The Estée Lauder Companies have released its Fiscal Year 2025 Social Impact and Sustainability (SI&S Report). The report outlines the company’s continued work toward achieving its social impact and sustainability commitments. It highlights the company’s efforts in areas including climate, packaging, sourcing, ingredient transparency, employee experience, well-being and safety, and impactful social investments.
“Over the past year, our talented teams across brands, regions, and functions delivered exceptional, innovative products while embedding our social impact and sustainability goals into every aspect of our business,” said Nancy Mahon, Chief Sustainability Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies. “As we look toward the future, I am inspired by the opportunities ahead to deepen our impact, contribute meaningfully to the communities we serve, and continue to drive long-term, sustainable growth.”
“This year, we unveiled Beauty Reimagined, our strategic vision and action plan to become the best, most consumer-centric prestige beauty company,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies. “Our environmental and social impact efforts contribute directly to the vision of Beauty Reimagined. As we transform our company to better capture growth and drive profitability, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing environmental stewardship and social impact.”
Anchored by its ongoing commitments to transparency, sustainability, and social impact, within the report, ELC introduced goals for the year 2030. These include continuing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across scope 1 and 2, and scope 3, responsible innovation on our products and ingredients, and employee safety and engagement. The goals also set new targets in water, waste, and social investments that turn company values into action.
Key highlights from the FY25 SI&S Report include:
Sustainability
- Improved responsible sourcing in paper packaging: We made significant progress in improving our responsible sourcing with over 98% of our forest-based fiber cartons now being certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).1
- Advanced progress on our ‘5Rs’ packaging goals: Continued to increase packaging that is recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled, or recoverable, despite challenges posed by varying recycling infrastructure and evolving regulations across markets.2
- Exceeded our 2025 palm oil goal: Ensured that 97% of palm-based ingredients are certified sustainable through Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) physical supply chains, with a commitment to maintain at least 95% annually.3
- Reduced water withdrawal 41% at manufacturing sites: Surpassed our 2025 goal4 and set a 2030 target, with a larger scope, to reinforce our commitment to water stewardship as we continue to drive this work.
- Achieved our annual commitment to maintain zero industrial waste-to-landfill:5 Sustained this global commitment and set an additional 2030 target to reduce our waste intensity by 10% from our direct manufacturing and distribution sites.
- Sustained 100% renewable electricity in operations: Met this commitment for the sixth consecutive year since FY2020.6
- Fostered collaborations with scientific and academic institutions: Announced several partnerships across industry and academia aimed at driving the development of high-performance products and bio-engineered ingredients that can help reduce environmental impact.
- Expanded sustainability practices across company operations: Added 60 additional locations to the company’s Responsible Store Design Program, significantly increased our LEED and WELL Certified sites, and accelerated efforts to transition 100% of our global corporate fleet to electric by 2030.
Social Impact
- Committed $50M through our social impact investments to women and girls by 2030: Expanding on our long-term focus across health, education, leadership, and entrepreneurship.7
- Continued a 30+ year legacy of impact through The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign: Supporting more than 60 organizations and over 440 annual research grants, contributing a total of $156 million to help create a breast cancer-free world.
- Exceeded our 2025 employee giving goal: Our employees went above and beyond for their communities by volunteering their time and donating over $27 million to causes they care about most through the company’s global social impact and sustainability engagement programs.8
- 100% of our brands champion a cause:9 From DECIEM’s focus on mental health to M·A·C VIVA GLAM’s expanded work in environmental equality, every brand supports a social or environmental cause.
- Expanded investments to provide external opportunities for entrepreneurial women: Building on our founder’s legacy, the company expanded programs such as BEAUTY&YOU India and the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Beautiful Forces that invest in the next generation of changemakers.
Visit ELCompanies.com to read more of the Fiscal Year 2025 Social Impact & Sustainability Report.