In partnership with the Rimba Collective, Dove will help protect and restore 123,000 acres of rainforest in Southeast Asia – an area 8x the size of Manhattan over five years.
For years, Dove, one of the biggest brands in our business, has acted on consumer demands for transparency, sustainability and purpose, setting out to reduce its impact on the natural world.
Dove moved to 100% recycled bottles in the US and Europe in 2019; it’s committed to a 50% reduction in virgin plastic by 2025;* has launched refillable and concentrated products; and is PETA-Approved.
The brand announces the next step in this work – the Dove Nature Regeneration Project – an initiative in partnership with the Rimba Collective that will help protect and restore an area of forest eight times the size of Manhattan, while supporting local communities to thrive.
According to an IBM survey (PDF 1.49 MB) of more than 16,000 consumers across ten major markets, 77% said they wanted to make more sustainable choices at home and 51% said environmental sustainability was more important to them today than 12 months ago.
The business case for sustainability in consumer goods is clear. It’s the right choice for the planet, and for the 3.4 billion people who use our products every day.
Restoring nature, improving livelihoods
When it comes to looking after our planet, the importance of trees and rainforests can’t be overstated. Tropical rainforests cover around 8% of the world’s land surface and contain over half of Earth’s animal and plant species.
They are full of vivid and diverse beauty and play a practical role in climate change mitigation. By absorbing carbon dioxide (that would otherwise live in the atmosphere) and releasing oxygen, which we depend on for our survival, rainforests help stabilise the Earth’s climate.
Dove has made it clear that nature is at the heart of its business strategy.
Michal Zrust, CEO, Lestari Capital, the parent company of the Rimba Collective
From caring for your skin to caring for the Earth, the Dove Nature Regeneration Project forms part of a collective effort to protect rainforests and restore rainforest ecosystems, reaching 123,000 acres of land in Southeast Asia over the next five years.
Re-establishing forest cover is not only proven to reduce the impact of natural disasters such as flooding and landslides, it also protects precious biodiversity – in this case, critical habitats for approximately 80 endangered wildlife species such as the Sunda pangolin and the helmeted hornbill.
Dove is working with the Rimba Collective, a coalition of consumer goods businesses and agricultural growers, processors and traders. Partnering with NGOs, governments and conservation experts, the Collective has committed to deliver a positive impact on natural ecosystems at scale over the next 30 years by directly embedding forest conservation finance into supply chains.
Partnering with forest frontier communities
Led by local NGOs that have established track records of working with communities in forest frontier areas, the Rimba Collective will provide training and seed capital to promote the sustainable management of natural resources in the regions it reaches.
In doing so, it aims to improve the livelihoods of 8,000 local people, through job creation and increased access to education, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.
The project will also support livelihoods based on forest-friendly commodities by improving productivity, enhancing product quality and providing better market access for local communities.
“We will not stop reducing our impact”
“We are delighted to be collaborating with Dove on projects designed to create long-term positive impact for biodiversity, communities and the climate in Southeast Asia – areas we are deeply passionate about,” says Michal Zrust, CEO, Lestari Capital, the parent company of the Rimba Collective.
“Dove has made it clear that nature is at the heart of its business strategy. This is essential for changing the trajectory of the planet for the next generation, and I look forward to continuing our shared commitment to conservation long into the future.”
We need meaningful, decisive action to restore nature’s real beauty.
Firdaous El Honsali, Dove Global Vice President, External Communications and Sustainability
“At Dove, we believe beauty should make our world more beautiful, not less. But the beauty of nature is under attack, and climate change remains one of the biggest threats we face. As a global brand used by millions, our scale demands that we act urgently to protect nature – and play a critical role in the effort to stop climate change,” explains Firdaous El Honsali, Dove Global Vice President, External Communications and Sustainability.
“If we don’t keep pushing for change, we will continue to see behaviour that drives deforestation, damages the land and soil we depend on, releases harmful carbon into our atmosphere, and pollutes the waterways that give us life. We need meaningful, decisive action to restore nature’s real beauty. The Dove Nature Regeneration Project is just one step we are taking as we strive to care for nature like we care for ourselves. We know our work is not done and we will not stop reducing our impact.”~
