Festive packaging trends: Rituals and Aveda green up Christmas with recycled and refill solutions

13 Dec 2021 --- Cosmetics companies Rituals and Aveda are embracing post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, refillable bottles, and other environmentally sustainable packaging options for this year’s Christmas packaging. 

“Our strongest initiative is our effort to use post-consumer recycled materials in all our packaging,” says Aveda.

The beauty company is using 100% PCR PET materials with more than 85% of its bottles and jars containing full PCR materials. It aims at minimizing packaging while maximizing recyclable and PCR materials in the circular economy mold. 

Similarly, Rituals has reduced the size of its gift set packaging and stopped using carton boxes for multiple products: “These are perfect examples of how we work on both visible and invisible packaging reductions. And we won't stop here, we will keep on reducing the number of materials we use.”

Whether food containers, wrapping paper, or Christmas cards, options and ideas for environmentally sustainable and renewable alternatives are growing market concepts. 

The expert view
Ariane van Mancius, owner of packaging design agency NowNewNext, tells PackagingInsights there is a variety of festive packaging options in the form of environmentally sustainable gift boxes, reusable packages, and refillable containers this Christmas.

“[Environmental] sustainability in packaging has been a hot topic for years. Now it is slowly making its way into holiday packaging. Even though for most brands the focus still is on extravagant luxurious packaging.”

“In previous years, it has come to people’s attention to avoid wrapping paper or Christmas cards covered in glitter, buy fewer gifts and produce less food waste. While the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing us a second contact-restricted yuletide, e-commerce continues to be high.”

“We now see frontrunner brands or brands that have sustainability at their core coming up with sustainable gift packaging,” she adds.Beauty companies Rituals and Aveda are using PCR materials in this year’s Christmas packaging (Image credit: NowNewNext).

According to Innova Market Insights, more than half of global consumers (52%) regard packaging’s recyclability together with reusability (53%) as their most important sustainability credentials, followed by recycled material use (41%). Meanwhile, 72% of global consumers recognize paper’s exceptional recyclability.

Brands pursue circular options
In light of changing consumer demands, various companies have worked on their packaging, increasing its environmental sustainability by using PCR paper-based boxes, recycled PET bottles and refillable models.

For example, Rituals offers environmentally sustainable gift boxes with a refill for every product. With the help of a “forensic life-cycle assessment,” Ritual’s packaging is assessed, enabling more environmentally responsible packaging choices to be detected and implemented.

The beauty company’s goal is to increase the share of recycled materials used in its product packaging. This amibion motivated Rituals’ introduction of recycled PET for its body creams, body scrubs, bath foams, shower oils, and fragrance sprays. 

Meanwhile, Aveda is “proud to have been the first beauty company using 100% PCR recycled PET. Now more than 85% of our skincare and hair styling PET bottles and jars contain 100% PCR materials.” 

“With every package we develop, we're mindful of our environmental footprint and work to minimize our packaging and maximize our use of recyclable and post-consumer recycled materials.”

Value chain cooperation“[Environmental] pressure from consumers, retailers, and legislation will increase and shift from everyday packaging to packaging for holiday and limited edition items,” notes van Mancius. 
Aveda’s guiding principles for the development of responsible packaging include the use of life cycle analyses and a focus on reducing size and weight, offering recyclable and recycled packaging without compromising product quality.

Moreover, the beauty company uses renewable energy to manufacture and fill packaging, and challenges packaging partners to comply with those same standards.

“We can’t guarantee our packaging will be recycled, but we can do our part, ensuring the material it’s made of will now have the chance of another life, rather than going to landfill,” says Aveda.

“Even though the amount of sustainable Christmas packaging is not very large this year, we expect this will certainly rise in the coming years. Pressure from consumers, retailers, and legislation will only increase and therefore shift from everyday packaging to packaging for holiday and limited edition items,” concludes van Mancius.

In related developments, William Connolly, head of packaging innovation and sustainability at The Body Shop, recently explained how refillable packaging is essential to simultaneously reducing waste and carbon footprint.

By Natalie Schwertheim