Nature Conservation Archives - Luxury American Beauty.

Posted on January 22, 2022January 22, 2022 by kusumcosmetics — Leave a comment

Low Carbon: 1 Striking Change in Beauty world.

Low Carbon: 1 Striking Change in Beauty World.

We discussed low carbon energy resources, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, and nature’s impact in our previous post- Conserving nature: Kusum’s pledge. We also discussed easy steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint without spending hours trying to figure out complex calculations.

Most biological activities, human, animal, microbiological, or plant-generated, result in carbon production. Human activity, particularly manufacturing, transportation, heat, and electricity generation, contributes to most carbon production.¹

Low Carbon Energy

Today’s post aims to explain our core business principles and help other businesses take action to reduce their carbon footprint.

1)Lovely for the skin. Good for nature.

Kusum’s ingredients fundamentally support nature conservation. Read more about it here. The points discussed here are in addition to the uniqueness of our products.

2) Location.

Kusum’s location is strategically selected to reduce sourcing, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution-related resource utilization. Our unique proximity to population, port, cultivation, and talent allows us to drastically reduce carbon emissions related to our day-to-day operations.

For example, we purchase locally cultivated ingredients as much as possible. Our employees live close to their respective job sites, many of them within walking distance, allowing them to work without driving. Air shipping produces a significant amount of carbon dioxide. The port within a few miles from us enables us to utilize ground/ocean shipping as much as possible.

3) Clean energy. Strategic utilization.

Kusum operates to optimize energy utilization during off-peak hours. This step reduces energy generation and distribution-related loss. Kusum’s operations use solar power whenever possible. Starting 2022, Kusum will use wind-generated electricity for the rest of the energy needs resulting in 100% electricity from green resources.

4) Energy efficient operation.

In addition to using energy-efficient, energy-star products, Kusum’s operations use natural sunlight and LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs for lighting and induction heating elements for improved heat conduction. Our low voltage, direct current equipment reduces voltage regulation-related energy loss.

5) Enhanced supplier selection.

Kusum’s suppliers share the same business ethics and support nature conservation, using cleaner energy resources, reducing waste, and promoting recycling.

6) Demand oriented manufacturing.

Low carbon production best occurs when the production amount is just as much as the demand. We adhere to demand-oriented manufacturing to reduce excessive energy spent transporting and storing supplies and finished products. It is common in the beauty industry to deeply discount leftover inventory (causing overutilization) or throw away excess inventory (inefficient resource utilization). Our unique business practice of demand-oriented manufacturing minimizes the waste of finished products.

7) Maintaining Product consistency.

Creating products with consistent results over continued, long-term use is vital to healthy skincare. The beauty industry often confuses consumers by creating new products, new packaging, and adding tweaks to existing products to create a market attraction. Such business practice is more prevalent than perceived and, unfortunately, leads to increased production, resource utilization, leftover inventory, and waste.

For example, new holiday baskets every year, where do the leftover ones go?

8) Improved packaging, reduced packaging.

Kusum’s products utilized glass, recyclable PET and aluminum containers, and recyclable dip tubes. Kusum’s primary packaging is sturdy enough to withstand the shipping process; this allows us to use less shipping material. The overall packaging design and clear instructions keep recycling as simple and effective as possible.

9) Hailing natural beauty while supporting a good cause.

Kusum Cosmetics has partnered with Green America to help create a socially and environmentally sustainable society.

10) Clean beauty with clean air.

At Kusum Cosmetics, the clean beauty concept goes beyond creating and promoting sustainable products. We encourage the cultivation and preservation of one of the valuable natural resources- the trees.

Why trees?

Trees help reduce land erosion and sudden shifting with the forces of nature. Trees help remove carbon dioxide to store carbon within their structures. Trees provide a home to countless living creatures. Trees offer shade shelter and add biodiversity to our planet. Trees help capture rainwater and reduce flooding. Kusum Cosmetics has partnered with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit organization that plants trees in six regions of 42 countries. In 2021, the One Tree Planted organization planted 23 million trees on over 86,000 acres². Planting and cultivating trees in their natural habitats helps us reduce our carbon footprint and low carbon energy utilization.

How do you feel after reading through this brief discussion? Let us know.
We hope that you found this post informative and valuable. Feel free to share our beauty pearls with others. Use this link- kusumcosmetics.com/blog/

Disclaimer-This website and content, comment, writing, or authors/contributors/writers do not provide or suggest medical, legal, or professional advice, opinion, or service. The information shared on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Reference:
1) https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/
2) https://onetreeplanted.org/pages/2021-recap

Posted on April 26, 2021April 26, 2021 by kusumcosmetics — Leave a comment

Conserving Nature: Kusum’s Pledge

A carbon footprint is the number of greenhouse gases generated by a person’s activity. What are greenhouse gases? These include carbon dioxide and methane. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to conserving nature.

