We’ve made a huge commitment to achieving Net-Zero by 2050 and the next ten years are going to be crucial. Here’s why and how we’re planning to reach that finish line.

The race is on - we have committed to Net-Zero. The race is on - we have committed to Net-Zero. As a planet, we drastically need to reverse the effects of climate change and as a global company, we recognise our responsibility to play a part in this. In 2022, we proudly became a B CorpTM and made clear our plans to reduce the company's carbon footprint. But now, we are revving things up, because our pledge comes with a time limit. We are committing to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions per product by 50% by 2030 compared to 2021, with the goal of achieving Net-Zero by 2050. Here’s why this is so important to us, and how we are planning to achieve it.

What is Net-Zero? 

You might have heard the term Net-Zero but what does it really mean? It’s a complex concept, but simply put, Net-Zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible. Think of a very full bath. To make sure it doesn’t overflow, you need to both turn off the tap (reduce emissions) and pull the plug to let it drain (removing emissions from the atmosphere). At the moment, 51 billion tons of greenhouse gasses are emitted into the atmosphere each year and by 2050, this needs to be zero. Right now, the world is already 1.1° C warmer than it was in the late 1800’s and, as stated in the Paris Agreement, this can’t rise above 1.5° C or … let’s not even go there. So, the race is on. 

The race to zero  

In our commitment to Net-Zero, we are joining 5,232 businesses, 1,049 cities, 67 regions, 441 of the biggest investors and 1,039 Higher Education Institutions in the largest ever alliance committing to Net-Zero by 2050. Each member of this coalition has science-based targets to achieve their goal. Collectively, these members now cover 25% of global CO2 emissions and together we have one aim: to save the planet. So, this is the goal for 2050, but climate activists like Greta Thunberg have championed the point that the next ten years will be the most crucial time for us to act. This is recognised by the Science-Based Targets initiative and The Race to Zero campaign, with all members committing to a mid-term goal. Rituals has committed to cutting emissions per product by 50% by 2030. Here are all the ways we are exploring how to achieve this:

Ingredients 

• Using more environmentally friendly ingredients that have less impact on the environment.
• Decreasing the total emissions of our perfume by choosing lower impact ingredients.
• By the end of this year, all our in-scope personal care formulas will be made with 90% natural origin ingredients (See our Sustainability Report for more details on which products this includes).

Packaging  

• We will keep adding to our collection of refills. Refills, compared to the original product, have reduced carbon emissions and less packaging waste.
• We ensure all our packaging materials are recyclable* or made of recycled materials.
• With our suppliers, we’ll work on creating packaging made of recycled aluminium for our iconic foaming shower gel (our bestselling product), which will reduce the carbon footprint for this item.
• Each time we redevelop a product, we reassess the packaging to ensure it is as lightweight as possible. This helps us minimise material usage and reduce waste.

Operations 

• All our stores run on green electricity, this means that we have renewable energy contracts. Where this was not possible due to running contracts, we acquired guarantees of origins, to prove that our power was generated from a renewable source. We also have energy-saving appliances (like LED lights) and we will continue to ensure this for every new store opening.
• We aim to install smart meters in certain countries which will allow us to test the effect of energy reduction measures
• For many years, we have had LED lights in the majority of our stores. With the help of our supplier, we explored transitioning to an even more energy-efficient LED light and we will be refurbishing our current light spots in store in the coming years.
• All our stores receive their stock by truck deliveries, and we aim to reduce how many times a week these deliveries take place by making them more efficient.
• With our logistic suppliers, we are improving our data collection, which will allow us to track our carbon reduction efforts better. We are also in conversation with those suppliers to see what their own decarbonisation plans are.

Climate compensation  

• We are awaiting the latest guidelines from the Science-Based targets Initiative for carbon removal on the pathway to Net-Zero. Once these guidelines are available, we will develop a plan accordingly.

Working on our Net-Zero journey, means we might find new carbon reduction actions or that previously identified actions are not as feasible as we thought, and, therefore, our plan will have updates along the way. We believe this is part of the decarbonisation process and it does not diminish the commitment we have made.

We are currently working on updating our Net-Zero near-term plan and we expect to share more on this at the beginning of 2025. We know that our Race to Net-Zero isn’t going to be easy, but it certainly is important and we hope you join us on this journey.

*Recycling is subject to local policies and facilities.