The first strategic focus of Compagnie Léa Nature is the relationship between nature and health. “I grew up in a family steeped in alternative medicine and very concerned about the interactions between the environment and health, aiming to strengthen immunity rather than compensating with allopathy, so I naturally turned towards the development of natural dietary supplements, healthy eating, and beauty hygiene products free from all controversial chemical substances,” says Charles Kloboukoff.
Next, Compagnie Léa Nature is committed to local production. 95% of the cosmetics are manufactured by the company, as well as three-quarters of the food products, across 25 production sites in France.
For Charles Kloboukoff, the idea that the company should serve a number of societal and environmental causes came next. The creation of the Léa Nature / Jardin Bio Foundation in 2011 allowed for the initiation of awareness campaigns aimed at the public regarding the impact of pesticides, endocrine disruptors, and alternative methods to using these products, as well as supporting various causes and projects to protect nature, conduct educational actions, and, whenever possible, in local territories.
The goal is to support NGOs working in this field, as Compagnie Léa Nature is, through 1% for the Planet, a funding body that brings together over 1,000 companies in France, of which it is the main donor, distributing 2.5 million euros each year to environmental organizations.
It then seemed obvious to Charles Kloboukoff that the company itself should be owned by a shareholder foundation, F.I.C.U.S, created in 2021 to continue its societal and environmental contribution “and not fall into the principle that the company must absolutely generate maximum wealth to feed shareholders, but that it is part of a longer-term vision. Even if it maintains an economic contribution, if it invests, creates jobs, goods, and services, it must also be part of sustainable development, managing its climate impact, its carbon footprint, the life cycles of its packaging, and having the most neutral impact possible on our planet.”
Compagnie Léa Nature has also established a commitment pact to manage its economic activity within the framework of a social and environmental policy. “And not just to add a CSR veneer once it has produced its activities. This commitment pact is included in our statutes. It goes far beyond what is called an 'enterprise with a mission.' It is even more binding,” emphasizes Charles Kloboukoff.
“But our impact is more about being an amplifier to create a shockwave effect and to reveal to the general public topics or controversies that deserve to be brought into a broader debate,” clarifies Charles Kloboukoff.
“Through the model that Léa Nature tries to propose, we aim to demonstrate that a company can go beyond its sole economic contribution and have a stronger awareness of several issues regarding how to produce goods, to be mindful of the company's impact on its immediate environment and local associative networks, and thus inspire other initiatives from companies, as we ourselves are nourished by many past initiatives.”
“These are small drops of water but they reflect a desire to change the environmental trajectory of our company and to become one of the references for change. When, in addition, we make organic products, we have this obligation to go well beyond the production of products, to have the most ecological behavior possible across all activities and impacts of the company, and to try to be a model,” concludes Charles Kloboukoff.
