Solvay announced that P&G Beauty has joined its Sustainable Guar Initiative (SGI), aimed at developing sustainable guar production at scale within the Bikaner desert district of Rajasthan, India. P&G Beauty’s involvement will expand the program’s reach by nearly double.
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Solvay’s Jaguar range of polymers is naturally derived from guar beans. The Bikaner desert district is one of the country’s largest guar producers and supplies Solvay with guar as a renewable resource for use in hair and body care formulations. Solvay’s program will expand the efforts to equip guar farmers, especially women farmers, with tools and knowledge in agricultural practices.
P&G Beauty’s partnership will add 5,250 new farmers to the program, bringing the total reach of the SGI program to more than 11,000 farmers, and double the number of women trained in the adoption of household hygienic practices and kitchen gardens. The project also includes the construction of a community-owned pond.
Solvay’s Jaguar range of polymers is naturally derived from guar beans.
Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay, said, “I am delighted to welcome P&G Beauty to the Sustainable Guar Initiative. Through this fantastic partnership, we will be able to significantly increase our impact and I’m particularly proud that together we will ramp up our efforts to empower farmers, especially women farmers. This is a win for farmers, customers and consumers.”
Alex Keith, CEO of P&G Beauty, said, “We are proud to join forces with Solvay to significantly expand the positive impact of the Sustainable Guar Initiative and to accelerate the growth of this important program. Working in partnership with Solvay and TechnoServe India is enabling our continued commitment to Responsible Beauty and to be a positive force for beauty in the world. We hope this program inspires others to invest in the sustainable growth of guar, empowerment of women farmers and improving the lives and livelihoods of farming communities in India.”
Punit Gupta, country director, TechnoServe India, said, “As a founding member of the Sustainable Guar Initiative, our aim is to conceive, demonstrate, and refine scalable actions for inclusive, sustainable growth of the guar production system in India. We are delighted to welcome P&G Beauty on this important effort as they move to become a buyer and funder of sustainable guar. Being one of the market leaders in the beauty category, P&G Beauty's partnership is a significant step in support of TechnoServe's work to promote sustainable livelihoods among smallholder guar bean farmers in India."
