We’re Buzzing Over L’Oréal Groupe’s Landmark Partnership With First Nations Restoration Project

This just in! L’Oréal Groupe has unveiled its latest partnership which will see over 65,000 trees planted in regional Western Australia over the next three years. The partnership with Australian charity Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) will support the charity’s environmental and social causes via the ‘Rejuvenation Trees: Healing Country Together’ project. You know how much we love a beauty business that puts in the hard yards for our environment!

This partnership is transformative for West Australian-based charity Tjaltjraak (pronounced “Dul-u-rak”) which is the Wudjari name of the Esperance blue gum tree. Partnerships and collaboration are crucial for the growth and success of the organisation’s mission and as an entity that drives positive cultural, social and economic change for ETNTAC, one of its core beliefs is “working together to achieve more.” 

The three year commitment from L’Oréal Groupe will see more than 65,000 native trees planted in Kadutjaanup on a dilapidated cropping property 730km south-east of Perth, in Esperance. Previously called Sardi Farms, ETNTAC has renamed the property Kardutjaanup and, in a historic move, taken full ownership of the land.

But before diving into exactly how this partnership will benefit our environment, we first need to understand what exactly biodiversity is (and why it is so important). Derived from biological diversity, biodiversity refers to an abundance and variety of life. Be this animals, plants, fungi, microbes and invertebrates. Simply put, life couldn’t continue if only one species existed, we need a diverse range of animals, microbes and plants to thrive. But diversity isn’t just important for an animal’s survival, each tiny microbe works in harmony to complement one another and builds a web that makes the world function as we know it. 

“We are proud to be standing alongside an organisation centred around strong cultural identity and wellbeing for First Nations People, as well as the repair and safeguarding of biodiversity,” says Marnie Carroll, Chief Corporate Affairs and Engagement Officer from L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand. “Our support to the ‘Healing Country Together’ project felt natural as it reflects the commitment of the L’Oréal Groupe  towards reconciliation and nature regeneration.”

The best bit? The Rejuvenation Trees: Healing Country Together project won’t just help improve biodiversity with the reintroduction of numerous species back on the property but the three year partnership will also create employment opportunities for 40 First Nations people. While the Esperance Wudjari people have been recognised as the traditional owners of the land and been given the Native Title rights for almost 10 years, this doesn’t provide them with the opportunity to generate income. 

“My people are the custodians of Wudjari Country. For thousands of years my peoples’s songlines underpinned complex land use systems. But these were fragmented and damaged as our country was taken and cleared,” explains Gail Reynolds-Adamson, Chair of Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation. “Now, through our partnership with the L’Oréal Groupe, we have the chance to rejuvenate our songlines and restore the health of ecosystems. From little seeds our country grows, and our people heal. Culture is passed on and our custodianship obligations are fulfilled.”

For L’Oréal Groupe this is just a piece of the puzzle in the ‘L’Oréal Fund for Nature Regeneration’, a €100 million global fund dedicated to “contributing to the regeneration of damaged natural ecosystems and efforts to prevent climate change, with dedication to environmental impact investing.” Other global initiatives involve supporting mangrove restoration in Kenya, improving wildlife diversity in the United Kingdom and closer to home, but on the opposite side of the country, L’Oréal Groupe’s partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Restoration and Adoption Program (RRAP). A leader in positive environmental change, L’Oréal Groupe’s example is one we hope many other beauty giants will follow.