partly from recycled materials. In our make-up packs too, our plan for the near future is to use recyclable packaging wherever possible, though it is still difficult to find on the market.
- By 2025 we intend to reduce the amount of plastic used in our bottles, gradually opting for lighter weight packaging.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Our attention to the environment begins with the choice to use only renewable electricity, the largest source of energy we use, in our production.
Rational use of water resources is another aspect we realise is crucial for the environment: water is a precious resource which must be managed responsibly. In our production process, water, in the form of steam, makes a major contribution to the quality of the finished products. We therefore take care to manage its use as efficiently as possible, in terms of both consumption and treatment.
Rational use of water resources is another aspect we realise is crucial for the environment: water is a precious resource which must be managed responsibly. In our production process, water, in the form of steam, makes a major contribution to the quality of the finished products. We therefore take care to manage its use as efficiently as possible, in terms of both consumption and treatment.
Our achievements
- Installation of photovoltaic systems in our plants and offices in Lainate have allowed us to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% and net TEP (Tonne Oil Equivalent) consumption by 40% since 2016.
- To date, 30% of the energy we use in our production and in our offices comes from solar energy produced thanks to the photovoltaic system. For the remaining 70%, we buy energy certified as 100% from renewable sources, i.e. from wind, hydroelectric, solar and biomass plants (100% Green Energy certification).
- With regard to natural gas, installation of a powerful heat pump and heat exchange with use of well water, in addition to optimisation of our steam boiler, has allowed us to further limit our dependence on external sources of energy to serve our 65,000 m3 of production plants, saving about 35% on our methane gas consumption.
- Our water supply comes from two main sources: the water supply grid and a well. We have one water supply used exclusively in our offices, connected to a dedicated sewerage system; while our other supply is used for extinguishing fires; two wells are used for cooling in the production process, and for space heating via heat pumps.
- We are aware of the importance of properly treating wastewater generated in industrial processes, so we make sure that wastewater is managed responsibly, in compliance with current environmental protection regulations.
Our goals
- For the years to come, we have set ourselves the goal of eliminating gas boilers for the heating of materials used in production and finished product warehouses, installing another heat pump to save a further 30% on methane gas consumption.
- In order to promote a circular approach to use of water resources, we have undertaken an important investment that will, in 2024, take the form of an expansion of our system for the recovery and purification of water intended for washing, optimising its use.
Waste Reduction
We pay great attention to the management of waste and scrap, recognising the significant impact they can have on the environment. To address this challenge responsibly, we have implemented several practices such as a system of internal monitoring of the volumes of materials used, in order to evaluate the efficiency of our processes and identify opportunities to reduce resource consumption. Waste generated by the company’s activities is stored and deposited in specific areas; waste management and disposal are entrusted to authorised transporters and disposers in accordance with provincial legislation.
Our achievements
- In 2022, 97% of the waste generated in our production plant was sent for recovery;
- All our offices at the Lainate site perform separate collection of wastes;
Our goals
- We work to minimise the amount of waste generated in production processes that is disposed of in landfills and maximise the share of waste that is recycled or recovered to create heat and electricity through waste-to-energy for wastes that are not recyclable.
SUPPORTING ITALIAN INDUSTRY
We prefer suppliers of Italian raw materials and packaging whenever possible. Geographical location is one of the factors we consider fundamental in supplier evaluation, with the goal of optimising transportation and shipping costs and limiting negative impact on the environment.
Our achievements
- Our production is 100% Italian. Whenever possible, we prefer suppliers of Italian raw materials and packaging. With this philosophy in mind, in 2022 we achieved the ambitious goal of having 84% Italian suppliers. This important decision allows us to support the excellence and quality of Italian industry while at the same time minimising transportation of raw materials, materials and finished products, creating a sustainable supply chain capable of minimising environmental impact from supply through to final consumption.
Our goals
- Further optimise our procurement system through careful selection of suppliers based on sustainability criteria;
BIODIVERSITY: SAFEGUARDING ECOSYSTEMS
Our laboratory carefully selects the ingredients that go into our formulas, developing highly effective and tolerable products with a good eco-sustainability profile.
We pay special attention to eco-compatibility with the aquatic environment in rinse-off products (products for cleansing the face, body and hair) and in sunscreens that come into contact with water.
We pay special attention to eco-compatibility with the aquatic environment in rinse-off products (products for cleansing the face, body and hair) and in sunscreens that come into contact with water.
Our achievements
- We have always chosen natural and biotechnological ingredients on the basis of their quality, effectiveness, purity and tolerability. While ingredients of natural origin are renewable, it is also true that those of biotechnological origin can in certain cases represent a choice which is not only better in terms of effectiveness and tolerability, but also more sustainable in terms of consumption, because they can be made in the laboratory without consuming precious natural resources. We select both natural and biotechnological ingredients carefully to achieve the best impact, in terms of both the health of the skin and environmental compatibility.
- When we opt for ingredients of natural origin, we prefer materials of plant origin that are sustainably grown and support the communities to which they belong. In 2022, BioNike decided to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO): new raw materials derived from palm oil and those already in use were replaced with similar raw materials certified by the RSPO as coming from sustainable sources, wherever available.
- Our company is a pioneer in the elimination of microplastics from its formulas: as early as 2017 we began to reprocess our formulas to exclude ingredients potentially classifiable as microplastics and develop new products excluding their use wherever possible. 70% of BioNike products currently on sale do not contain microplastics.
- Our sunscreens are tested and found to be eco-friendly in the marine environment (tested by an independent research laboratory specialising in ecotoxicology studies), and are formulated with the purpose of providing the skin with the best protection from damage caused by exposure to the sun without harming the aquatic ecosystem;
Our goals
- In reviewing our formulas and developing new products, we aim to choose emulsifiers, surfactants, lipids and functional ingredients for which the supplier is able to provide documentation demonstrating eco-sustainability in terms of synthesis processes, use of renewable sources and social responsibility;
- We aim to anticipate emerging regulations regarding the elimination of microplastics as per Regulation No. 2023/2055, in favour of a more sustainable future. This is why we are committed to eliminating all ingredients that could potentially be classified as microplastics from our product formulas according to the following timeline:
- By 2024 from 100% of our rinse-off products;
- By 2025 from 100% of face and body skin care formulas and sunscreens;
- By 2027 from all our make-up formulas.
