Caring for the environment is the key idea, and I really wanted my students to reflect on this rather than studying the topic purely from a VCE angle.

I chose to give them the opportunity to virtually interview Rémi Bouchenez, Managing Director of Cosimer, an importer of French and European cosmetic brands. The chosen brand was Mavala, a popular Swiss cosmetic company especially known for their ‘le vernis à ongles’ (nail polish).

I thought it would really appeal to the teens. I wasn’t wrong.

My students carefully read Mavala's environmental chart and prepared their questions, knowing their main query was: how do you reduce your environmental impact? And, 'how do you try to be eco-friendly while selling cosmetics'?

First of all, I must say that Rémi was honest with them from the start. He recognised that importing produce from overseas comes with a carbon footprint but he said that working environmentally requires little steps and an ongoing strategy.

He explained to my students that, as a director of a company, he has contradictory goals. One is the growth and development of the company as well as ensuring the quality of the products, and the other one is trying to respect the environment as much as possible, and here is the big challenge.

The brand is not tested on animals and uses more and more biodegradable ingredients - in particular there's no plastic micro beans or D5, which contribute to ocean pollution.

The brand also tries to work with more recycled and recyclable materials, and uses a recycling station in Geneva and one onsite in Melbourne. Finally, products are made cold to reduce energy consumption.

'Mais comment pourriez-vous devenir une entreprise plus verte?' asked one of my students. (How could you become a greener company?)

Rémi gave them very concrete examples: you know the tiny bottle of Mavala nail polish? It’s not a coincidence if it’s a 5ml mini format. The brand worked on this product for a long time before launching it in 1961.

We all know that a normal nail polish bottle is 15 ml. But, once opened, it dries very quickly and sometimes, you just throw it away before it’s finished. So, the idea was to create small bottles, which would help to reduce the waste, and Mavala was the first brand to do it.

Rémi gave my students another example: we all know that preservatives contained in cosmetics stop the proliferation of bacteria, like parabens. So, instead of using these toxic ingredients, the brand has worked on creating tubes which avoid letting air into the product.

Also, the brand has developed a nail polish remover without acetone, which is normally on the ingredient list. This product is also biodegradable.

So, I think my students have come to understand that often in business, the move to care completely for the environment does not happen in a week. It’s an ongoing process. 

At the same time, Rémi was able to speak about his job and the variety of the tasks he undertakes, from marketing, to negotiating contracts and launching campaigns.

He said he loves it because there is a lot of variety and creativity.

This was perhaps the final message: when you love what you do, there is always a way to make the word a better one.