Environment and Sustainability
The Group is cognisant of its environmental responsibilities and has embedded key environmental goals within its long-term strategy, with the aim of continually improving all aspects of environmental performance, as far as economically feasible.
Products and Packaging
All plastics have been removed from the outer packaging of the Group’s gifting and from practically all of its all year-round products, with the use of single use packaging virtually eliminated from its products completely. The Group’s product packaging uses paper and cardboard wherever practicable, which enables the business, retail customers and end users to recycle the waste effectively, with the aim of using sustainable FSC, virgin or recycled packaging where feasible, and to become a market leader in this area.
The use of plastic in the Group’s product casings is sometimes practically unavoidable, but wherever possible, recyclable packaging is used. The use of plastics in product casings has previously been challenging to remove, but with current material developments and understanding, the business is working hard testing and sampling new materials. Once this development is complete, these changes will be implemented to reduce and ensure recyclability for these plastic products before the new ‘Extended Producer Responsibilities’ regulations come in to force during 2024.
All new Warpaint products are manufactured without parabens and the remaining existing products containing parabens are being reformulated, with the goal for all Group products to be paraben free by the end of 2024.
No heavy metals such as TBTO (preservative) and other ingredients of concern are added to the Group’s products, and all raw materials comply with the strict regulations applicable in the EU, US, Canada and other markets in which we operate.
The Group’s products are cruelty free and are not tested on animals irrespective of where the products are being supplied. Warpaint supports cruelty-free alternatives to animal testing to become compulsory and animal testing overall to be ceased globally.
The Group has a dedicated vegan range, Very Vegan. While the majority of the Group’s products are vegan, all products are expected to be so within the next 18 to 24 months.
Responsible Sourcing
Suppliers provide Good Manufacturing Practice Certificates for all of the factories used in the manufacture of the Group’s products. Its main suppliers also produce for many, well-known global brands, and comfort is taken from the public ethical and sustainability stance around the world of these brands. The Group’s supplier are encouraged to share with the Group the results of their BSCI and Sedex audits when they have taken place and, for all its branded products, the Group is adopting a vendor assessment policy that includes ethical and sustainability criteria.
The Group has a dedicated Packaging Technologist and Sustainability Lead whose role is to seek sustainable solutions for products and packaging which are aligned to the Group’s environmental responsibilities and goals. They are also responsible for ensuring the Group’s compliance with the increasing regulation in this area, in order to continue to provide an extensive range of high-quality cosmetics at an affordable price and to grow the business for the benefit of the Group’s stakeholders.
Our Planet and the Environment
The Group has recently opened a new corporate office in Iver, UK, a ‘green’ building with an ‘A’ rated energy certificate with efficient, sensor-based low halogen lighting. The site has electric car charging points which employees are able to use free of charge, encouraging them to adopt electric vehicles.
The Group has also recently moved its secondary UK warehousing site from Leicester to a site close to Iver. This will reduce the time and geographical distance required to transport inventory between sites, thereby reducing its environmental impact. The Group continues to seek to improve the environmental performance of its sites, to reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency throughout the business.
The Group is also mindful of its carbon footprint in the shipping and transportation of products from suppliers to its warehouses and customers. The Group seeks to minimise its carbon footprint as much as possible, for example shipping direct from China to the US for product sales there and using air carriage only when unavoidable.
A large percentage of interactions with suppliers and retail customers now takes place online. This is encouraged wherever practicable, with travel, and particularly air travel, being restricted, with customer, supplier, management and employee meetings held virtually where feasible, ensuring this does not detract from the need to hold face-to-face meetings where this is conducive to a more productive relationship. This aims to reduce the environmental impact of the Group’s travel and is reflected in its travel policy, which encourages essential travel only. Where air travel is deemed necessary the use of airlines which provide carbon offset is encouraged wherever possible.
The business has evolved such that physical attendance at trade shows and exhibitions has reduced and the Group aims to attend virtual trade shows only, wherever possible.
The Group reports annually against SECR reporting standards.
Clive Garston
Non-Executive Chairman
Clive has been Non-Executive Chairman of the Group since November 2016. He has been a corporate lawyer for over 40 years specialising in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions, and he is currently a consultant at Fladgate LLP. He is chairman of AIM listed Fulcrum Metals plc and has been on the boards of a number of public and private companies. He has also been the deputy chairman of a fully-listed company and chairman of a number of other AIM companies. He has significant experience in small and medium quoted companies. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).
Samuel Bazini
Chief Executive Officer
On leaving school at 16, Sam started work in a cosmetics warehouse, supplementing his income by selling cosmetics directly to the public at numerous London street markets. Selling directly to the public gave him an invaluable insight into consumer needs and in 1981 at the age of 18, using £500 he had saved he set up his own business, buying and selling close-out and end of line cosmetics and fragrance. During the course of the next ten years, Sam and Eoin’s paths crossed on numerous occasions, working intermittently with each other on a joint venture basis until they formally went into business together in 1992. Together with Eoin Macleod, Sam developed the business which resulted in the formation of W7.
Eoin Macleod
Managing Director
Eoin’s first introduction to the world of beauty was at the age of 14 through a Saturday job in an indoor market selling cosmetics and perfumes. After leaving college, Eoin decided to set up his own business selling fragrance directly to the public through London street markets as well as selling into the wholesale sector and then expanding into selling cosmetics. In 1992 he formally went into business with Sam operating initially in the close-out cosmetics and fragrance industry. Together with Sam Bazini, Eoin developed the business which resulted in the formation of W7.
Neil Rodol
Chief Financial Officer
Neil joined the Group in August 2015, having previously been an adviser to the business for several years. He has overseen the introduction of new systems and procedures. He joined the board as Chief Financial Officer in November 2016. Over the last 17 years he has been involved in several corporate purchase and acquisitions. In 2006, he sold his publishing company to a quoted group and became the group licensing director; in 2014 he completed a management buyout. Neil trained as an account at BDO Stoy Hayward and holds an honours degree in Maths and Computer Science.
Sally Craig
General Counsel and Company Secretary
Sally has been Company Secretary to Warpaint London plc since February 2017 and was appointed to the board in September 2018. She is also the Corporate Finance, Legal and Regulatory Officer & Company Secretary of Diaceutics plc, an AIM listed diagnostic commercialisation company for the precision medicine industry. She is a solicitor and has previously practised as a corporate lawyer. She has many years’ experience providing company secretarial services to private and public companies in the UK including then AIM listed, Osmetech plc. She holds an honours degree in law from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Paul Hagon
Executive Director
Paul joined the Group as a Non-Executive Director in November 2016. Having worked in the Grocery Sector for over 30 years in both wholesaling and major branded suppliers, Paul is currently providing consultancy services for a number of retail, manufacturing and wholesale businesses to assist with strategies, change programmes and the implementation of practical business plans. Prior to this, Paul has worked in selling, marketing and business management roles with Nestle and more recently, Palmer and Harvey, where his latter role was as Group Strategy and Development Director. Paul has also served as Chairman of the Association of Convenience Stores for whom he had also been a board member for 20 years.
Keith Sadler
Non-Executive Director
Keith joined the Group as a Non-Executive Director in November 2016. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Hawkwing plc, for which he chairs the audit committee and Non-Executive Director of HR Dept. Limited, a professional services business, and Silver Bullet Data Services Group Ltd, a contextual data management marketing organisation. Historically, Keith has been CEO or CFO of a number of quoted companies in the marketing services, telecoms and media industries. Keith is a chartered accountant and holds an honours degree in economics from the University of Kent.
