“The beauty of decay”: Sulapac CEO talks sustainability hurdles in cosmetics packaging

09 Sep 2021 --- Sustainable packaging alternatives rarely meet the high standards of premium and luxury cosmetics brands, according to Sulapac CEO and co-founder Suvi Haimi. She speaks to PersonalCareInsights about the challenges in sustainable packaging production and design, as well as cost competitiveness and recyclability hurdles.

“The most sustainable form of consumption is not to consume anything at all. However, with significant structural changes, a circular economy for cosmetics packaging could become possible,” she says.

Sulapac was founded by biochemists, who focus on biomaterials to provide packaging for the sector that can be environmentally functional and aesthetically appealing.

Luxury appeal
Haimi also explains the difficulties brands face in aiding a circular economy while maintaining high prices through consumer communication.

She also notes that luxury products require corresponding packaging. “For example, an eyeshadow palette in paper packaging is quite easy to recycle, but it can show wear and tear very quickly, which affects the look of the product.”

“Also, paper is not easily moldable to different 3D designs as our material is. Especially when consumers pay premium prices for luxury cosmetics, they expect packaging that feels and looks a certain way as it’s part of the reason they’ve paid the high price.”

‘Berry Bliss’ packaging, a Toly and Sulapac collaboration.Through material innovation, Haimi says Sulapac has achieved an aesthetic and luxurious feel for its products.

“Our packaging feels and sounds like ceramic. But it also protects the sensitive cosmetics products inside – just as well as conventional plastic packaging.”

Cost of beauty
Creating cost competitiveness is tricky when bringing new material to the market, Haimi continues.

“It always costs more than the traditional materials, but when our production volumes increase, we can offer a much more competitive price for our material.”

“The key is to convince the first brands and the forerunners, and then others will follow as the price becomes more competitive.”

She says that factors that can keep costs down for brands and consumers have sustainable packaging options that do not require investments into completely new factories, production lines or machinery.

“For instance, Sulapac is a drop-in solution which makes it as easy as possible for brands to choose sustainable packaging.”

‘I’d also venture to say that awareness of unsustainable consumerism and the plastic waste crisis has made consumers more receptive than ever to alternative packaging – even if it costs them a little bit more.”

Accelerating recycling pathways
Despite technology and packaging solutions such as those made at Sulapac, waste management infrastructure inhibits effective recycling.

Sulapac’s eco-friendly alternative beauty product packaging. This year, a Ball survey declared the US recycling system “broken,” with only 25 percent of waste being recycled.

Haimi, however, says research puts the real figure at closer to 10-15 percent.

“This is very frustrating for us, brands and consumers – having sustainable packaging is only part of the work without a solid recycling infrastructure.”

As a solution, Sulapac has launched a take-back program, in which it accelerates connections to existing plastic recycling infrastructure.

“We are also investigating pathways where we could utilize the existing plastic waste collection infrastructure to collect our waste and then mechanically or chemically recycle the collected waste,” Haimi says.

Is sustainable beauty possible?
Given these hurdles, Haimi maintains it is possible to achieve a circular economy for beauty product packaging if industry, consumers and policymakers enact the correct changes.

“On the structural level, all cosmetics brands should make a commitment to replace as much of their conventional plastic packaging as possible with sustainable options that support a circular economy.”

“These solutions can be alternative, sustainable packaging from renewable resources, or they can be refillable packaging, which is actually already the norm with several makeup products – such as compact powders and some perfumes. In fact, for refillable products, durable plastic can actually be a very good solution.”

“We can’t forget about the importance of human behavior. You can provide consumers with the most sustainable packaging and the most robust recycling infrastructure in the world, but the materials won’t be reused if the empty jar is just tossed away to end up in a landfill.”

“Everyone must take responsibility for their consumption habits,” she concludes.

, with additional reporting by Anni Schleicher

By Louis Gore-Langton

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