Economic Empowerment: Skills, Support and Space to Succeed.
With around two million Avon Representatives, many living in underserved or remote communities, our model provides a pathway to income, confidence and agency through flexible work.
Training is the engine that helps power this progress. Through our Avon Academy platform, which has recently created over 300 new learning pathways, Representatives can access learning at a time that suits them. Avon Academy offers knowledge and training across various topics including digital skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, and accreditations such as our Beauty Advisor programme which empowers Representatives to grow their skills and sales.
This support strengthens long-term earning power. As one of our Representatives shared “Beauty Advisor has played a big role in the success of my business. I’m more confident in selling and I’m earning more.” Febbie, Avon Representative, Philippines
Sustainability and Customer Experience Must Evolve Together.
Sustainability is not a separate initiative for us; we’ve committed to ensuring every new Avon product is more sustainable than the last. By using analysis tools, including one designed by Quantis, we assess the comparative life cycle of products from start to end with touchpoints across 16 environmental factors.
This means we can determine the impact of individual raw materials used in each product at each stage of the formulas live: from the cultivation of plants used to produce raw materials, through transport, product manufacturing, final use and disposal, supply chain requirements, formulations and packaging.
The methodology and tool work excellently during the design of new products to reduce their environmental impact and make conscious choices of raw materials
Our new refillable skincare tubes, plastic-free eyeshadow compacts and ongoing packaging transformations such as the removal of single-use plastic cello-wrap from fragrance products, continue to reduce our environmental footprint. Today, 83.3% of our packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, meaning we are on track to achieve 100% by 2030. And, when it comes to formulas, already 93% of our rinse-off formulas are biodegradable.
Ethical Supply Chains and Climate Action
We have improved traceability across key raw materials, including palm oil, mica and cotton, while deepening our engagement with suppliers in high-risk regions.
Our partnership with Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) exemplifies this holistic approach. CmiA supports nearly one million small-scale farmers, many of them women, while promoting regenerative agriculture. CmiA cotton uses no irrigation or genetically modified seeds, is fully traceable and produces 13% fewer carbon emissions than standard cotton. As our use of CmiA cotton expands across products and regions, we ensure our purpose, creating a better world for women and for all, translates into measurable impact.
Meanwhile, climate action remains central to our strategy. We have already achieved a 36% reduction in Scope 3 emissions since 2023, driven by ingredient innovation, supplier collaboration, and smarter manufacturing processes.
Partnerships and Advocacy
Through partnerships, campaigns and community programmes, we use our voice to address issues that matter to women and communities such as breast cancer and gender-based violence.
From working with Business Fights Poverty to identify and address risks of GBVH in our key sourcing and sales countries, to our Equal Futures Fund, facilitated by NGO NO MORE, which drives community driven solutions to address gender-bias as a key precursor to gender-based violence – partnerships like these are essential in showing that when we work together and speak up consistently and responsibly, that’s when we know we’re creating sustainable positive impact.
Sustainability is not charity, it’s strategy. – A Call to Action
Climate initiatives must deliver environmental and social impact while supporting business goals because sustainability isn’t charity, its strategy for resilience and growth.
We encourage other organisations to ask: What does it take to make sustainability truly inclusive?
For Avon, inclusive sustainability is embedded through consistent, interconnected actions, commercial, environmental, and social. When these work in harmony, progress becomes unstoppable.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Marlena Babicka, Head of Sustainability and ESG at Avon, also participated in a live panel discussion during COP30 to discuss cross-sector collaboration and people-centred solutions for climate action, highlighting the importance of sustainable business practices, community engagement, and innovative partnerships. You can access the recording here: https://businessfightspoverty.org/video/insights-from-cop-30-and-community-leadership/
