L’Oréal’s Garnier launches shampoo bar in recyclable cardboard box for zero-waste win

10 Feb 2021 --- L’Oréal’s Garnier brand has relaunched its Ultra Doux line of shampoos, which now come in a solid bar format, in recyclable and FSC-certified cardboard packaging. 

The launch represents the brand’s first no-waste shampoo and boasts 94 percent plant-based ingredients pressed into a solid shampoo bar.

The shampoos are available in five versions to suit all hair types and do not require plastic wrapping.

Life cycle savings
With the new Ultra Doux shampoos, Garnier presents a line of sustainable beauty products free of plastic packaging. 

“It’s yet another step forward in our commitment to a greener and more sustainable beauty,” the company asserts.

By using an FSC-certified cardboard, Garnier supports forest management that respects people and nature.

Garnier also conducted a comparative Life Cycle Analysis to measure the product’s impact throughout its entire lifecycle, and the results show “considerable” environmental benefits compared to a standard shampoo bottle. Garnier’s Ultra Doux line of shampoos now comes in solid bar format, packed in recyclable and FSC-certified cardboard.

The study found the launch offers an 80 percent reduction in primary packaging, a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emission and a 90 percent reduction in packaging fossil energy consumption. 

The new line also reduces transport fossil consumption by 70 percent.

Packaging for eco-friendly beauty
The Garnier Ultra Doux solid shampoo line is made up of between 97 and 99 percent biodegradable formulas. The shampoos contain no soap, sulfates, preservatives or silicones, and they are certified vegan.

This solid formula is long-lasting as it is the equivalent of two 250 ml shampoo bottles and reduces water consumption thanks to its fast-rinse technology.

As part of L’Oréal For The Future – the group’s program of social and environmental goals for 2030 – the brand is accelerating its actions towards sustainable beauty.

The strategy’s pillars include the use of recycled and recyclable packaging, biodegradable formulas and increased renewable energy use. 

In the same spirit, L’Oréal also partnered with energy giant Total and carbon recycling company LanzaTech to create cosmetics plastic packaging from captured and recycled carbon emissions, which it plans to fully commercialize by 2025.

Reducing plastic pollution
The solid format also echoes Garnier’s commitment to put an end to the plastic pollution plaguing the oceans, the brand says.This solid formula is long-lasting as it is the equivalent of two 250 ml shampoo bottles and reduces water consumption thanks to its fast-rinse technology.

As part of this conviction, the brand began a partnership in 2019 with Ocean Conservancy. Founded in 1972, the NGO fights to save marine ecosystems, with a particular focus on reducing human impact on the oceans. 

To spread awareness about marine pollution, it has been organizing an International Coastal Cleanup Day since 1986.

Every year, thousands of volunteers clean-up human-generated waste found on beaches, coastlines and along waterways. 

In 2019, 355 Garnier employees participated in the coastal cleanup and collected 6 tons of litter. This concrete action illustrates the brand’s mission: free the planet from plastic waste. 

Zero packaging reigns
The personal care industry is accelerating its use of environmentally friendly packaging materials. As smaller eco-focused brands grow in popularity, major industry players are increasingly seeking a proverbial piece of the eco-friendly action. 

PackagingInsights previously reported on the most interesting eco-packaging launches within the deodorant business – one that has found it notoriously difficult to establish zero waste systems.

Moreover, product designer Jonna Breitenhuber previously spoke to PackagingInsights on how she found a way to eliminate shampoo bottle packaging entirely. Her graduating master thesis from the University of Arts in Berlin, Germany, yielded Soapbottle, a soap-based shampoo bottle.

By Kristiana Lalou

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