As part of a three-year commitment to the Rejuvenation trees: Healing Country Together project, this month L'Oreal Groupe Australia and New Zealand have announced its partnership with Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation.
West Australian-based charity Tjaltjraak, pronounced 'Dul-u-rak' which means 'Glow in the Dark', focuses on driving positive cultural, social and economic change for the Traditional Owners of Kepa Kurl, the Wudjari people – an initiative L'Oreal Groupe is also passionate about.
L'Oréal Groupe's funding will support land and biodiversity restoration through the planting of an initial 65,000 trees in Kardutjaanup - a degraded cropping property in Western Australian spanning across almost 4,000 hectares.
The project is set to further create on-country employment opportunities, supporting at least 40 First Nations employees in this area, offering landscape restoration jobs as well as project support roles at Tjaltjraak.
Both the project and funding also aims to enable economic self-determination for the Wudjari Nyungar people, through the ownership of legal title to land and long-term income from landscape rejuvenation, carbon sequestration through certified carbon credits, and regenerative agriculture.
"We are proud to be standing alongside an organisation centred around strong cultural identity and wellbeing for First Nations People, as well as the repair and safeguarding of biodiversity. Our support to the 'Healing Country Together' project felt natural as it reflects the commitment of the L'Oréal Groupe towards reconciliation and nature regeneration," said L'Oréal Australia & New Zealand chief corporate affairs and engagement officer, Marnie Carroll.
The Rejuvenation trees: Healing Country Together project allows for the expansion of Tjaltjraak landscape restoration knowledge and teachings, enhancing the connection to country and strengthening cultural heritage, which will enable greater knowledge and stories to be share among the community and passed down to future generations.
Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation's Gail Reynolds-Adamson said through the partnership with the L'Oréal Groupe, Traditional Owners have the chance to rejuvenate their songlines and restore the health of ecosystems.
"My people are the custodians of Wudjari Country. For thousands of years my peoples' songlines underpinned complex land use systems," Ms Reynolds-Adamson said.
"But these were fragmented and damaged as our country was taken and cleared.
"From little seeds our country grows, and our people heal. Culture is passed on and our custodianship obligations are fulfilled. L'Oréal Groupe and Esperance Tjaltjraak – Healing Country Together."
The regeneration of nature remains a key pillar of 'L'Oréal for the Future', the Groupe's sustainability roadmap to 2030.
In the context of growing environmental and social challenges, L'Oréal is accelerating its transformation towards a model respecting planetary boundaries and reinforcing its commitments to both sustainability and inclusion.
With an impressive international portfolio of 35 diverse and complementary brands, the L'Oréal Groupe (L'Oréal Australia & New Zealand) has generated sales amounting to 38.26 billion euros in 2022 and recorded that they employ 85,000 people worldwide.
In Australia the Groupe has 32 brands and 26 in New Zealand - available across all channels nationwide.
As a priority within L'Oréal's Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan, the Groupe has also made extensive commitments to further their engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, supporting them in their journey towards ongoing self-determination.
The teams in Australia and New Zealand are dedicated to L'Oréal's sense of purpose - create the beauty that moves the world - with more partnerships and projects that involve both First Nations communities and individuals.
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