AMARJIT SAHOTA
CEO,Organic Monitor, UK

“Sustainability”, in your opinion what does this term mean today? In your opinion, is sustainability is more a claim or a commitment for companies?
Sustainability, in my opinion is a way of doing business that enables the company, its environment and its stake-holders, to sustain themselves i.e. taking care that resources are replenished, waste is carefully managed, company staff and other stake-holders are treated fairly, etc. In this respect, it is more of a commitment than a claim.

Is sustainability more an issue or an opportunity today? Does sustainability represent more of a cost or an investment for companies?
Sustainability is a key issue for all businesses, since it is essential to their long-term survival. It also provides many opportunities. On one side, if cosmetic companies act in a more sustainable manner, their customers (retailers and consumers) will encourage / favour them. For instance, retailers like Wal-Mart and Tesco are putting pressure on their suppliers to be more transparent and sustainable.
On the other hand, sustainability provides opportunities by adding to the bottom-line (profitab ...