Alpla’s “carbon-optimized” Canupack bottle follows suit of recycled beauty packs

07 Dec 2022 --- Alpla has created a “carbon-optimized” bottle prototype for the beauty industry made entirely of recycled HDPE (rHDPE). The product is meant to serve as a lens into Alpla’s environmentally sustainable cosmetic packaging goals.

Dubbed Canupak, the ultralight packaging system is designed for the beauty care packaging industry and made from a high post-consumer recycled proportion. The rHDPE is sourced from the company’s plants in the EU and reportedly produced using renewable energies.

“We are gradually reducing carbon emissions and expanding our expertise across the board of processes, from design and production to logistics. The carbon-optimized Canupak is the next milestone on the path to the sustainable packaging of the future,” says Karina Pölzl, innovation project manager at Alpla.

The new product reflects a growing trend, reported by Yale University, in post-consumer recycled materials, lightweight packaging and bio-based materials as environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional packaging in the personal care industry.

Low carb-on
The bottle requires approximately 71% less carbon consumption compared to more conventional packaging types, with all aspects of the container being recyclable. The company regards the bottle’s lightweight design as a critical advantage, being approximately 14 g for a 250 ml bottle. 

Alpla’s Canupak bottle is designed with a decreased carbon footprint.“We are focusing on further optimizing our products and on maximum recyclability based on design for recycling, and are on the lookout for partners who wish to take the next step in reducing their carbon footprint together with us,” continues Pölzl. 

The carbon footprint of the product was calculated in cooperation with ClimatePartner. The product’s carbon footprint comprises all the emissions throughout a product’s life cycle, including its disposal. However, Alpla did not take the package contents, retail and use phase into account as the company deemed them irrelevant to the packaging’s climate footprint. 

Alpla aims to offer its customers the potential to reduce emissions and the expertise needed for future developments. As no clear standards exist for climate-neutral products and offsetting certificates, Alpla states it focuses on reducing emissions within its sphere of influence. 

Better beauty bottles  
According to a UN Environment Program report, approximately 1,500 metric tons of microplastics from personal care products are estimated to escape from wastewater treatment plants into aquatic environments annually. 

Recently, LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics Houses obtained a predetermined amount of the high-quality, plant-based polyethylene furanoate material from Avantium’s Flagship Plant for its cosmetics packaging.

Edited by Sabine Waldeck