"Plant-based cosmetics need sustainable logistics"
Nature is an inexhaustible reservoir for the French cosmetics manufacturer Yves Rocher. Specialists at its laboratories search for new and powerful plantbased substances for effective beauty and care products. Logistics managers at Yves Rocher hit upon Logwin in their search for environmentally friendly delivery solutions to their stores.
Logwin Magazin: How do you define sustainable logistics?
Karin Jaumann-Krämer, Director Administration and IT, Shops Central Europe at Yves Rocher Germany: The most important aspect for us as a cosmetics manufacturer is the subject of packaging. Our articles must satisfy a number of varying demands. Bottles, tins and tunes must protect their contents but must also be aesthetically appealing to the customer. It doesn’t matter if products are packed in cardboard, glass, metal or plastic – they must look good in the store. That’s why we require a secure outer package for storage and transportation that will protect them from all types of damage. It’s here that Logwin offers a persuasive concept with recycling and reusable containers. This fits in well with our strategy.
- The Yves Rocher success story goes back
50 years. The French manufacturer of
plant-based cosmetics now offers around
700 cosmetics products from its care
range. Yves Rocher has a presence in 88
countries around the world on five con -
tinents. Of the 1,600 specialist shops,
around 110 are in Germany, 18 in Austria
and 20 in Switzerland. 30 million customers
around the world buy 300 million
Yves Rocher products each year.
Logwin Magazine: How does recycling work exactly?
Karin Jaumann-Krämer: Each time Logwin makes a delivery they collect packaging materials such as paper, cardboard boxes and films and take them for recycling. This is particularly important since we only have very limited storage space in our shops which we need for our stock. If in the course of further collaboration we implement our plans for reusable containers the process would basically involve Logwin delivering full containers and taking the empty containers back with them. The advantage here is that this would allow us to drastically reduce packaging material and conserve natural resources.
Logwin Magazine: Are there additional environmental aspects to mention here?
Ulrich Höptner, Director Specialist Shops, Central Europe at Yves Rocher: When I think of the environment I think above all of transport. It is important for us that our products cause as little CO2 as possible in reaching their destination. Logwin meets these requirements. They plan all their routes to ensure that delivery vehicles are optimally loaded and hereby avoid unnecessary journeys – that’s optimal handling of fuel.
- Specialists at its laboratories search for new
and powerful plantbased substances for effective
beauty and care products.
Logwin Magazine: Besides the sustainability aspect,
what was it that clinched the deal for Logwin?
Ulrich Höptner: First, the personal contact. We have known our contact, Andreas Zinnkann, for many years. He has always given us good advice
on various matters. Second, we know that Logwin can call on extensive experience in retail logistics, which can also be of great value to our business. As in the field of fashion, our stores are usually in the center of town, very often in pedestrian zones. Our goods must still be delivered exactly on time. Delivery to the shelf, direct to the point of sale, is also of great interest to us.
- 110 Yves Rocher shops have to supplied
with products.
Logwin Magazine: What services do you currently use?
Karin Jaumann-Krämer: It’s currently mainly store deliveries. Initially we started with a test run in Switzerland back in the third quarter of 2010. Everything went like clockwork for the Christmas business and we were never out of stock. We have been testing the services for Austria since the beginning of the year. Logwin presented a tour de force by providing replenishment deliveries for a store in the First District of Vienna which has only 20 m2 of floor space. And the test phase in Germany was launched in July. Logwin delivered to an initial 20 specialist beauty shops over a period of six to eight weeks. Full live operations represent by far the biggest challenge since around 110 shops will have to be supplied with our products.
Logwin Magazine: The cooperation between Yves Rocher and Logwin is still very new. Even so, we would like to know if there are plans to extend collaboration.
Karin Jaumann-Krämer: It would make sense in a lot of respects in order to exploit synergies. We currently hand over goods to Logwin that we have already pre-picked. It is conceivable that in the long term we will take advantage of warehousing and other types of additional services since these are all part of Logwin’s core competence. Then there is a great deal of potential in the area of value-added services. Delivery to the point of sale is just the beginning.
