Loop and Ulta inaugurate circular beauty platform with refillable and reusable packaging

11 Mar 2021 --- TerraCycle’s Loop is expanding its partnership with US beauty retailer Ulta Beauty by launching a circular cosmetic packaging platform to reduce waste. 

Customers across the country can now shop online at a new Ulta and Loop collaborative website for beauty and personal care products in durable, sustainable packaging which will be refilled and reused.

The partnership falls within Ulta’s Conscious Beauty campaign – a holistic initiative focused on delivering transparency, education and choice. 

As part of the program’s Sustainable Packaging pillar, the companies will work to help minimize the more than 120 billion packaging units produced globally annually within the cosmetics industry and fuel actionable improvements.

“Rethinking packaging provides the industry with the opportunity to develop new, luxurious designs that are also sustainable,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. 

“Consumers are increasingly asking for more environmentally responsible options in this category and this collaboration provides them with a solution that is simple and convenient.”

How it works
When placing an order, Loop shoppers pay a deposit on each package which is fully refundable upon return. 

Click to EnlargeThe move will help reduce the more than 120 billion packaging units produced globally per year within the cosmetics industry.After use, consumers simply place empty packages back into the exclusively designed tote and schedule a free pickup online.

“As the US’ leading beauty retailer, we have a responsibility to continuously improve and bring innovative solutions forward for the industry,” says Dave Kimbell, president, Ulta Beauty. 

“As we work to deliver more informed, conscious product choices to our guests, this partnership with Loop is one more step on our journey.”

At launch, guests can visit loopbyulta.com to order sustainable packaging options from brands such as Burt’s Bees, Plaine Products and Mad Hippie, among others. Oneka Elements, Dermalogica and L’ANZA will be coming to the platform soon.

Circular beauty efforts
In the same circular spirit, personal care and cosmetics heavyweight L’Oreal unveiled a recycling scheme called “Make-up Not Make Waste.” The company’s Maybelline brand has set up recycling points across UK retail stores for its make-up products in collaboration with TerraCycle.

Moreover, L’Oréal brand Biotherm is reducing packaging waste by piloting its first refillable skin care bottle for the Life Plankton Elixir Blue Fountain serum. The product has been available since February 2021 in the department store El Corte Inglés in Madrid, Spain.

Henkel’s salon hair care brand Authentic Beauty Concept previously set up product refill stations in selected hair salons throughout Europe. The move is dubbed a “first” for the segment and marks an important step toward increasing the brand’s environmental sustainability.

Lastly, Armani Beauty unveiled a refillable perfume bottle as the latest addition to its olfactory family. The design of the fragrance bottle is in line with the Italian luxury brand’s five-year commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 25 percent, along with achieving carbon neutrality for all its products.

Edited Kristiana Lalou

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