Why is cosmetic packaging so difficult to recycle?

How much packaging does your bath products have? Certainly not less, because the beauty industry produces 153 billion pieces of plastic packaging each year. However, most packaging is still difficult to recycle, or even completely impossible to recycle.

“Many beauty packaging designs do not consider the recycling process,” Sara Wingstrand, project manager of the “New Plastic Economy” of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, told Vogue. “Some packaging materials do not have corresponding recycling facilities, so they can only be sent Go to the landfill.'

Large beauty brands promise to solve the plastic problem in the industry. L'Oréal guarantees to use recyclable or bio-based packaging across the board by 2030. Unilever, Coty and Beiersdorf have set similar goals to switch to recycled plastic packaging by 2025 and ensure that the packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable. At the same time, Este Lauder has promised that more than 75% of the product packaging will be recyclable, refillable, and reusable by the end of 2025, and a recycling plan will be implemented.

However, progress is still not fast enough. The petroleum-based plastics produced so far have reached 8.3 billion tons, of which 60% has flowed into landfills or the natural environment. Wingstrand said: 'If we can pursue higher plastic reduction targets and increase reuse and recycling rates, we are expected to make substantial progress and the prospects will be significantly improved.'

Difficult recovery

Currently, only 14% of plastic packaging worldwide is recycled-only 5% of the materials are reused because of the waste caused by the sorting and recycling process. Recycling of beauty packaging is usually more difficult. Wingstrand explains: “Many packaging is made of mixed materials, so it is difficult to recycle.” Pump heads are a common example, usually made of plastic and aluminum springs. 'Some packages are too small to extract useful materials.'

Arnaud Meysselle, executive director of REN Clean Skincare, pointed out that beauty companies have difficulty finding a suitable solution because recycling facilities vary greatly around the world. 'Unfortunately, even if the packaging can be fully recycled, at best it is only 50% likely to be recycled,' he mentioned in a Zoom interview with us in London. Therefore, the brand's focus has shifted from recyclable packaging to recycled plastic packaging. 'At least not to make virgin plastic.'

Having said that, REN Clean Skincare became the first skin care brand to apply Infinity Recycling technology to its signature product Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream, which means that the packaging can be repeatedly regenerated by heating and pressing. 'This plastic contains 95% recycled materials, and its specifications and characteristics are no different from virgin plastics,' Meysselle explained. 'The key is that it can be recycled indefinitely.' Currently, most plastics can only be recycled once or twice.

Of course, technologies such as 'Infinity Recycling' still require packaging to enter the appropriate facilities to be truly recycled. Brands such as Kiehl’s take the initiative in packaging collection through in-store recycling programs. 'Thanks to the support of our customers, we have recycled 11.2 million product packages worldwide since 2009. We are committed to recycling another 11 million packages by 2025,' Kiehl’s global director Leonardo Chavez wrote in an email from New York.

Small changes in life can also help solve the recycling problem, such as setting up a recycling trash can in the bathroom. 'Usually, there is only one trash can in the bathroom, so everyone puts all the trash together,' Meysselle said. 'We think it is important to encourage everyone to recycle in the bathroom.'

Towards a zero waste future

Considering the multiple obstacles to recycling, we must realize that there is no single solution to the garbage problem in the beauty industry. Not only plastics, but also the recycling of other materials such as glass and aluminum. Wingstrand said: 'Recycling alone cannot solve all problems.'

Bio-based plastics such as sugar cane and corn starch cannot be defeated by a single move, although such plastics are often claimed to be biodegradable. 'There is no standard definition of'biodegradable'; it only means that packaging will decompose at a certain time and under certain conditions,' Wingstrand said. 'There are clear restrictions on'compostable'; however, compostable plastics will not be in any environment. Some materials actually take a long time to degrade. We must consider them comprehensively.'

In summary, reducing packaging as much as possible-reducing the need for recycling and composting from the source-is the key to solving the problem. 'Removing the plastic film around the perfume box is a simple and feasible example. If you don't use it, there will be no problems at all.' Wingstrand explained.

Another solution is to use reusable packaging to complement the product-customers keep the packaging and only need to purchase the supplementary product-many people promote this as the future of beauty packaging. 'In general, we have seen the beauty industry start to accept the concept of product supplements, which can save a lot of packaging,' Chavez said. 'This is our focus area.'

But what's the problem with it? Many supplement products are designed in bags and these bags are not recyclable. Wingstrand said: 'When designing a supplement, make sure that the supplement is not more difficult to recycle than the original product packaging. The key is to consider every detail.'

Obviously, Panacea does not exist. Fortunately, consumers can demand environmentally friendly packaging, forcing more companies to invest in innovative solutions to drive change. 'The response from consumers is amazing. Since we launched our sustainability program, the company has grown like a start-up,' Meysselle added. He also called on all brands to work together to achieve a zero-waste future: 'Going it alone must lose, and we must win-win.

This news is contributed by China top cosmetic tube manufacturer, Guangzhou Lisson Plastic Co.,Ltd. offering all types of eco-friendly cosmetic tubes for makeup packaging, welcome to contact us for your makeup packaging business.