inside our 2025 NYC Climate Week Panel
on June 24 2025, amika proudly hosted our annual NYC climate week panel called Receipts of Real Impact that brought together changemakers in the beauty industry to share how we can make sustainability goals and promises a reality.
leading our panel were speakers Nilofer Vahora, Chief Marketing Officer of amika, Ariana Day Yuen, CEO of Forested, and Carley Klekas, Global Director of Product Sustainability at Sephora. together, they explored how brands, communities, and consumers can redefine beauty’s role in driving climate solutions.
at our headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, we hosted industry peers, sustainability leaders, and advocates with one shared objective: to spotlight real-world impact, measured, not just in emissions reduced, but in stronger communities, more transparent supply chains, and fair opportunities across the value chain.
topics of discussion
throughout the discussion, we focused on a few key themes to explore what we’d need to make progress in our sustainability goals.
- the first theme we explored was proof over promises and how the future of sustainable beauty requires measurable, transparent progress rather than vague pledges.
- next, we took a look at collective impact, or the idea that no single brand can tackle climate change alone. partnerships like amika × Forested × Sephora show how collaboration multiplies impact.
- finally, we explored community-first models, like Forested’s x amika’s regenerative shea supply chain in Uganda, and how it resulted in sustainability strengthening livelihoods, particularly for women farmers.
key moments
one of the most moving moments came at the very end of our panel, when Ojok from Okere City, Uganda stood up and shared how amika and Forested’s work has directly shaped his community. he discussed how sustainability isn’t just about climate metrics—it’s about dignity, empowerment, and opportunity. previously, Ojok shared that eastern shea trees were used for charcoal during a civil war. when amika stepped in and provided market value for the shea butter, the trees took on a new value, resulting in 70 farmers working to restore and conserve these endangered shea trees in Northern Uganda.
a major step forward
we're also excited to announce—on the heels of our Climate Week Panel—that as of September 2025, 100% of amika haircare products are manufactured in North America, with globally sourced components. this milestone, which we began almost three years ago, reflects our commitment as a Certified-B Corporation to sustainability, quality, domestic sourcing, and marks a big step in our journey to become Net Zero by 2035.
(please note: while all manufacturing now takes place in North America, components such as packaging vary by product and are sourced primarily from Mexico, China, and Vietnam. ingredients also vary by product and are sourced globally.)
final thoughts
through the poignant, topical discussion from our Climate Week Panel, we were reminded that community-driven change is not only possible—it's already happening. from Okere City to the work we’re doing to keep production in North America with globally sourced components, impact grows when we hold ourselves accountable and lift each other up.
we know real change happens when brands take risks and challenge the status quo. at amika, we don’t believe the burden of sustainability should fall on the consumer—it’s up to us to improve the system and make it easier for all of you to purchase responsible products.
amika is proud to be a catalyst in this movement and invites you to continue the dialogue with us. share your feedback, engage with our sustainability efforts, and join us as we keep pushing forward on our sustainability goals.to learn more about our sustainability efforts, you can follow along here and while discovering how to recycle each of your fave amika products here.