Biological activity generates some greenhouse gases. However, human activity contributes the most.¹

Common sources of greenhouse gas emissions are:

The burning of fossil fuels.
Rising animal and human population.
Increased deforestation.
Travel.
Power plant.
Land-use change (building, mining).

Among the causes, energy production (heat, electricity) accounts for 72 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.²

Greenhouse gases absorb the sun’s infrared radiation and cause an increase in the temperature of the earth, leading to many issues, including melting of polar ice to the expansion of desserts.³

According to nature.org, an average person’s carbon footprint in the United States is sixteen tons. This value is about four tones per person for the rest of the world!

Scientists estimate that the average global carbon footprint must be reduced to less than two tonnes a year by 2050 to avoid two centigrade increase in the earth’s temperature.

We cannot reduce our carbon footprint overnight. It is a gradual and systematic process. More importantly, it is a lifestyle change. Let’s take a look!

Quick ways to reduce your carbon footprint and conserving nature:

1) Reducing or stopping meat consumption.
Animal agriculture requires large amounts of fresh water, and animals produce more greenhouse gases than burning the fossil-fuels! Reducing or stopping meat consumption is the fastest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2) Reduce electricity consumption.
Unplugging your unused devices (chargers, adapters) reduce unnecessary energy usage. Replace standard light bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs. Make use of sunlight or solar-powered equipment when possible.

3) Reduce driving.
Consider leaving the car at home whenever feasible. Take a walk, bike, bus, or carpool. Maintain your vehicle in optimal condition.

4) Plant a plant, any plant!
Any plantation will reduce greenhouse gas; this includes a tiny flowering plant on a balcony, a small vegetable garden in a backyard, or a massive forest.

5) Consume locally produced items.
Buying local from groceries to clothes reduces transportation and related greenhouse gas emissions and cuts the carbon footprint.

Using organically produced items further reduces toxic waste and associated damage to nature.

6) Line dry your clothes.
A dryer uses far more energy than a washer. Line drying your clothes significantly cuts your carbon footprint.

Industries have a role in greenhouse emissions too. Kusum Cosmetics has several unique ways to reduce carbon footprint and conserving nature:

Kusum’s unique ways to reduce carbon footprint and conserving nature.

1) Vegan product line.
Kusum’s product line is entirely vegan. Vegan products eliminate the use of animal products and reduce livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions.

2) Organic cultivation.
Kusum uses organically cultivated raw materials whenever possible. Using organic ingredients provides our client with the best nature has to offer while supporting organic cultivation and nature conservation.

3) Optimized algorithms for supplies and manufacturing.
Kusum utilizes optimized algorithms to purchase supplies and time manufacturing to reduce storage times and related resource utilization.

4) Sustainable and environmentally responsible purchasing.
Kusum selects suppliers that promote and practice environmentally responsible cultivation and maintain natural habitat as much as possible.

5) Optimized production algorithms to minimize waste.
Manufacturing any product generates waste. Products that use natural, plant-based ingredients are no exception. Kusum Cosmetics minimizes this waste by using strategic sourcing, timing, and production. Our algorithm results in the utilization of most resources that we acquire.

6) Accelerated compost collection and disposition.
Any material suitable for compost purposes is meticulously identified and separated from the remainder of the waste. We dispose of such natural material to compost resulting in high-quality fertilizer in a farm for organic cultivation.

7) Plant-based agents for cleaning and disinfection.
Fossil-derived sanitizing agents and chemically sourced cleaning agents remain most commonly utilized for industrial purposes. Kusum Cosmetics uses plant-based, biodegradable cleaning and disinfecting agents.

8) Clean energy for production.
Utilizing energy (electricity, gas) during peak daytime hours results in excess greenhouse gas generation as power plants increase output to meet the demand. Kusum Cosmetics uses solar energy for the manufacturing process whenever possible and optimizes the production schedule to minimize electricity usage during peak demand.

9) Improving energy efficiency.
Kusum Cosmetics uses energy-efficient, energy star products to improve efficiency and thus reduce energy demand.

10) Buy local.
Whenever possible, Kusum chooses local suppliers. Our location allows us to use local resources, from talent to ingredients to packaging. We use optimized transportation algorithms and carbon-neutral shipments to reduce transportation-related emissions for the elements that are unavailable locally.

11) Packaging selection to optimize recycling.
Sustainable, recyclable packaging envelope Kusum products. We emphasize the use of recyclable glass bottles, PET bottles, dispenser pumps, and paper for optimal recycling.

We hope you found this post on Kusum Cosmetics’ efforts to conserve nature and reduce carbon footprint informatively and valuable. Feel free to share our blog with others. Use this link- https://kusumcosmetics.com/blog.

