Portraits in Leadership
John Delfausse
John Delfausse, vice president of packaging at Estée Lauder for the past 12 years, is responsible for the global packaging of the Aveda, Origins, Bobbi Brown, and Stila brands. One of Delfausse’s most noted accomplishments has been increasing the levels of postconsumer recyclate (PCR) used by Aveda in its packaging, now at a groundbreaking range of 80 to 100%. This includes new standards for Aveda’s hair care bottles, which now contain a minimum of 80% PCR. Aveda’s environmental mission sets an example for all of the Estée Lauder brands as well as the entire industry.
Delfausse leads the packaging efforts for Estée Lauder’s Corporate Environmental Committee. Within this past year, he has achieved his goal of incorporating a minimum of 80% recycled linerboard in all set boxes across all Lauder brands. Origins uses recycled paperboard in its secondary packaging, which is supplied by Mohawk Paper, a firm that uses renewable wind energy to power its factories.
Delfausse’s career spans more than 30 years in the cosmetics industry. Trained as a mechanical engineer, he spent two years in the U.S. Navy. He worked as a packaging line supervisor at Coty (then a division of Pfizer). Next, he spent three years at Avon, until Estée Lauder hired him for the Clinique brand. Twelve years at Elizabeth Arden followed, during which Delfausse worked in London for three years managing Arden’s European office. Next, he spent three years at Andrew Jergens Co. In 1993, Estée Lauder hired him again. Delfausse was given the responsibility of global packaging for the Estée Lauder brand.
In 2000, Delfausse was asked to manage the Aveda brand. After just one year under his leadership, Aveda was recognized by the National Recycling Coalition for “Leadership in Recycling.” Before taking the reins at Aveda, Delfausse had never been overly concerned with the environment. “Now, the way in which packaging affects the environment has become a major issue for me,” he says.
Delfausse describes the turn in his career as “a road that just happened to appear. I have found my true passion,” he says. In 2004, Delfausse was one of the founding members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
Aveda’s progress is making it possible for other companies to recycle. Delfausse has partnered with suppliers to find new sources for PCR, and then he shares this information with the entire industry. This gives his suppliers well-deserved recognition, and it benefits The Estée Lauder Companies in the long run. “If there is more of a demand for these materials, supply will increase, and prices will go down,” he predicts.
Delfausse is most proud of Aveda’s Ukuru lipstick, launched in February 2003. Its primary packaging contains up to 90% PCR resins. “With the help of such suppliers as Crown Risdon, I was able to find materials that I didn’t think would be available.”
Sourcing PCR with consistent high quality has not been easy. “It has been a constant, uphill battle,” describes Delfausse. His key goals include using even more sustainable energy (such as wind power) and more biobased plastics.
Delfausse also hopes to inspire everyone to think about the fate of packaging at the end of a product’s life. “If this could be a conscious thought during the design phase, packages could be more easily taken apart and recycled more effectively,” he says. Delfausse dreams of the day when The Estée Lauder Companies is able to collect all of its packaging and reclaim that material for further use.