Women are seriously leading the green chemistry revolution.
Before forging green products at The Estée Lauder Companies, Heidi Bialk was researching the Arctic tundra on grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy. She’s part of a majority-female team of scientists at the company and has been at the crossroads of human health and environmental progress for 18 years, three of those at ELC.
In her role as vice president of global product safety and green chemistry at The Estée Lauder Companies, Bialk embeds green chemistry in the product formulation process and accelerates the agenda of the green chemistry program worldwide. She also has diplomat status at the American Board of Toxicology. WWD spoke with Bialk about her trajectory in the field and the women making science cool.
Related Articles
WWD: Tell us about your own background and entry into this field.
You May Also Like
Heidi Bialk: I have to admit that in my earlier days this wasn’t the path I anticipated — it was actually writing, of all things! But after having been exposed to the practical aspects of scientific research, the idea of an advanced science degree took hold. I received two bachelor of science degrees in chemistry and environmental science and later a PhD in molecular and environmental toxicology.
Over the course of that journey, I learned how to assess the impacts of climate change — particularly in the Arctic tundra — through two research fellowships from the U.S. Department of Energy. Through these experiences and two post-doctoral assignments, including one at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I saw the opportunity to implement sustainable and scalable solutions in a commercial setting.
Following my transition into industry, I had the remarkable opportunity to enhance safety and environmental practices in various manufacturing locations overseas, build a scientific affairs function focused on generating and translating sound science into business decisions, and have held various leadership roles with external scientific organizations to help bring the scientific community together to solve pressing issues.
WWD: Do you think women are leading the charge in STEM and sustainability?
H.B.: I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had great teachers, research partners and leaders who have inspired me in this space — all with different backgrounds and perspectives that have helped guide me to where I am today. What I’m particularly grateful for and inspired by — while being at ELC — are the incredible women who continue to shine as pioneers in R&D. When we look at ELC, I’d have to say we are absolutely proof of the power of women to lead in both STEM and sustainability. More than 55 percent of ELC’s scientists, engineers and technical professionals are women, and all of our R&D innovation centers globally are led by women. In fact, 59 percent of ELC’s leadership roles are held by women, including our chief sustainability officer, Nancy Mahon.
WWD: Why is the climate crisis a priority for ELC?
H.B.: We see our focus on climate as a business imperative for mitigating potential harms and maximizing our potential to grow and thrive for decades to come. Our climate work includes transforming our owned operations and engaging across our extended value chain, including in partnership with our suppliers and manufacturers, to meet our science-based targets (SBTs) for reducing emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
The work of striving toward our climate goals is being embedded into our company, including integrating this work into the sourcing of our raw materials in ways that help protect the health of our planet and global community. Product Innovation is a key pillar of our climate action strategy and part of our Scope 3 SBT, and our green chemistry methodology helps us think critically when innovating how we source, formulate and package our products in order to make progress against our SBTs.
WWD: How is ELC looking to take the methodology beyond its formulations?
H.B.: In the case of packaging, the approach has evolved in recent years to incorporate lessons from our green chemistry methodology. While we don’t currently apply the same scoring methodology, our approach to packaging is analogous to the way we use the green chemistry principles in our formulations from the materials and ecosystems lens.
For example, we have an internal packaging tool to align our team towards our 5 Rs goal, which states that by 2025, 75 percent to 100 percent of our packaging will be recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled or recoverable. Our materials scientists, engineers and chemists on the packaging team identify and implement materials with sustainability in mind, leveraging a broad range of packaging solutions, including the use of advanced recycling (or molecular recycling technologies) and innovative uses of materials such as paper.
Women in STEM are the norm at ELC.
WWD: What new product innovation speaks to this devotion?
H.B.: For new product launches, we are harnessing the power of green chemistry to innovate through the lens of sustainability from the outset. Just a few years ago, our Aveda brand formulators set out to create a hair care treatment line that would strengthen and repair hair across all types and textures while staying true to the brands’ ethos of supporting the environment — with a particular focus on minimizing waste. The result was the launch of the Botanical Repair collection, launched in January 2021.
Through real-time analysis and experimentation leveraging ELC’s green chemistry methodology, Aveda chemists found that if they replaced a traditional, synthetic, free-radical-based conditioning agent with a novel alternative material in its Botanical Repair hair care collection, they could achieve the desired product performance using less material than the traditional conditioning agent. This alternative conditioning agent translated into a very tangible benefit to the environment, with a projected decrease in material use of 350,000 kilograms by fiscal 2023.
WWD: Lastly, how do you make science fun?
H.B.: I’ve always enjoyed making science “real” to the public. For many, it can be intimidating or even elusive, but when we make data relatable to day-to-day life it takes on a whole new meaning. So for me, the fun comes in from how we communicate science so that it’s easy for others to understand and appreciate. It’s through that shared understanding that we as a society can come together to create long-lasting change.