Reference:
1) https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/
2) https://www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint

conserving nature

Posted on November 4, 2020November 22, 2020 by kusumcosmetics — Leave a comment

Nurturing For Better Tomorrow: Part 2

This post is the second part of the earlier post-Nurturing For Better Tomorrow. The cosmetic industry is expanding exponentially, perhaps quicker than the expansion of our universe. Rising demand for cosmetic products and expectations for a quick transformation or a promise for a cure has led to the rapid development of chemical-based products. These products have a longer shelf life and much cheaper to produce in bulk.

Molecules of similar chemical structures can be synthesized in a lab calling it artificially produced chemicals.

Chemical-based products end up in the natural environment once we wash them off our skin. From this point, these chemicals begin a disgraceful journey onto our planet.

This blog post will discuss the basics of chemicals, natural and artificial chemicals. In case you missed, part I of this blog series focuses on nature conservation and basic ways to save our planet. You can read part I here.

What is a Chemical?

A simple explanation of chemical would be any substance with an enduring bond or characteristic properties. One example would be pure water. No substance is 100% pure, but its purity is defined according to its purpose or use. [1,2]

When different chemical molecules are mixed, they form a separate substance, called a polymer. Chemicals typically react to light, temperature, and a combination of both.

When a chemical cannot be further broken down, it is called an element. Some examples include iron, copper, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Natural and Synthetic Chemicals.

A natural chemical is one made by a natural process. Examples include water, plants, fruits, etc. The same chemical structure can be synthesized in a lab by studying and replicating a natural chemical. This “synthesized” chemical is known as “synthetic,” or “artificial,” or “engineered.”

If pure water from a river is an example of a natural chemical, then water molecules of similar chemical structures can be synthesized in a lab calling it artificially produced water.

The war between natural and synthetic chemicals, synthetic chemicals, and its harm to nature is well known. There is no meaningful difference between a natural and engineered chemical if molecular or elemental structures are identical. [3]

The Issue with Modified Substances.

Modern technology can modify the elements and create “new” chemical structures that suit our needs. These structures can have the same appearance, smell, and effect but are more tolerant of environmental or natural changes.

That is where the problem lies. A matter created or modified to withstand the natural decomposition process has to have elements that resist decomposition. Most natural substances are part of the food chain utilized by humans, animals, birds, sea creatures, and bacteria. Plants, trees, and other vegetation may use natural substances in the form of nourishment and fertilizer.

Now imagine a substance is modified or created to withstand decomposition but has the same appearance, smell, texture of an otherwise natural and edible substance. The food chain consumers (plants, animals, fish, and humans!) are not aware of the structural changes and may consume such substances as food.

Such modified substances will then have lasting and, more importantly, unpredictable effects on other living matters by altering their body/genetic composition. We then end up consuming some of those “unpredictably modified” structures in our food consumption.

How do you feel after reading through this brief discussion? Let us know. We hope that you found this post informative and useful. Feel free to share our blog with others Use this link- https://kusumcosmetics.com/blog/

Disclaimer-This website and content, comment, writing, or authors/contributors/writers do not provide or suggest medical, legal, or professional advice, opinion, or service. The information shared on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Reference:

[1] Hale, Bob (2013-09-19). Necessary Beings: An Essay on Ontology, Modality, and the Relations Between Them. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191648342. Archived from the original on 2018-01-13.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_substance

[3] Natural versus Synthetic Chemicals is Grey Matter. Dorea Reeser. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/natural-vs-synthetic-chemicals-is-a-gray-matter/#:~:text=Natural%20vs.,not%20be%20found%20in%20nature.

Nurturing For Better Tomorrow: Part II.

Posted on November 2, 2020November 22, 2020 by kusumcosmetics — Leave a comment

Nurturing For Better Tomorrow : Part 1

Introduction: Nurturing For Better Tomorrow.

Conservation efforts for our planet and its natural habitat are dating back to the late 1800s [1]. Simply put, this is a push towards utilizing natural resources in a manner that does not alter, spoil, or deplete.

Human endeavors to create a habitable world have impacted our planet with detrimental effects. Increased transportation and materials use led to the rapid destruction of forests, climate change, seawater, and marine environmental change.

Increased use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), chemicals to change color, taste, and consistency of cosmetics, makeup products, shower products, and food has increased the risk of various diseases in humans, including cancer. The use of potent chemicals to preserve food, cosmetics, and shower products causes multiple skin issues.

This series of blog posts focus on core values of natural conservation, ethical sourcing of supplies, sustainable manufacturing, responsible consumption, and post-consumption recycling.

We will also discuss simple ways to identify products sustainably made with natural resources. We will share tips on manufacturers’ efforts on reducing waste while providing quality products.

