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A new “Green Store” has just landed in Australia, launched by French beauty and skincare brand L’Occitane. Located in Sydney, the shop is the brand’s first-ever Green Store concept and has been opened as part of the company’s latest sustainability push. As the conscious consumer trend shows no sign of slowdown, could this eco-friendly concept shape the future of the beauty industry?
L’Occitane has presented its first Green Store concept in Sydney, Australia this week. Created in collaboration with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), the shop, located in Westfield Bondi Junction, features sustainable fittings and circular beauty products from top to bottom. It’s designed to cater to the growing swathes of conscious consumers—and with the trend not slowing down, this kind of eco-friendly store could become the look of every beauty boutique in the future.
L’Occitane Green Store
One of the key highlights of the store is the new Refill Fountain, which allows shoppers to top up their personal care products with the brand’s 100% recyclable and plastic-free aluminium “forever bottles” that can be used and reused over and over again. This means goodbye to single-use plastic bottles being disposed of every time customers finish their products.
Behind the fountain is a natural green wall, which features a fully integrated irrigation system for the living plants that help to absorb carbon dioxide and toxins in the air. L’Occitane describes it as nature’s air filter.
Even down to the interior fittings, the Green Store is designed to be as sustainable as possible, with its benchtops and sinks created by Aussie firm Betta Stone, out of recycled glass recovered from old L’Occitane bottles and containers. These have been collected through the TerraCycle program, which the brand says helps “close the loop” when it comes to its non-refillable items.
Beauty store of the future
For Davina Rooney, CEO of GBCA, L’Occitane is setting an example in the beauty industry for what could become the commonplace shopping experience in the future. As shoppers become more aware of the environmental impact of all their purchases, many are choosing brands that demonstrate leadership in putting the planet and social values first.
“The spirit in which L’Occitane is incorporating Green Star into its retail fit-out is exemplary and testimony to how deep L’Occitane’s sustainability values run within their business,” shared Rooney.
The French skincare and beauty brand launched the Green Store as part of its latest sustainability push, which also led to the launch of its first “MEGA” store concept in Hong Kong. Opened earlier this year, the shop features the brand’s select low-waste range with refill options, a take-back program to recycle empty bottles, as well as green workshops and projects co-hosted with local environmental charities.
Robert Thompson, founder of Betta Stone, believes that repurposing materials in storefronts will become a popular concept in the industry. Thompson says that L’Occitane has become one of the first companies to have demonstrated how old materials collected through programs like TerraCycle are actually being given a new life.
“To see that tangible benefit of collecting consumers’ waste and repurposing it in-store is impressive,” he comments.
Some other beauty brands have already begun ramping up their sustainability campaigns amid the conscious consumerism trend, with the likes of The Body Shop and Lush opening similar eco-themed stores in recent years.
All images courtesy of L’Occitane Australia.
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