Celebrating 60 years of the IUCN Red List: The power of data in biodiversity conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) celebrates the 60th anniversary of its Red List of Threatened Species at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 in Colombia on 28 October 2024. This milestone not only marks six decades of tireless conservation efforts but also spotlight the invaluable role of data in safeguarding the world’s biodiversity. Among the attendees are the L’OCCITANE Group, a long-time supporter and partner of IUCN, highlighting the role high-level principles and frameworks such as the IUCN Red List have played in shaping its Biodiversity Strategy today.

As IUCN launches an awareness campaign about the importance of the Red List, with a call for continued support from partners, the L’OCCITANE Group publicly endorses the Red List, celebrating its commitment to preserving our planet’s ecosystems.

What is the IUCN Red List?

The IUCN Red List is one of the most comprehensive resources for understanding the conservation status of animal, plant and fungi species worldwide. Since its creation in 1964, it has become a crucial tool for scientists, governments and conservationists to evaluate the extinction risk of species. It serves as a global barometer of life on Earth.

But the Red List is more than just a catalogue of species under threat. It provides the essential data needed to assess trends, devise strategies and implement actions that ensure the survival of species, their habitats and the ecosystems they depend on. It is a keystone in the global effort to reverse biodiversity loss.

The impact of the IUCN Red List on the L’OCCITANE Group

The L’OCCITANE Group recognises that its business model depends on the value of rich, functional biodiversity. The more it gives back to nature and supports communities, the more it will continue to grow as a business. Since 2016, the Group’s partnership with IUCN has been instrumental in shaping its nature strategy. During a three-year collaboration, the company worked closely with IUCN’s French Committee to assess L’OCCITANE en Provence’s impacts and dependencies on biodiversity. This full-scale evaluation covered the entire value chain, from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and retail operations, revealing that the main challenges were linked to the sourcing of natural raw materials.

This assessment was a significant step forward in ensuring that the company’s operations not only minimise potential harm but also contribute to the protection, restoration and regeneration of ecosystems worldwide. It also led to the creation of the L’OCCITANE Group’s first Biodiversity Strategy in 2021.

Additionally, through the L’OCCITANE Foundation, the partnership contributed to the production of the IUCN Red List of Mediterranean ecosystems in France, particularly focusing on France’s Mediterranean coastlines and forests. This helped raise awareness of the biodiversity challenges in the region, providing the necessary data to inform conservation efforts.

Data as a cornerstone for L’OCCITANE’s Biodiversity Strategy

The IUCN Red List is part of a suite of reference tools helping businesses shift their approach to nature, taking into consideration changes in biodiversity and recognising its value. For the L’OCCITANE Group, the IUCN Red List data allowed it to make informed decisions about where to focus its efforts, identifying areas where its supply chain could potentially affect endangered species.

In 2024, the L’OCCITANE Group updated its Biodiversity Strategy, offering a more detailed and meaningful global vision of where the company is concentrating its efforts to improve biodiversity, including setting specific targets and identifying potential biodiversity loss. Scientific data and high-level principles related to the importance of a nature-positive approach, such as those pioneered by IUCN, have shaped the company’s policies.

The beauty of data in action

Over the past year, L’OCCITANE en Provence and Melvita have tested and implemented the first version of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) methodology, which provides a framework for assessing impacts on nature and setting targets for land and freshwater.

For the past two years, the company has supported a conservation project in Indonesia to preserve at least 8,000 hectares of forest linked to the company’s value chain, partnering with Livelihoods Funds (L3F) and People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF). The forest is home to endangered, vulnerable and protected species. By implementing regenerative agricultural practices, the company has helped halt deforestation, preserving invaluable natural wealth and improving local livelihoods. This project illustrates how data can guide businesses in implementing sustainable practices, even in highly complex supply chains.

The raw truth

Thanks to reliable data sources, the L’OCCITANE Group’s biodiversity and sustainable sourcing teams can evaluate the traceability of new raw materials by collaborating with valued local suppliers and farmers. When sourcing new raw materials, a complete traceability and regulatory audit is carried out to ensure compliance not only with the Group’s own Charter but with the international Nagoya Protocol, which relates to access and benefit sharing of biodiversity resources to the advantage of local communities. All suppliers must offer proof of compliance and, where relevant, proof of fair-trade certification.

Wild at heart

The L’OCCITANE Group is keen to highlight the differences between the use of wild and cultivated plants – but in both cases, the Group makes sure that its sustainable principles are being upheld. For example, when working with producers of wild, organic shea butter in Burkina Faso, the Group ensures that the natural resource is preserved and regenerative farming is used to make production sustainable. Then, when it comes to cultivating plants, the Group is shifting towards agroecology and regenerative practices, drawing inspiration from natural forest cycles. Indeed, Immortelle, one of L’OCCITANE en Provence’s iconic ingredients, is cultivated in Corsica in a way that protects the existing wild variety.

Looking forward: a call to action

As the IUCN Red List celebrates its 60th anniversary, it serves as a reminder of data’s important role in conservation. The insights provided by the Red List have helped the L’OCCITANE Group align its sustainability goals with global conservation priorities, ensuring that its products draw from nature and give back to it.

At COP16, L’OCCITANE Group will join forces with other like-minded businesses to drive the sustainability agenda. For the Group and fellow advocates, IUCN remains a critical resource, guiding efforts towards a future where business and biodiversity thrive together.