The world’s largest fragrance company, Coty, will soon start making perfumes with alcohol made from recycled carbon emissions.
Producing the fragrance lines for luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Calvin Klein, Coty has recently partnered with biotech company LanzaTech to use its ethanol made from captured CO2 emissions.
Ethanol is typically used in many perfumes because it carries scent well and evaporates on the skin. Currently, Coty uses ethanol made from sugarcane and sugar beets. While these are natural ingredients, they often still have a big environmental impact. The growing and cultivation of these materials contribute to deforestation and soil degradation and require a lot of water and fertilizer.
LanzaTech’s ethanol, on the other hand, has a double ecological impact. Not only does it use less land and water, but it also prevents more greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. The company makes the product out of carbon emissions captured from industrial sources such as steel mills. These emissions are then turned into ethanol in a bioreactor with the help of bacteria.
By October 2021, select perfume brands in Coty’s portfolio will feature carbon-capture ethanol, and the plan is to use the climate-friendly ingredient in most of its fragrance lines by 2023.
“It’s not only the right thing to do,” Coty CEO Sue Y. Nabi said in a statement, “but it makes commercial sense too — with today’s consumer rightly demanding that their favorite brands share their commitment to sustainability.”
