Green Acquisitions will be highlighted at Sustainable Summits in Paris

Unilever’s purchase of Seventh Generation is the latest in a series of green acquisitions. Organic Monitor  predicts the trend to continue as large multinationals look to build a foothold in sustainable product industries. The trend about green brands being acquired by large multinationals in sustainable product industries will be highlighted in the upcoming Sustainable Cleaning Products Summit and Sustainable Cosmetics Summit hosted in Paris on 24-26th October.

Seventh Generation is a leading brand in the North American market for natural home care products. The acquisition gives Unilever a presence in the fastest growing segment of the cleaning products industry. It will also help the multinational achieve its sustainability goal of halving its environmental impacts across the value chain, explains Organic Monitor.

The trend of green acquisitions is spreading from the food, personal care to home care industries. In July, SC Johnson purchased the natural home care & personal care brand Babyganics. Like Unilever, SC Johnson will look to build distribution of its new green brand in mass market channels.

Unilever however is likely to build synergy between its green brands. It previously acquired the natural skincare brand REN, expanding its international distribution. The multinational is also reportedly seeking to add Honest Company to its portfolio. By doing so, Unilever will be the first multinational to have a major presence in the organic food, natural personal care, and natural home care product industries.

Organic Monitor sees the trend of green acquisitions to continue: Unilever is not the only multinational to go on a buying spree in sustainable product industries. L’Oreal was the first to make major acquisitions when it bought The Body Shop and Sanoflore in 2006. By buying ‘green expertise’, L’Oreal subsequently developed natural & organic lines for some of its popular brands. Colgate-Palmolive and Estee Lauder have also bought green brands, however not all multinationals have been successful. Clarins bought the organic cosmetics brand Kibio in 2010, only to axe it a few years later. There are also questions on how brands like Jurlique and Burt’s Bees have fitted into their ‘adopted parent’ organisations, asks Organic Monitor. At the Sustainable Cleaning Products Summit and Sustainable Cosmetics Summit these questions will be discussed.

The European edition will be hosted in Paris Marriott Champs-Elyséeson on 24-26th October and on 26-27th October, whilst the Asia-Pacific edition will take place in Hong Kong on 14-15th November. More information is available from www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com