In a defining moment for sustainable beauty, Emma Lewisham has set a new global benchmark with the highest B Corp score of any luxury skincare brand—announced, fittingly, on World Sustainability Day, October 29, 2025.
The New Zealand-founded brand is already recognised as the world’s first 100% circular-designed and independently certified climate-positive beauty company. Now, it continues to redefine what’s possible in high-performance skincare by proving that true luxury and true sustainability can thrive side by side.
Redefining Luxury with Purpose
“This achievement represents promising progress, but our work is ongoing, and I believe it always will be as we continue to push boundaries, innovating through both skin science and sustainability, keeping this at the heart of everything we do,” said Emma Lewisham, co-founder and creative director.
“We very much see sustainability as a way of being, not a destination. At Emma Lewisham, we want to see an even higher adoption of refills and more material returned to be kept in circulation, which in turn reduces carbon emissions.”
From the beginning, Lewisham has been clear that sustainability cannot come at the expense of results. “From inception, I’ve maintained that transforming an industry requires exceptional products first and foremost. We have never asked customers to compromise quality, efficacy, or luxury for sustainability—and this approach has driven our industry-leading refillable sales while educating consumers on the vital role of circularity in reducing waste and carbon impact.”
The Mission That Started It All
The brand’s sustainability journey began in 2016, when Emma Lewisham discovered that the beauty industry generates a staggering 100 billion units of waste each year, with packaging responsible for around 70% of the sector’s carbon footprint.
Drawing on circular design principles she learned at a global Japanese technology company, and the environmental values instilled by her New Zealand upbringing, Lewisham saw an opportunity to reshape the beauty landscape.
“The traditional model simply didn’t make sense, and I could see that genuine circularity—not just surface-level changes—was the only real solution. No one was talking about true circularity then, but we knew we weren’t just going to participate in the problem; we were going to take complete ownership for our decisions and their impact.”
That philosophy became the foundation of Emma Lewisham’s DNA—a mission of taking true ownership and solving problems at their source. This commitment led to the brand’s pioneering refillable model and the launch of its global Beauty Circle program, which together reimagined how luxury beauty can and should operate.
Circularity in Action
The results are proof that sustainability and success can coexist beautifully:
- Over 200,000 refills sold, demonstrating that consumers will choose sustainable options when quality is uncompromised.
- 34,000 packaging units returned—55% sterilised and reused, and 45% recycled through TerraCycle.
- Refills now dominate global sales, showing that circular design isn’t just ethical, it’s commercially viable.
- Refillable ranges stocked globally at Harrods, Liberty London, SpaceNK, Credo Beauty, and MECCA.
- Up to 74% fewer carbon emissions per refillable product versus traditional packaging, saving 120 tonnes of carbon emissions to date.
A Record-Breaking B Corp Score
Emma Lewisham’s latest B Corp score of 121, up from 90 at its initial certification in 2022, underscores remarkable progress across every key impact area—governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
Since its first certification, the brand has:
- Improved governance by 154%
- Improved workers by 25%
- Improved environment by 30%
- Improved customers by 22%
This impressive leap is complemented by the reaffirmation of the brand’s Toit? Climate Positive Certification, the highest level available from New Zealand’s leading environmental certification provider.
Toit?’s rigorous programme is accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) and confirms that Emma Lewisham not only meets international ISO standards but exceeds them, offsetting at least 25% more emissions than it produces and contributing to verified community-led environmental projects worldwide.
Between April 2021 and March 2024, the brand achieved a 25% reduction in carbon emissions, prioritising reduction first and offsetting second. By offsetting 125% of unavoidable emissions, Emma Lewisham continues to actively reverse its climate impact.
Setting a New Standard for Beauty
Emma Lewisham’s sustainability-first model has captured global attention—and admiration from some of the world’s most respected voices. In 2021, the late Dr. Jane Goodall personally endorsed the brand’s work:
“Our Planet Earth is in a critical state. The damage we are inflicting on the environment has already had terrible consequences that will affect future generations for many years.
Fortunately, there are companies that are working to create positive change. New Zealand beauty brand, Emma Lewisham, is demonstrating what it means to be a truly sustainable business. Through their carbon positive and circular business model, Emma Lewisham is creating environmental prosperity and showing their peers that this business model is not just possible but paramount if we are to make a meaningful difference.
Emma Lewisham may be setting a new benchmark in beauty, but they are also setting a benchmark for how all industries should be operating – circular, waste-free and carbon positive. I wholeheartedly endorse Emma Lewisham’s Beauty Circle and all the systems they have put in place as a business striving to make the world a better place.”
The Road Ahead: Regenerative Beauty
While the brand celebrates its new certifications, it has also announced a forward-looking 2025–2027 Sustainability Strategy—a roadmap designed to push beyond sustainability toward regeneration.
Under the Circular Beauty & Climate Positive pillar, the brand plans to:
- Expand its Beauty Circle initiative to new global markets
- Achieve 500,000 refills sold by 2027
- Introduce 30,000 Second Life pods back into circulation
- Save 300 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2028
Building on its 2023–2025 strategy, Emma Lewisham has already achieved:
- 200,000 refills sold since 2021, saving 120 tonnes of carbon
- 176,000 new jars and bottles avoided through refill adoption
- 34,000 packaging units returned for reuse or recycling
- A 29% reduction in airfreight emissions in 2024
- Solar-powered and resource-efficient warehouses in New Zealand and Australia
A Model for the Future of Sustainable Luxury
By making its intellectual property freely available to competitors, Emma Lewisham has demonstrated that collaboration, rather than competition, is the path forward for an industry responsible for billions of tonnes of waste.
“Transforming beauty requires transparency and teamwork,” says Lewisham. “We’ve shown that when sustainability is embedded in design, luxury becomes regenerative.”
With its record-breaking B Corp score, science-led innovation, and unwavering climate commitment, Emma Lewisham continues to lead the global conversation—proving that the future of beauty can be circular, carbon positive, and uncompromisingly luxurious.
The new strategy is publicly available at emmalewisham.com/sustainability.
