Experiences and achievements: Beauty Cluster companies are enriched by 'Valor Compartit'

The Beauty Cluster, in collaboration with ACCIÓ and Roots for Sustainability (R4S), has launched the Programa d'Entranament en Valor Compartit, a pioneering initiative to boost value creation in the sector

26 of May of 2023
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Valor Compartit
Valor Compartit

Last October, the Beauty Cluster, together with the support and collaboration of ACCIÓ and Roots for Sustainability (R4S), developed the Programa d'Entranament en Valor Compartit (Shared Value Entry Programme) with various member companies of the BC. This is a pioneering and priority initiative to increase the creation of value of the members, in this case, belonging to the Beauty Cluster.

This programme pursued two main objectives: on the one hand, to research, identify and develop business opportunities to generate shared value, including, in this case, economic, social and environmental value that can provide answers to the various problems and issues of the sector. The second objective was to train cluster member companies to introduce the use of the impact assessment tool B Corp.

The value of the companies

Lluch Essence, Equivalenza, Vytrus, Eurofragance, Bella Aurora and Ainea Perfums were the companies participating in this programme. All of them were satisfied with the results obtained after the practical and theoretical sessions held over the last few months: "It has been useful for us to understand what it really means to have a 360º view of the sector and to know what an ethical and sustainable company should be like", declared Irene Gisbert, from Ainea Parfums. Gisbert stresses that having witnessed the global vision of the sector, it is perceived as a general challenge for all companies and not just for individuals "it is a shared project with the vision of all of us together to create a model that is much better for everyone, to make us all proud. We are a community and only if we are all willing to make an initial effort will we be able to achieve our objectives", argued the CEO of Ainea Parfums.

Lluch, like Ainea, highlights the collaboration of this project: "It allows us to connect in a more organic way with companies in the same sector, learning that we can compete and collaborate by creating a sustainable and critical environment to guarantee our long-term commercial success". The fragrance company has also highlighted the role played by the companies participating in the programme: "we have contributed to generating a space for active listening and support, identifying those common challenges that could be addressed collectively".

Conxita Rusinés, (CSR and People Wellbeing Manager at Vytrus Biotech), also shared with 'Next in Beauty' that being part of this project has allowed them to make progress in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG. Rusinés, like the other two companies belonging to the Beauty Cluster, reaffirmed how enriching it has been to "share experiences, good practices, concerns and motivations with the participating companies, not only professionally, but also personally". Rusinés also highlighted the role of R4S, which has transferred all its wisdom and knowledge to the member companies of the Programa d'Entranament en Valor Compartit.

Integration of the standard B-Corp

The B-Corp (Benefit Corporation) standard is a certification awarded to companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Companies certified as B-Corp are committed to making a positive impact on both society and the environment, as well as pursuing financial success.

This is the case, for example, of Quadpack, one of the companies belonging to the Beauty Cluster, which served as an example for the others to learn about its success story during the programme.

All the companies have found great value in incorporating the BCorp standard into their work routines: "it is the holistic integration of sustainability, in all areas in which a company has an impact. At the same time as you fill in the tool, you are checking the status of how your company manages these areas, you discover new possibilities and it offers you ideas and knowledge to advance and improve them," explains Conxita Rusinés from Vytrus Biotech. Rusinés added that for this to be fully effective, the involvement of all the company's departments is essential: "The whole team must be aware of the project and participate in it".

Time and cooperation: these are the two keys on which Lluch Essence insists. "Working with the B Corp standard has allowed us to identify areas in which the company has a good social and environmental performance, and it has also allowed us to detect opportunities for improvement in those areas of lesser strength," Lluch Essence explained to the 'Next in Beauty' team. On the other hand, Lluch underlines that it has allowed us to consolidate the sector and to realise that all companies face the same challenges, and that they can be faced together in a cooperative way.

How it has changed Value Compartit these companies?

Lluch Essence emphasises networking. It values very positively the possibility of connecting with other companies in the sector. The company dedicated to the manufacture of essential oils and aromatic chemicals has obtained sufficient points to qualify for B Corp certification. The programme has also helped Lluch to further define its objectives, which are focused on the three pillars of sustainability, and it is committed to optimising its strategic sectoral alliances by committing to sustainable growth.

Vytrus Biotech, for its part, has valued the project as a great stimulus to follow the path that the company started on CSR 3 years ago: "Now everything is about evolving in purpose, analysing our impact business model, continuing to do things well, improving them and aligning them with the current reality".

As Irene Gisbert, from Ainea Parfums, explains, this has allowed them to understand even more where they want to go: "Until now we have taken steps to be sustainable based on our intuition and conviction that we are part of nature and therefore to attack it is to attack us, but now we have the mechanisms to have a much broader vision of all the implications that we have to take into account. The objective is to become the best possible company, that each of our decisions has a transversal view, focusing on preserving the planet".