Desenvolvimento sustentável e publicidade de cosméticos: a marca Natura

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between sustainable development and the advertising strategies of the Natura brand cosmetics. It examines how Natura employs advertising discourse to aligning its principles and values with the Global Compact commitements. The research focuses on how the Natura brand cosmetics conceptualizes and represents sustainable development in both institutional documents and promotional content. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative approach, analyzing Instagram posts from 2022 that addressed socio-environmental goals, along with data from Natura &Co’s 2022 Integrated Report. The analysis considers historical and cultural aspects of advertising communication, tracing the brand’s trajectory and its thematic choices. Findings indicate that Natura’s advertising and annual reporting demonstrate consistent alignment with the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda, incorporating these goals into brand narratives. However, sales-oriented messages frequently rely on symbolic references already established in media culture, such as the Amazon rainforest, festive occasions, ocean pollution, climate change, and improper waste disposal. These recurring icons serve to reinforce the association between socio-environmental values and the cosmetics being marketed. The study concludes that, although the Natura cosmetics brand integrates sustainability discourse into its communication strategies, it does só in a way that maintains strong ties to consumer appeal, while articulating it with messages of conscious use and reduced environmental impact.