Consumer Conservation Ethic

All living creatures of this planet are a consumer of some sort. Those living in the developed and developing parts of the earth consume the most resources available to us. A well-informed consumer should utilize available resources with conservation in mind.

Former US president Theodor Roosevelt initiated a conservation ethic in the United States.

“The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve all others.”

– Theodor Roosevelt [2]

Use nature-derived products, conserve for a better tomorrow!

The “R” for Restoration.

Four “R” s express consumer conservation ethics: “Rethink, Reduce, Recycle, Repair.” [1] Several measures such as moral purchasing, ethical purchasing, sustainable and renewable resources, and preventing harm to air, soil, and water quality forms the basis of consumer conservation ethics.

Rethink

A recent biodiversity study with data from 2011 to 2020 published in Science magazine [3] demonstrated some increase in protected land and marine areas globally. Still, the resources to these areas remain low and increased social pressure. The scientists and conservationists propose various models to improve conservations using goal-based methods for 2021 to 2030 [4].

It is clear that assigning a piece of land or water as a protected area does not reduce human activity’s impact on natural resources. It is our responsibility to think of multi-faceted ideas to aid the sensible consumption of available resources. How do we do that?

A visual attraction forms the basis of modern marketing, whether online or in stores. Do you recollect stores offering virtual experience, in-room experience from appliances to shoes? This method is referred to as “visual merchandising” and has a significant impact on various products’ sales. [5]

Time to apply this science and “Rethink.” We buy numerous products packaged in shiny, attractive boxes and wraps. But, the box and the “protective wrap” go straight to the trashcan. No need to juggle, all of us have done it frequently! Even worse, how much of that thin plastic is recyclable?

Choose products that help reduce waste. It isn’t hard!

If a product were available without unnecessary boxes and wraps, you would prevent so much waste! Modern transportation can deliver products without excessive use of resources.

At Kusum Cosmetics, we promote conservation by reducing unnecessary packaging and creating efficient transportation methods to reduce waste. Instead of using attractive boxes and wraps, we choose to connect our clients by staying transparent on our bottling! More on labels and packaging here.

Reduce

Reducing the use of material that is not recyclable or biodegradable effectively practices natural conservation. Many cosmetic products use synthetic materials, chemically formulated pesticides, preservatives, acids, artificial colors, and fragrances.

Synthetic material is hard to change by natural methods and much cheaper when produced in bulk. Using such materials translates into increased shelf life and thus more profit for someone. However, these benefits come at the cost of ill effects on you and your loved ones’ skin and health.

Let everyone enjoy nature in its purest form!

Pillars of nature created Kusum Cosmetics. We promote naturally derived ingredients in their purest form and minimize the use of non-biodegradable materials. Our bottling material is recyclable, and we use naturally derived organic ingredients and preservatives. You can participate in nature conservation by replacing products made with natural ingredients. When used sensibly, natural ingredients are healthy, bio-friendly, and harmless to other components of nature.

Recycle

Recycling produces new material from processing waste material. This concept is not new; it has been a common practice for most human history [6] Industrial revolution has opened the avenue to effectively recycling various materials. Consumer participation on an individual level is vital for any recycling program to remain effective.

In other words, we, the consumers, must thoughtfully separate recyclable material and deposit according to local standards to support recycling programs. Many countries, states, and cities have adopted legislation that minimizes non-recyclable materials and promotes ways to increase recyclable material deposition. Trash collection agencies in various parts of the world provide labeled containers for organic waste (going to farmland as fertilizer), recyclable waste (going to recycling plant), and remaining waste (going for landfill/other disposition).

Recycling. Simple, easy, and effective.

Kusum Cosmetics participates in recycling by choosing suppliers that intend to use recyclable packaging and employing nearly 100% post-consumer recyclable materials for product packaging.

Repair

Think of gluing a torn paper! Plan to use our bottles in creative ways for as long as you can! This concept helps reduce strain on the ecosystem by reusing the same material in various ways to maximize efficiency. Consider reusing an empty bottle of shower gel by filling it with natural hand soap!

Best from Waste. Torn glove, used tape, discarded ribbon. Repaired with love!

How do you feel after reading through this brief discussion? Let us know. We hope that you found this post informative and useful. You can read Part 2 of this blog post here.

Reference:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_conservation

[2] Leopold, A. (1966) A Sand County Almanac New York: Oxford University Press.

[3] Visconti P, Butchart SM, Brooks TM et al. Protected area targets post-2020. Science. Vol 364, Issue 6437, pp.239-241.

[4] Rethinking Conservation efforts for improved biodiversity. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190411145110.htm

[5] https://www.orderhive.com/visual-merchandising-affect-store-sales

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling