Trends in environmentally friendly packaging for cosmetics in 2021

2021-10-20

Recently, "environmental packaging" that uses recyclable materials to reduce waste has been favored by the cosmetics industry. The most representative environmentally friendly paper is that plastic cosmetic packaging, foam plastic cosmetic packaging, rope, aluminum metal, bagasse, PCR, and non-woven materials are changed to easy-to-decompose soybean oil printing methods.

According to analysis, this is due to the sharp increase in online shopping due to the new crown epidemic. Before purchasing products, consumers will also consider whether it is environmentally friendly cosmetic packaging.

While reducing the guilt of customers for environmental pollution, cosmetics companies have also successively introduced environmentally friendly packaging that can be liberated from tedious waste sorting.

FMCG brands increasingly recognize that the environmental attributes of packaging are a key selling point for consumer product packaging. Innova Market Insights identified "Storytelling: Winning with Words" as its biggest trend in food and cosmetics in 2020. In this trend, product packaging has increasingly become an indispensable part of brand consumer relationships.

Therefore, brands large and small are more transparent and informative in terms of packaging carbon footprint, life cycle processing, plastic-free cosmetic packaging and certification of renewable materials, and use more detailed and eye-catching packaging information to convey these messages.

For example, OKABLE's breast cleansing moisturizing mousse has developed the sustainability information on its packaging from a breast massage dredging function in March 2020 to a secondary circulation cat paw pet head massager. The plant ingredients clean chest skin symbol plant ingredients clean chest skin also received attention.

Cosmetic container manufacturers have introduced "zero metal" pumps and launched environmentally friendly products using 100% recyclable plastic cosmetic packaging containers. The aim is to reduce approximately 700 tons of plastic cosmetic packaging and packaging materials by 2022 and achieve less use Plastic cosmetic packaging from plastic cosmetic tube & bottle manufacturers (Less Plastic)" to improve recyclability. Participate in environmental protection, use uncoated recycled paper, and use ink extracted from soybean oil, and introduce environmentally friendly packaging that is easy to recycle. At present, in the short term Many brands themselves are digesting some of the cost of sustainable packaging because it is impossible to pass it on to consumers. Moreover, at this stage, consumers have not been able to pay too much premium for the use of environmentally friendly materials, but at the same price. , Are more willing to choose environmentally friendly products. Under such a consumption trend, sustainable packaging can develop infinite possibilities: guide consumers to learn more about the development and application of environmentally friendly packaging materials to improve the relationship between consumption behavior and environmental protection effects by improving consumption The environmental protection behavior of consumers affects their consumption behavior to change in a more sustainable direction.

However, the opposite of the trend is the fact that challenges are equal to opportunities. The growth path of the cosmetics industry is full of many obstacles, and sustainable cosmetic packaging is one of them. Need for a more mature material recycling system

In the past 10 years, more and more cosmetic packaging manufacturers have joined the ranks of practicing "environmental protection 3R" (Reuse recycling, Reduce energy saving and emission reduction, Recycle recycling), but in the factory production technology progress and concept While updating, the sustainable cosmetic packaging industry is still facing an unavoidable pain point-most of the recyclable cosmetic packaging has not been recycled.

In addition to improving the recycling rate of renewable materials through garbage recycling, cosmetics stores have become another recycling channel to be tapped. Many brands have established cosmetic packaging recycling mechanisms, reusing empty bottles or transforming them to use in scenarios where the particle level requirements of plastic cosmetic packaging are lower. The realization of the sustainability of the packaging material itself is inseparable from the integration of design and manufacturing. Although sustainable creativity can come from different types of consumer insights, sustainable performance can only come from a steadfast landing. In terms of process, from a concept to a product in the hands of consumers, cosmetic packaging has gone through different stages of research, conception, design, finalization, plate making, printing, and finished products. The design team pursues aesthetics and innovation in cosmetic packaging marketing. Manufacturers care about product quality and production capacity, and there is a "natural" gap between the two. Breaking the status quo of the separation of cosmetic packaging design and manufacturing, reducing the loss of brand information and communication costs, effectively controlling the overall budget and product cosmetic packaging costs, and improving the management and control of product quality has become a brand-new strategic logic, which is also the industry The core value of cosmetics packaging service providers, which are rare in the industry, represented by ANC. Returning to the production of sustainable cosmetic packaging, the mature entire industry chain needs to be more keenly aware of this logic.

Take the choice of pigments for cosmetic packaging as an example. The value of recyclable cosmetics packaging gradually decreases with the number of reuses. An important reason behind this is the limitation of the available pigments: after a red cosmetic bottle is recycled, if it needs to be reused Dyeing can only become black, which is not conducive to sales. Therefore, cosmetic packaging that can be recycled and reused needs to choose transparent cosmetic packaging in the preliminary design to increase the recycling rate of post-consumer cosmetic packaging. Based on the research and development and practical application of green packaging materials, the integrated development process from packaging material appearance innovation to structure and function verification ensures innovation while also ensuring the reliability of production, providing professional technical support for the brand to create green cosmetic packaging. The growth path of the cosmetics industry is full of many obstacles, and sustainable cosmetic packaging is just one of them. Challenges are equal to opportunities. From the perspective of sustainable cosmetic packaging application scenarios, manufacturing costs, recycling mechanisms and channels, and consumer awareness, the road to sustainable growth is just beginning to accelerate.