Sephora employee sparks outrage after sharing image exposing 'disappointing' store policy: 'Yikes'

A Sephora employee put the beauty retailer on blast for the "disgusting" amount of waste it produces despite presenting itself as an eco-conscious company.  

What's happening?

In Reddit's r/Sephora, the employee shared a photo they said reveals "the truth about Sephora" — namely, that it trashes its shelving gondolas every week, at least at their location.

"This happens almost every time there is a new product launch," they wrote under the image showing the discarded bright pink shelves in a dumpster.

"Wow, this is so disappointing but honestly not even surprising anymore," one commenter wrote. "Weekly landfill trips for perfectly usable materials just because of a product refresh?"

"Yikes. Why can't they [keep] the shelves and just redecorate?" asked another. 

Why is this important?

The not-so-pretty side of the beauty industry is that it generates massive amounts of waste, and a culture that encourages overconsumption (thus fueling overproduction) contributes.

According to 4ocean, the sector produces around 120 billion pieces of packaging annually, a significant portion of which is plastic and unrecyclable. Instead, it ends up in landfills or as litter, leaching toxic chemicals into our life-sustaining ecosystems and waterways. 

Is Sephora doing anything to reduce waste?

Several disheartened Redditors suggested that just about every corporation engages in some form of greenwashing, presenting itself as more eco-friendly than it actually is.

"It's not just Sephora," one commenter pointed out, underscoring the pervasiveness of the problem, to which another replied: "Second this. Just about every retailer I've ever worked for does this when stuff is changed over, broken or too old."

However, others had a more optimistic take on the situation. One person pointed out that "no one is perfect," suggesting that progress should be celebrated even though brands should be transparent about their impact on the environment.

Should companies be required to help recycle their own products? Definitely 👍 No way 👎 It depends on the product 🤔 They should get tax breaks instead 💰 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

To that end, as an Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Partner, Sephora contributes to a cleaner future by using renewable energy to power its stores, distribution centers, and headquarters, according to the company website.

It has also teamed up with Pact Collective to help make it easier for consumers to recycle their beauty empties and says its waste reduction efforts in stores diverted more than 1.6 million pounds of waste from landfills in 2021 alone. 

What can be done to reduce beauty waste more broadly?

In addition to taking advantage of Pact Collective's recycling partnerships with beauty retailers such as Sephora and Ulta, you can choose personal care products that reduce or eliminate the need for single-use plastics, which can take hundreds of years or even upward of a thousand years to decompose.

To start, consider swapping your plastic razor for a durable metal one, explore sustainable beauty products at zero-waste stores, support brands with plastic-free packaging, and reuse old cotton towels or T-shirts as makeup wipes instead of buying disposable options.

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