Beauty retailer, selling makeup, skincare, hair care, and fragrances
Environmentally-mindful sourcing and stocking commitments?: No
Promotes collections that help consumers make conscious decisions?: Yes - offers and promotes
These collections include: vegan, cruelty-Free, other
Stocks any Commons top-rated sustainable brands? (proportion of rateable categories): Yes - few
Has time-bound targets to improve its sourcing for owned-brand products?: No
Certifications for owned-brands and products?: Yes
These certifications include: Leaping Bunny, PETA Cruelty-free
Heavy reliance on virgin petro plastic?: Yes
Shares info on ecommerce packaging?: No / not found
Shares info on in-store and upstream packaging?: No / not found
Shares info on own-brand packaging?: Yes - but reporting could be improved
Petro-based plastics in packaging?: Yes - but working to reduce
Recycled plastic?: Partially Recycled
Uses environmentally-mindful materials (non-plastic) in packaging?: Yes
These materials include ones that are: recyclable, recycled.
Targets for improving its packaging materials?: Yes - and reports on progress
Initiatives to reduce packaging volume / intensity?: Yes - vague / limited
Plastic waste reduction through partnerships?: No / not found:
Uses renewable energy in its supply chain and/or offices?: Yes - Some (<50%)
Uses renewable energy in its stores?: Yes - some (<50%)
Targets for increasing renewable energy?: Yes - nonspecific
On track for these targets?: Unknown (doesn't report)
Energy efficiency measures?: Yes - vague / limited
Efforts to lower shipping emissions (e.g. EVs)?: No / not found
Water conservation measures?: Yes - nonspecific
Refrigerant management strategy?: N/A - no refrigerated goods sold
Any EPA GreenChill certified stores?: N/A - no food or no stores
Alt models to promote consumer reuse and recycling?: Recycling schemes
Packaging disposal guidance?: No / not found
Corporate waste reduction initiatives?: Other (incl general reducing landfill waste)
Corporate waste reporting?: Yes - vague / limited
Food waste reduction initiatives?: N/A
Food waste reporting?: N/A
Promotes overconsumption?: Yes
Methods of promoting overconsumption: Incentivizes impulse purchases (e.g. one-click ordering)
Commons is still evaluating this brand's marketing emails.
Sustainability page on consumer site?: Yes - footer
Voluntary annual sustainability report?: Yes
Last published: 2024
Reports its emissions?: Yes
Breakdown in CO2e?: Yes
Last reported in: 2024
Estimated emissions footprint: 2335269 tons CO2e
Scope 1+2 emissions intensity compared to industry / competitor average: Average
Science-aligned emissions reduction targets?: Yes - SBTi approved
Target timeframe: Medium-term (5-10 years)
Reports progress?: Yes - on track for some
Climate neutral certification?: No
Offsets emissions?: No / not found
Publishes supplier information for owned production?: No
Publishes supplier code of conduct?: Yes
Code of conduct: prohibits child labor, prohibits forced labor, disallows unauthorized subcontracting
Code of conduct does not sufficiently: ensure the right to collective bargaining, ensure a living wage, establish grievance mechanisms, include environmental clauses
Code of Conduct covers all applicable suppliers (own-production and stocked-brand)?: Yes
Labor certifications in supply chain?: No
3rd-party criticisms of supply chain or labor conditions?: No
Discloses all trade association memberships?: No
Climate-obstructive trade association memberships: None -
Pro-climate advocacy memberships?: No
Employs state lobbyists?: No
Donated more than $100k to any candidates or PACs from 2018-2024?: No
Ulta has an overall lack of sustainability efforts and disclosures. We expect more reporting, accountability, and action from a brand of its size.
Though Ulta promotes some more environmentally mindful options, it encourages overconsumption, which contributes to excessive landfill waste and energy use, and has widespread impacts on the environment. It uses primarily plastic packaging of a virgin or undisclosed source for its own-brand products, shipping materials, and in-store bags, which contributes greatly to waste production and excess energy use. It does, however, have targets and initiatives to improve its packaging materials and reduce its packaging intensity.
Ulta uses some (<50%) renewable energy in its supply chain, offices, and stores, but it doesn't share clear targets for increasing this percentage. It publicly shares its emissions measurements and has SBTi-approved reduction targets that are partially on track.
Ulta offers a consumer-facing recycling program and has initiatives to reduce waste in its corporate operations. However, it doesn't provide detailed reporting, and it appears to still send more to landfill than to recycling.
Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (harmful) to 5 (best). How we rate →
https://www.ulta.com/discover/conscious-beauty
https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_eb2de570f6a806bb23c38e6521755f78/ulta/files/pages/ulta/db/1975/description/Ulta_Beauty_2024_ESG_Report_PDF_6_042125.pdf
https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_d0e19df215dd3c194eba38db1b0655aa/ulta/files/pages/ulta/db/1975/description/Ulta_Beauty_2023_ESG_Report_Final_ADA_vF.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/greenchill/greenchill-certified-stores
https://www.climatefriendlysupermarkets.org/scorecard
https://www.ulta.com/discover/beauty-education/how-to-recycle-makeup-skincare
https://www.ulta.com/company/corporate-responsibility
https://www.ulta.com/company/corporate-responsibility/environment
https://sciencebasedtargets.org/target-dashboard
https://www.ulta.com/ultavendorstandards/Ulta-Vendor-Standards-4-8-24.pdf
https://fminus.org/lobbyists/
https://www.fec.gov/data/browse-data/
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