Ingredient List – Break down the what, where and why of natural, eco-friendly beauty.
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‘The beauty industry has a plastic problem’ – how many times have you read that headline?And they’re right, we have Environment and plastic crisis with our hands. I’m not going to deny climate change. Do not worry.However, plastic may not be such a big badass when it comes to the beauty industry. everytime Either of the most sustainable packaging options.
don’t you believe us? In fact, there are four main arguments that plastic is his one of the most sustainable packaging solutions in the beauty sector. Water consumption, ability for consumers to easily recycle, carbon footprint and product shelf life. Of course, sometimes plastic, especially black or single-use plastic, isn’t the best option.
But instead of taking our word for it, packaging engineers who look at Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to determine if a product is truly sustainable (in terms of raw materials used, transportation, disposal, by-products, etc.) talking), even on board. Controversially, when you look at the LCA of products in the beauty industry, plastic often outperforms other alternatives.
Daniel Grizeli
Sustainable plastic debate 1: water consumption
Water consumption is a major environmental problem and is predicted to be the next biggest problem facing the planet. Water is an important part of the process of turning wood into paper. Dan Coppins packaging engineer KMI brand Say. Through this process, Coppins explains, “significant amounts of moisture are lost, some to the fibers themselves and to atmospheric vapors.”
Basically, “anything that uses wood fiber will use significantly more water,” concludes Coppins. In contrast, plastic does not use anywhere near the same water consumption. teeth used and then reused.
Sustainable Plastics Debate 2: Consumer Recycling Ability
Be honest, how many times have you actually Have you reused a moisturizer jar that promises to lease new life as a flowerpot? It doesn’t always come true.
What you can do quickly and conveniently dispose of empty beauty products is a big piece of the puzzle, and plastic often makes this more doable.
When it comes to poor recycling statistics, there are many concerns about whether plastic is actually recycled. But Coppins gives a very simple reason for this. Recycling is still in the very (i.e., very) early stages. Only in 2003, Household Waste Recycling Law “This is why recent reports show that recycling rates are lower than ideal, but growth projections for this sector are important,” he adds. Tools such as WRAP Help ensure that waste is properly recycled.
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body shop plastic for change The initiative is also a perfect example of tackling this problem in a way that is the antithesis of greenwashing. Started using fair trade recycled plastics. This three-pronged approach drives social change, respects the environment, and influences other companies to follow suit. The Body Shop body butters, body yoghurts, body scrubs and hair care bottles are all made from 100% PCR plastic with up to 50% community fair trade recycled plastic.
Sustainable Plastics Debate 3: Carbon Footprint
“The plastic we used was primarily PP (polypropylene), which is the second most recycled plastic on the market,” says Copins. “We use post-consumer recycled PP throughout our products, further reducing our carbon footprint (by reusing old materials).”
Product weight is also important. “Because plastic is lighter than most materials (glass, paper, aluminum, etc.), it reduces the amount of energy required to transport goods, further reducing the carbon footprint,” he explained Copins. To do.
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Sustainable Plastics Debate No. 4: Product Shelf Life
The shelf life of beauty products is actually much longer than packaging in many other industries (think food), so it’s not too bad, but it still causes problems. This advantage means that the product is not consumed immediately.In addition, manufacturers are more carbon conscious as they produce larger batches of product.
Natural deodorant brand because of its longevity proverb After a thorough study of materials, we use plastic. “It needed to be strong, durable, scratch resistant, dishwasher and travel safe. That’s why we chose plastic. Regular plastic,” says Proverb co-founder One she explains is Kirstie Sherriff.
A formalization also takes place here. Products marked with “”cleaningSomething free of preservatives (such as parabens) might be considered better for the environment. It’s far worse for the planet than a plastic bottle that has a shelf life of two years.
Example of unsustainable plastic 1: black plastic
Whenever possible, the KMI brand avoids black plastic, which is notoriously difficult to recycle. In summary, “automated recyclers use infrared (IR) cameras to detect products in the process,” Copins says, but these cameras do not detect black. “Colors other than carbon black can be recycled, but darker colors mean that reuse as PCR is much more limited to reuse (often made of black plastic that is obviously landfilled/burned). (used for trash bags), which is why clear plastic is more circular.
Mirage C
Unsustainable plastic example 2: single-use plastic
Single-use plastics are complete beasts in their own right, and are well beyond the scope of this article, but once-used and thrown-away items (although the definition of single-use is debated) are damaging the planet. It’s not hard to see why. “We’re so obsessed with convenience that it’s hard to move away from disposable products. We need to change the way we think about these items.”
It’s not a solution, but Copins mentions changing marketing language can It can also help change consumer behavior. For example, simply calling them “washable” rather than disposable can encourage people to use them multiple times.
Hoizen Who
In conclusion… no perfect packaging solution exists
As Chris DeArmitt points out in his book “Plastic Paradox”‘,’ The best choice is the one that does the least harm. The core problem for the beauty industry is the lack of perfect packaging solutions.
As Coppins explains, the “best” and “most sustainable” solutions are not mutually exclusive, and “each element [of packaging] You need to fully understand the impact of your procurement, right down to how you dispose of it. These elements can have different variables, so compromises are sometimes necessary.
The next time a brand is trying to tout an eco-friendly option that promises to be “the perfect, most sustainable plastic-free solution,” try digging a little deeper.
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