New Sustainability Handbook for the Cosmetics Industry.

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) has released a new sustainability handbook for the UK cosmetic sector, and membership organisations can learn a thing or two from it. ‘Navigating a Volatile World’ offers practical tools and advice on how businesses can build resilience into their value chains and operations. Conscious about the systemic global issues – from climate change to social inequality – CTPA is helping its members find the business opportunities that will futureproof their organisations while minimising their environmental and social impact. The handbook is a strong example of how a trade association can take a proactive role in guiding its sector through the sustainability transition.

Who is CTPA?

Established 80 years ago, CTPA is the UK trade association representing companies across the cosmetics and personal care value chain. They joined the CAFA Collective in April 2025 and represent over 200 organisations. Their membership spans the cosmetics value chain and includes manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and companies who supply ingredients among others.

CTPA has committed to sustainability by developing and implementing their Sustainability Strategy “Driving Towards a Net Positive Cosmetics Industry”. The strategy focuses on system-wide change to achieve “net positive” where the industry contributes more to the environment and the global economy than it takes out.

As part of that strategy, CTPA released the ‘Navigating a Volatile World’ handbook.

What is the Handbook?

Released in June 2026, the handbook is aimed at professionals and strategy-makers, helping them understand how major sustainability issues affect products and services. It guides readers through setting the right strategies to mitigate environmental and social risks and to capitalise on the opportunities those same risks create.  

It is structured around five parts: understanding the changing business context (global trends); tackling the big issues (how businesses are responding); exploring impacts on the consumer (future proofing); getting the foundations right (regulatory compliance); and taking it further (embedding sustainability through business functions).

The handbook also offers useful frameworks and diagrams to help readers make sense of the transition. Diagram 2, “the Evolution of Corporate Sustainability”, is a particularly clear visual for what ambition progression can look like – moving from minimising harm, through to net positive impact, and ultimately to reconfiguring systems altogether. It is a helpful tool for readers to assess where they currently stand. Diagram 3, meanwhile, maps what a circular economy model could look like for the cosmetics industry specifically, tying UK regulation to each stage of a product’s lifecycle.

What makes the handbook particularly useful is its combination of breadth and practicality. It offers:

• Practical guidance on finding opportunities in a changing world

• Consideration for both business operations and consumer behaviour

• Whole-value-chain lens on environmental impact, from sourcing to disposal

• Future-oriented approach, encouraging businesses to plan for the consumer and context of five to ten years’ time

• Focus on long-term resilience across value chains, operations, products, and services

• Social dimension woven throughout, recognising that environmental and social issues are deeply interlinked

• Format designed to be adaptable beyond cosmetics, making it a useful template for other sectors too.

Figure 1 – Diagram 2, The Evolution of Corporate Sustainability, CTPA 2026.

Figure 2 - Diagram 3, Regulatory Frameworks and Environmental Considerations Through the Circular Economy Model of a Cosmetic Product, CTPA 2026.   

What Should Membership Organisation Learn From This?

The handbook recognises that sustainability touches every part of a company and everyone in it, from dedicated sustainability experts to employees who have never considered it as part of their job. It is designed for organisations at every stage of their sustainability journey, which makes it accessible and easy to use. And crucially, the guidance is practical: it can be adapted to a business’s specific functions and sector niche.

Tools produced by trade associations specifically for their members are valuable, as membership organisations are uniquely placed to help their sectors through this transition, holding the sector specific knowledge and the trusted relationships to make guidance land. CTPA clearly understands that role and this handbook is proof of it in action. It is free to download from CTPA’s website and we encourage trade associations to consider producing similar guidance or frameworks for their own industries, profession, and members.

CAFA is here to help. If your organisation is thinking about developing such guidance for your members, get in touch with our team. We offer content commissioning services tailored to your needs and sector. If you haven’t done so yet, join our free membership today to access a wide range of resources and guidance that can be useful to your members too.