Honasa Consumer Limited: Setting a Benchmark With Their CSR Initiatives 

Honasa Consumer Limited (HCL) is one of the few brands in India that is dedicatedly filling the need gap for Indian consumers with Indian solutions. Be it ingredient-led and Ayurveda-inspired products or products specially designed for Indian skin needs, Honasa is spearheading a new BPC revolution in India. With 6 sub-brands under it- Mamaearth, Aqualogica, The Derma Co, Ayuga, Dr Sheth’s & BBlunt, and more in the pipeline, Honasa is building India’s first FMCG BPC house of brands. 

However, there’s more to HCL than offering ingenious products. Each of the organization’s sub-brands is committed to doing good with multiple CSR initiative attached to them. Honasa co-founders- Varun & Ghazal Alagh have maintained that their company is more than simply an entity to turn a profit, and it is clearly reflected in the company’s CSR initiatives. 

Honasa— Building a Purpose-Driven Powerhouse 

Varun and Ghazal’s business story began in 2016 when the new parents created Mamaearth, since they couldn’t find harmless baby products in India. In merely 6 years since its inception, Honasa has transformed into a house of brands with specialized products for Indians and an entity that is purpose-led and invested in giving back to society. Currently, 4 out of 6 sub-brands of Honasa are running CSR initiatives that have created a positive impact on society. 

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Mamaearth- Saving the Environment with Plant Goodness 

Imagine your every purchase being responsible for pumping more oxygen into the environment- this is exactly what Mamaearth has made its mission. India currently ranks 8^th in the world’s most polluted countries index. (IQAir 2022) In such a scenario, HCL’s Mamaearth is running ‘Plant Goodness’, program in collaboration with SankalpTaru Foundation, an IT-enabled NGO dedicated to planting trees, wherein a tree is planted on every online purchase. Mamaearth has planted 4.8 lac trees so far under this program. In fact, the customers receive a geo-tag to easily track the growth of their plant. 

Aqualogica- Ensuring Water for All 

Aqualogica, another sub-brand under Honasa, boasts of products specially crafted for Indian climate & skin types, based on a unique Water Lock Technology™. Apart from being vegan and free of toxic elements, Aqualogica is running a brilliant initiative- Water for All. 

According to UNICEF, it is estimated that waterborne diseases have an economic burden of approximately USD 600 million a year in India. Moreover, two-thirds of India’s 718 districts are affected by extreme water depletion. With this program, Honasa is focusing its CSR efforts in making safe drinking water accessible in rural areas. For this initiative, the company has collaborated with Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), the globally recognized non-profit.

With every purchase Aqualogica initiates the process of providing clean drinking water in remote parts of India. Customers can even track the details of their contribution online by providing their order ID. So far, the initiative has impacted hundreds of lives in the villages of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. 

The Derma Co- Nurturing Young Scientists 

The Derma Co, under the Honasa house of brands, offers safe skincare products with potent active ingredients. Aimed at nurturing young talent in STEM, the brand runs a CSR initiative in collaboration with Bhumi NGO to offer high-quality practical science education to underprivileged students. Through this program, Honasa seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application and ensuring that these children have access to the tools and opportunities to turn their dreams into reality. 

So far, the program has impacted the lives of 10,500 students in Chennai and Maharashtra. Every time a purchase is made on the Derma Co website, the brand provides a science scholarship to a student and links the order with a ward. 

BBlunt- Shine Academy for Women Empowerment 

Under BBlunt salons, Honasa is running the BBlunt Shine Academy in association with the Sambhav Foundation. This CSR initiative offers a fully sponsored program to help underprivileged women acquire skills needed in the hair styling industry to open professional avenues and help them become independent. Every time a customer places an order on the BBlunt website, it is linked to a woman’s training under the BBlunt Shine Academy. So far Honasa has trained 8436 women and aims to train 20,000 women by 2024. 

With such profound CSR initiatives, Honasa is clearly paving the way for CSR initiatives for other companies as well. The BPC house of brands also has plans to expand its umbrella in the near future, and we can expect more of such programs attached to these sub-brands.