Circular beauty: Garnier and Sephora reveal new partnerships to close packaging loop

26 Apr 2023 --- The beauty industry is closing the loop with packaging innovations that drive circularity. Case in point are the latest industry collaborations between Garnier and Loop Industries, and Sephora and Pact Collective.

Garnier is piloting a limited edition upcycled bottle for its Micellar Cleansing Water in collaboration with Loop Industries. As part of a new initiative to transform waste into a resource, the two have partnered to transform low-value waste into high-quality 100% recycled PET.

The pilot is centered on building circularity by utilizing PET waste and polyester fiber purposefully. “We are proud to be working with Loop Industries to launch the first-ever Garnier Micellar Water bottle made of PET plastic waste. Our partnership demonstrates our continued efforts to bring to market innovative solutions as we explore ways to encourage plastic circularity,” says Adrien Koskas, Garnier’s global brand president.

Meanwhile, to make the process of reducing hard-to-recycle material waste more approachable and accessible for consumers, prestige beauty omni-retailer Sephora has partnered with non-profit Pact Collective, and is rolling out the Beauty (Re)Purposed program across North America.

“Currently, the majority of the beauty and wellness industry’s hard-to-recycle packaging ends up in landfills because it is either too small, too flexible, or made of too many materials to be traditionally recycled, and the rules for recycling regionally differ or are complex,” highlights Sephora.

“Bringing awareness to beauty’s packaging problem will help the industry create smarter packaging in the future while empowering consumers to dispose of their empties properly.”

Tech talk
Canada-based technology company Loop Industries has equipped Garnier with 20,000 bottles featuring the Loop Industries logo on the front of the packaging to support its environmental sustainability goals. 

“This is a first pilot, a successful proof of the industrial feasibility of the process,” Andrea Kostiuk, VP of marketing & communications at Loop Industries, tells PackagingInsights.Sephora is partnering with Pact Collective to launch an empties collection program. 

“Mechanical recycling is limited by various technical constraints. Depolymerization technology, such as the one developed by Loop Industries, is a major step to tackle the low level of recyclability of plastic and open new opportunities for industry players.”

Loop Industries owns patented and proprietary technology that depolymerizes no- and low-value waste PET plastic and polyester fiber, including plastic bottles and packaging, carpets and textiles of any color, transparency or condition. It can also recycle ocean plastics degraded by the sun and salt from its base building blocks. 

“These feedstocks are not used by mechanical recyclers in their process as they are too contaminated. By utilizing this low-value feedstock, Loop Industries can create value from waste and incorporate this material into the circular economy where the materials can recirculate infinitely,” explains Kostiuk.

The monomers are filtered, purified and polymerized to create virgin-quality Loop Industries-branded PET resin suitable for use in food-grade packaging and polyester fiber that can be “recycled infinitely” without quality degradation.

“Loop Industries PET resin is food-contact compliant and safe for cosmetic use. It meets all regulations in place by the US Food and Drug Administration and EU. For example, in the US, the PET produced by such a process follows the same regulation as virgin material,” shares Kostiuk.

“Loop produces 100% recycled virgin-quality Loop Industries PET resin from low-value PET plastic and polyester fiber waste. Loop Industries’ technology can process the lowest grade PET feedstocks that today have no value and end up in landfills or incineration.” 

Sephora collects
According to Sephora, the beauty and wellness industries generate 120 billion packages every year, most of which aren’t accepted in curbside recycling programs. To help reduce the amount of packaging ending up in landfills and oceans, Beauty (Re)Purposed will allow consumers to drop-off their empty beauty packaging at any Sephora retail store, no matter the brand, and give their beauty products a second life.

Pact Collective will reportedly sell the collected materials to a partner to convert the empties into something new such as carpet, pallets, asphalt, new packaging or energy.

“The purpose of this program is to make the process of reducing hard-to-recycle material waste more approachable and accessible for consumers,” details Sephora. 

By Radhika Sikaria