Impact Interview: Danielle Azoulay

Name: Danielle Azoulay

Role/Function: Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, L'Oréal USA

What She’s Currently Working On: 

2018 has already been a big year for us. To start, we were able to announce that through an innovative renewable natural gas project we will achieve carbon neutrality for all of L’Oréal’s 19 U.S. Operations facilities by 2019. It was a big undertaking by our motivated teams, who, after helping us surpass our 2020 carbon reduction goals years ahead of schedule and achieve 100 percent renewable electricity, were driven to find a solution to address the thermal needs of our facilities and help us reach an even bigger milestone. This year also marks the deployment of the Sustainable Products Optimization Tool (SPOT) which was designed to measure the overall impacts – both environmental and social – of all L’Oréal products. One hundred percent of new or renovated products – representing more than 2,300 products – were assessed using SPOT in 2017 and we are excited to continue using this methodology to identify avenues for improvement across our brand portfolio.

1. What was the “aha” moment that sparked your interest in social impact? 

I’ve always felt deeply connected to the environment around me, even as kid. When I was 10 years old, I remember writing a letter to President Bush about the impact of acid rain, genuinely expecting him to respond. And, growing up in Miami and experiencing the impact of Hurricane Andrew first-hand only reinforced how connected we as humans are to our environment. These experiences ingrained in me the passion and dedication I feel today to help build responsible, sustainable business practices.

2. How did you break into the social impact space? 

I was lucky to have been able to break into the space by chance; after my company was acquired by a much bigger organization, I received an opportunity to transition roles and join their CSR team. I finished my Masters in Environmental Conservation and Education from NYU and was able to help them maintain a more ethical and sustainable supply chain, something I continue to do today at L'Oréal USA. 

While in school, I researched inspirational people that I thought were doing meaningful work and reached out to them. Because I was a student, I was able to learn from these people and ultimately do some independent research work or simply connect with them on a phone call.  People were extremely generous with their time when I was in school and so I try to give back to the next generation of sustainability leaders when I can.

If you are a student, reach out to the people you look up to. They just may be willing to give you some time that may provide you with the insights you need to figure out where you fit in this fight. 

3. What most excites you about the social impact space right now?

Ultimately, it’s about working closely together, sharing best practices and discussing creative solutions to help lift up the entire CPG industry. Whether it’s identifying ways to reduce waste and improve packaging or figuring out how to collaborate on educating consumers, it’s clear that the collective impact will be far greater when we all bring our best ideas to the table.

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