Eco-conscious cosmetics packaging: Experts discuss circular design and trending materials

27 Apr 2021 --- More stringent consumer and legislative environmental sustainability demands are driving rapid change in the personal care and cosmetics packaging sector, with big players pledging to go “green.”

PackagingInsights speaks with experts from Berry Global, SABIC and Baralan, who discuss the current challenges in achieving environmentally sustainable packaging and spotlight trending eco-friendly materials.

“Environmental sustainability is of prime importance to the cosmetics packaging market and a very significant challenge for the personal care sector in the same way it is for all other markets,” says Simon Chidgey, Berry M&H Cluster Sales and Marketing Director.

“The understanding and selection criteria have changed in the industry to the point where sustainable and responsible packaging is of paramount importance. However, there is still a lack of clarity on how one measures truly sustainable packs,” he notes.

Maurizio Ficcadenti, global R&D manager at Baralan, echoes that the cosmetics packaging market is increasingly interested in sustainability to meet the ethical and environmental needs of consumers. 

“Packaging must comply with mandatory regulations and quality standards, and at the same time, guarantee practicality in protecting the formula and also the functionality of the components,” he says.

According to Innova Market Insights, the majority of global consumers (52%) believe reusable packaging is the most sustainable model, followed by recyclable (50%) and recycled (39%), biodegradable (31%) and compostable (24%) (2021).

What is “sustainable?”
All aspects of design, such as reduce, reuse, logistics, weight, energy and water need to transform for more eco-friendly packaging solutions, Chidgey highlights. 

Ficcadenti at Baralan says glass is and has always been a cornerstone of the cosmetics market.“CO2 emissions, reusability and degradation cycles need to be pragmatically worked on. No one material is perfect and no one pack option is necessarily the best. How we work across the value chain in both education and infrastructure investments is the challenge we face.”

When it comes to sustainability, the main focus is to propose products made with responsible materials that respect all the characteristics above and can be accepted by the market as valid substitutes or alternatives, notes Ficcadenti.

For Baralan, sustainability and sustainable development are concepts linked to the circular economy ideal, taking into account the quality of products, satisfying the balance between design and functionality, safeguarding and ensuring better conditions for product lifecycle.

Meanwhile, SABIC says brand-owners and convertors in the cosmetic packaging industry are setting targets for themselves to replace fossil-based packaging with recycled packaging. 

“More and more cosmetic brands are committed to transforming all of their packaging to be recyclable, containing recycled materials or being reusable, while still having the same level of protection and high-quality consumer appeal as comparable virgin plastic,” a SABIC spokesperson underscores.

The EU Plastics Strategy requires all packaging to be recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030.

Overcoming eco-packaging hurdles
SABIC is a pioneering petrochemical company in the scale up of processes to recycle used mixed plastic back to the original polymer for commercial application. 

SABIC is empowering brands to replace fossil plastics with recycled plastics.The process of feedstock recycling takes challenging mixed-used plastic, which would previously have been destined for incineration or landfill, and recycles it back to the original polymer. 

Recently, SABIC collaborated with REN Clean Skincare and Aptar in the development of airless packaging made with certified circular polypropylene (PP) for the latter’s Global Protection Day Cream. 

“This industry seems to be moving toward styrene-free solutions by replacing their ABS with alternative materials,” the SABIC spokesperson notes.

Berry says there is no clear choice when it comes to eco-friendly materials. While some are better at reuse, they can fail on energy-effectiveness and their long degradation cycle. 

“Others appear to be chosen as a reaction to plastics which are visible and float, yet they may be less environmentally suitable in the long run. Others are not able to withstand heat or sterilization, so are wholly unsuitable in isolation and therefore are used in combination, which present problems of separation,” Chidgey supports.

Trending materials
Glass and plastic remain high on the agenda for personal care items as protection, product stability, shelf life and hygiene factors allow for these materials to be used more efficiently, sustainably and effectively, continues Chidgey. 

According to Innova, the majority of global consumers (52%) believe reusable packaging is the most sustainable model, followed by recyclable (50%).“Some of us are working on exciting combination packs that may be separated post-use. Collection rates for plastics and glass are high, allowing them to be reused and recycled, so these will remain a strong base for use in the future.”

For SABIC, plastic remains the trending material for both fast-moving and luxury cosmetic packaging. A strong drive toward sustainable solutions is certainly visible and well-known brands are setting themselves ambitious targets, the company’s spokesperson says.

“Furthermore, there are some initiatives for refillable-returnable packaging. However, these are still regional-focused and small volumes. In general, plastic remains the material choice because it is recyclable and advanced recycled versions can be reused to create new packaging.”

SABIC recently announced a collaboration with skin care company Beiersdorf, which wants to make its packaging 100 percent refillable, reusable or recyclable, and increase the recycled material in plastic packaging to 30 percent. 

Beiersdorf also aims to reduce the use of fossil-based virgin plastic by 50 percent and will be using certified renewable PP from SABIC’s Trucircle portfolio of “second generation” bio-based materials in its skincare cosmetics packaging. 

For Ficcadenti, glass is and has always been a cornerstone of the cosmetic market, but lately, the request for materials that come from sustainable resources is increasingly growing. This includes mono-material packaging, designed to minimize waste by increasing recyclability. 

“Baralan is also focusing on manufacturing new products using 25 percent internal material coming from the waste stream during production,and endlessly recyclable materials,” says Ficcadenti. 

Moreover, Baralan is turning toward biopolymers derived from renewable sources and natural materials not linked to the food chain for the production of fossil-free packaging.

By Kristiana Lalou