Cosmetics favor green packaging

Recently, European consumer goods giant Unilever (Unilever) announced a new plan: “By the end of 2019, 50% of the plastic packaging of Unilever products will be made of recycled plastic (PCR). By 2021, all packaging will be labeled Put on the'How2Recycle (how to recycle)' label, give clear packaging recycling instructions' and so on.

It is reported that this plan aims to achieve sustainable development through the recycling of plastic packaging.

In fact, according to a reporter from China Beauty.com, in the cosmetics industry, green packaging has been applied to products. In recent years, there has been a 'sudden spring breeze, thousands of trees blooming' in recent years.

A big wave of green packaging is coming

Take Estée Lauder as an example. The product packaging cartons of its brand Origins are made of environmentally friendly paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which contains about 50% recycled fiber, which can achieve 99% recycling. .


Unilever's Ren series skin care products contain 20% marine recycled plastics and 80% domestic recycled plastics in bottles.


Procter & Gamble Co's Head & Shoulders shampoo contains 25% marine recycled plastic, and the new series of hair care brand Herbal Essences launched last month. The packaging raw materials contain 25% beach recycled plastic.

Shiseido and DHC have adopted lightweight and inexpensive replacement packages to support environmental protection; British beauty brand Lush Cosmetics has even promoted the concept of 'naked packaging', which only sells unpackaged products.

In addition to packaging applications, cosmetics companies are also actively cooperating with environmental protection companies or organizations to promote the concept of green and environmental protection through various waste recycling activities.

For example, South Korea’s L’Occitane recycles 5 tons of empty bottles of skin care products a month; Maybelline New York recycles empty cosmetic bottles at New York Fashion Week every year; Kiehl also uses the 'Empty Bottle Recycling Program' to target 500,000 pieces in 3 years. The empty plastic bottles will be used to make environmentally friendly desks and chairs and plastic runways, which will be donated to poor primary schools in Yunnan, my country.

Green packaging is also popular in the domestic market.

For example, Herborist uses recyclable and degradable outer packaging for more than 80% of its products, and all cartons are made of recycled paper. At the same time, it also cooperates with cosmetics stores across the country to carry out cosmetic empty bottle recycling activities.


Another example is the pomelo water muscle source liquid of the pomelo house, the outer packaging can be recycled as a pen holder; the outer packaging of Lin Qingxuan's products is made of degradable environmentally friendly materials to reduce environmental pollution and protect the earth.

Is it a gust of wind or the general trend?

According to Chen Linlin, marketing manager of TerraCycle APAC (Terui Environmental Protection, not for profit): “There are nearly 2.1 billion tons of waste generated in the world every year, which is equivalent to seven Egyptian Khufu pyramids. Most of them are landfilled, and 25 % Of the garbage flows into the ocean through various methods without any treatment, and finally decomposes into plastic particles and returns to our lives.'


She also revealed that an Australian scientist selected underwater samples in waters around the world to analyze whether they contained plastic micromolecules, and found that 70% of the world's waters contained plastic pollution, including China's Shandong, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places.

At the same time, Mintel, a world-renowned market research company, released four major global packaging trends in 2019. Among them, environmentally friendly packaging has become a consensus and will play an important role in reducing global product waste.

The European Cosmetics Association also recommends that cosmetic manufacturers phase out the use of plastic particles in their products by 2020, and major brands are also making changes.

So, are consumers interested in plastic recycling? Do they really care about environmental protection?

Chen Linlin told a case: In 2017, the packaging of Head & Shoulders shampoo contained 25% marine recycled plastic; in 2018, the proportion of marine recycled plastic contained in the packaging of its Little Fairy brand detergent increased to 50%; and by 2019 In addition to the further improvement of the data, there is another new change in Icarul's latest packaging.

That is to say, on the outer packaging of the product, the original 'wash and protect two-in-one' word has become the proportion of marine recycled plastics contained. Nowadays, it is bolder to put the slogn of environmental protection activities in the important position of the outer packaging, which fully demonstrates the green packaging. He brand's environmental protection concept has been recognized by market consumers.

In addition, Mintel (Mintel), Ali Research Institute and other reports also pointed out that 57% of consumers expressed their willingness to pay higher prices for green packaging products.

In summary, we can conclude that the era of 'green economy' has come, and the environmental protection trend in the beauty industry will be unstoppable.

In addition to social responsibility, there are also commercial rewards

Some small and medium-sized enterprises, especially domestic ones, may think that the above-mentioned green packaging practices require enterprises to bear additional cost inputs, and only the big names have the strength to 'play' and afford it.

In this regard, Chen Linlin said, “Although plastic recycling is difficult to estimate how much return on investment can be provided to brands, it provides companies with an opportunity to demonstrate social responsibility. Responsible companies are more likely to gain consumer recognition and bring consumption to brands. The second fission capability'.

The Mintel survey report also pointed out that compared to the first purchase of the product, the impact of recyclable packaging on the purchase is more likely to occur when the product is purchased repeatedly. Even the use of environmentally friendly packaging can build consumer loyalty to the brand.

An industry insider also said in an interview with China Beauty.com that “when product prices and product quality are equal, consumers are more inclined to buy original ecological or environmentally-friendly alternative products.” Therefore, he suggested that brands and manufacturers can embed environmental protection concepts into product packaging to form differentiated brand positioning and incorporate them into marketing strategies to help stand out in the fierce market competition.

The reporter believes that when environmental protection becomes a global awareness, the market's demand for sustainable packaging will increase. The smart brand is not only professional, but also good at seizing the opportunity to make use of people's consumer psychology of the use of recyclable materials or refillable packaging to gain market profits.

For example, Unilever is exploring the new business model of 'recyclable packaging distribution model', that is, consumers return the used product packaging and recycle it for reuse. It is reported that the nine brands under its umbrella have already begun pilot practices.