Today, I had the amazing opportunity to attend Good Housekeeping Institute and Made Safe’s second annual Raise the Green Bar Summit. The full day event was jammed packed with interesting speakers and panel topics around sustainability efforts of brands. I was only able to attend the first half of the event, but by 12pm, I had already sat through 7 panels! It was information overload, but I tried to soak in as much as I could. Here are some three notable insights I heard during the morning sessions I want to share with you.

Although biodegradable plastic may seem like a good idea, as it decomposes naturally (given the right environmental conditions), the byproduct may not be best for farmers who want to avoid any toxins from the plastic in their soil. It also doesn’t not biodegrade in marine environments. So, while it’s an okay alternative, it’s not a solution. – Tom Szaky, CEO, TerraCycle; Eliminating the Idea of Waste Panel

Walgreens understands that consumers want to feel safe so they are implementing a new program that will regulate identified toxins from all of their beauty, personal care, baby and house hold products by 2021. Bill Dolak, Senior Manager, Product Sustainability, Walgreens; The Retailers Role in a Sustainable Marketplace Panel

The industry at large is adding to consumer confusion. There’s a lot of greenwashing. rather than focusing on the term “natural,” there should be more emphasis on “conscious beauty,” which means identifying conscious ways of producing a product, including, sourcing, formulating and packaging. Tina Hedges, LOLI Beauty; Naturals in the Marketplace: Opportunities in the World of Clean Beauty Panel