Building an Authentic Carbon Neutrality Strategy in Beauty
Tropic Skincare is a UK beauty brand that employs around 300 people at its headquarter in London, and has developed a range of beauty and skincare products using organic and natural ingredients for all skin types. Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den Guest Susie Ma, Tropic Skincare has partnered with Climate Impact Partners since 2018 to advance its Infinite Purpose commitment through three strategic pillars: creating a healthier, greener, and more empowered world.
The Ambition
Tropic Skincare set out a climate journey across sourcing, operations and product development to contribute to global net zero goals. The brand has set internal emissions reductions targets, as well as full supply chain transparency, while maintaining its annual CarbonNeutral® company certification in the UK.
Key Climate Goals:
- Reduce Scope 1 emissions by 42% by 2030.
- Procure 100% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2030.
- Continue its longstanding commitment to carbon neutrality, having maintained CarbonNeutral® company status in the UK since 2018.
The Challenge
Tropic Skincare’s value chain is complex: natural ingredients sourced from multiple regions, manufacturing, distribution, and a direct-to-consumer business model built on community commerce ambassadors in the UK. That complexity makes it hard to measure Tropic's carbon footprint accurately and back up its environmental claims with confidence.
The Action
Climate Impact Partners has developed a trusted partnership with Tropic Skincare, building a deep understanding of the brand's sustainability journey and helping shape its climate ambitions as the business evolves.
- Maintaining CarbonNeutral® company certification in the UK: Since 2018, we’ve helped Tropic sustain its carbon neutral status and increased its impact through consistent double offsetting of emissions covered by its certification, verified by an independent third-party. This includes UK operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) and business travel, alongside a full Scope 3 assessment to drive emissions reductions. This work also underpins other certifications Tropic Skincare has achieved, such as Provenance Carbon Measured.
- Building a carbon portfolio that reflects Tropic's values: Tropic’s carbon portfolio is designed to reflect its supply chain, with close to 29,850 tCO₂e of carbon credits sourced since 2018. The company prioritizes climate projects in regions where Tropic sources its ingredients and balances avoidance and removal projects. Over time, the credit mitigation balance has shifted, with the portfolio increasingly weighted toward carbon removals.
- Applying rigorous quality assurance: Every carbon project undergoes our rigorous 10-stage due diligence process, drawing on deep technical expertise and on-the-ground experience to evaluate risks and opportunities beyond standard market checks. This process gives Tropic the confidence to communicate its climate action and claims to customers, brand ambassadors and other stakeholders.
- Preparing for evolving climate standards and regulations: We’ve supported Tropic in navigating updates to the world of climate claims, preparing for more comprehensive Scope 3 reporting and the setting of science-aligned targets – all of which aligns to the best practice in The CarbonNeutral Protocol. We have also assisted Tropic in adapting to evolving UK and EU climate claims requirements, including the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive.
In Ethiopia, the EthioTrees project has grown over 8 million trees.
In Malaysia, The Sabah INFAPRO Rainforest Rehabilitation Project restores 25,000+ hectares of degraded rainforest.
The Bondhu Chula Cookstoves project has helped more than 5 million households in Bangladesh access cleaner cooking.
How Tropic is Making the Business Case
Tropic's carbon strategy involves key stakeholders across the business, with final approval resting with the CEO, supported by the Infinite Purpose team who manages day-to-day strategy and Finance teams that oversee reporting and forecasting. Sustainability is integrated through a top-down approach operationally, but laterally is communicated through every product Tropic Skincare releases so customers understand the extent of corporate climate action.
The Business Case Rests on Three Pillars
- Regulatory compliance: UK and EU rules on environmental claims and reporting, including Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive, and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) requirements, govern how Tropic can talk about its climate impact, making compliance the foundation for every carbon neutral claim it makes today and in the future.
- Credible external claims: sustaining CarbonNeutral® certification in the UK and Provenance verification. Carbon neutrality is also becoming a powerful tool for brand engagement. The company plans to certify its September 2026 Glammies event, attended by over 4,000 brand ambassadors, as carbon neutral and enable attendees to vote on the carbon projects that receive support.
- Alignment with Tropic's Infinite Purpose framework: carbon neutrality sits within the "greener" pillar, alongside natural ingredient sourcing and procurement through ethical supply chains, connecting philanthropic efforts through to the social co-benefits built into its carbon portfolio. This framework is the strategic backbone of the business case, framing carbon neutrality as core to Tropic's identity rather than a discretionary marketing spend.
The Impact
Tropic’s approach to carbon finance is shaped by the same values that define its business, ensuring every project is aligned with the brand’s Infinite Purpose pillars. Tropic demonstrates a longstanding commitment that resonates with customers, brand ambassadors, and employees, prioritizing nature-based removals projects for durable impacts, selecting projects closest to the brand’s values in equal opportunities for women and girls across the world, and protecting crucial biodiversity hubs globally.
- Restoring ecosystems in key sourcing regions: Tropic supports nature-based restoration across three continents:
- In Mexico, the Quintana Roo Restoration Project is restoring 14,000+ hectares of tropical forest, protecting species such as spider monkeys while supporting local livelihoods.
- In Ethiopia, the EthioTrees project has grown over 8 million trees, restoring degraded landscapes while directing 60% of project revenues to smallholder farmers. The project supports sustainable enterprises such as honey, frankincense, and macadamia production, creating long-term income opportunities for local communities.
- In Malaysian Borneo, The Sabah INFAPRO Rainforest Rehabilitation Project restores 25,000+ hectares of degraded rainforest, helping conserve one of the world's most biodiverse forest ecosystems. The project holds an A rating from BeZero, providing a rare source of large-scale nature-based carbon removals in Asia-Pacific.
- Carbon avoidance through clean cookstoves for rural communities: The Bondhu Chula Cookstoves project has helped more than 5 million households in Bangladesh access cleaner cooking, reducing fuel use by up to 50% while delivering health, climate and livelihood benefits. The project creates opportunities for over 10,000 entrepreneurs, and directly improves women’s livelihoods through improved health, reduced time spent collecting fuel, and new income-generating opportunities, with many serving as sales representatives in their communities.
- Delivering clean cooking technologies and protecting forests: The Kulera REDD+ and Cookstoves project in Malawi is a forest conservation and clean cooking initiative that protects more than 160,000 hectares of biodiversity-rich landscapes. Supporting ~ 65,000 households, the project combines forest protection, fuel-efficient cookstoves, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable enterprise, supporting local livelihoods and the surrounding ecosystem.
Most of our environmental impact sits in our supply chain, which is why reduction comes first for us and why we are strengthening how we measure it. For the emissions that remain, we want the projects we support to be rigorously assessed and genuinely connected to the communities and ecosystems our ingredients come from. Climate Impact Partners' due diligence and their understanding of our business have made that possible, and they have kept us moving as UK and EU claims rules evolve.
Why This Matters
Tropic has continued to demonstrate leadership through credible, sustained action. Its partnership with Climate Impact Partners shows how businesses can strengthen their commitments over time, pairing clear ambition with trusted solutions that deliver positive outcomes for people, nature, and the climate.
