Sustainable Packaging Innovations: Brands - part 3 Recycle
Beauty and wellness brands are rethinking and redesigning “greener” packaging solutions with refillable formats and using renewable or upcycled materials in new and interesting ways.
This 4-part series of reports highlights all the most innovative and interesting packaging concepts launched in the last 12 months from mass to luxury brands, split into the 4R’s:
In part three, Recycle, we highlight packaging featuring recycled materials as well as the latest retailers offering in-store recycling schemes.
Made with Recycled or Recycled Contents
The Body Shop
The Full Flowers range includes four eau de parfums - Full Orange Blossom, Rose, Iris and Ylang Ylang. The bottle is made from recycled glass, with a cap designed to be more sustainable - it is made from naturally renewable wood and cork.
Why it’s interesting? Features a cap based on Pujolasos Wood & Pack’s Woork patented innovation, which was designed with neither plastic nor glue for a lower environmental impact. The component is made only with ash wood and encased cork, with FSC Mix certification.
Market: Global
Launch: June 2023
Day & West
Described as skincare that is 'both functional and beautiful', Day & West offers 'high-performance, luxurious skincare essentials made for sensitive skin'. It uses ingredients such as linoleic acids, strawberry, blueberry, calendula and prickly pear as key ingredients.
Why it’s interesting? All products are housed in glass bottles made in Italy with 90% recycled glass, 60% of which is PRC glass. Caps and droppers are made of non-virgin plastic materials which can be reused. The brand has partnered with Pact Collective to help consumers recycle empties more easily.
Market: Global
Launch: June 2023
Nivea
New sustainability innovations for the NIVEA and Eucerin brand that incorporates a refillable packaging and eco-friendly materials.
Why it’s interesting? NIVEA Sun and NIVEA Lip Care products now come in more environmentally friendly formulas and packaging featuring 50% recycled materials, while the Eucerin packaging now comes in a refillable jar - saving 90% of plastic compared to the previous packaging.
Market: Germany
Launch: September 2023
L'Occitane
L’Occitane en Provenance teamed up with Loop Industries in October 2022 to launch a 100% recycled PET resin bottle. Piloting with the brand’s Almond Shower Oil, this is part of the brand’s mission to switch to 100% recycled PET in its bottle by 2025.
Why it’s interesting? Uses a groundbreaking technology from Loop Industries which allows low-value polyester fibres to be recycled into high-purity, virgin-quality, infinitely recyclable materials.
Market: Global
Launch: October 2022
PYT Beauty
Set Me Up Setting Powder is easy to recycle and is made with 15% of recycled plastic and composed of pre-degraded plastic.
Why it’s interesting? Features a tiny hole at the back of the palette that enables the aluminium pan to pop out easily out of the plastic compact so that both parts can be easily recycled.
Market: US
Launch: May 2023
Nuori
Danish skincare company NUROI opts for airless packaging for its new product, The One. The One is said to contain eight hero skincare ingredients in one formula.
Why it’s interesting? To protect the formula and maintain its high performance, the brand used Quadpack’s Regula Airless packaging to ensure no external contamination. The outer bottle and cap is made from recycled PET and were left uncoloured.
Market: Europe
Launch: April 2023
Before
Canadian oral care brand Before offers three toothpastes - Sensitive, Whitening and Classic - packaged in a 100% recyclable sugarcane tube. 1% of all sales go to the BeforeCares Foundation to support social and climate programmes. The formulas feature clean ingredients and is dentist-approved.
Why it’s interesting? The packaging contains no fossil fuel-based plastic - the tube is made from a plant-based material which is 100% recyclable. The sugarcane packaging creates a “50% less carbon footprint than traditional plastic tubes”.
Market: Canada,
Launch: November 2022
In-store Recycling Schemes
Sephora
Called (Re)Purposed, Sephora has rolled out a new sustainability initiative aimed at reducing reliance on hard-to-recycle packaging materials.
Why it’s interesting? The first in-store recycling scheme in the US and Canada, in collaboration with Pact Collective, enables shoppers to return empty beauty packaging from any brand back to over 600 stores in North America. It will turn empty packaging into new materials or energy - such as new packaging, carpet, asphalts or pallets.
Market: US/Canada
Launch: April 2023
Harrods H Beauty
The luxury department store piloted a makeup recycling scheme called MyBeauty. Running for three months at its Milton Keynes store, it allows shoppers to recycle empty makeup and skincare containers in exchange for points or money off their next purchase
Why it’s interesting? Luxury retailers are now tapping into sustainability to encourage its shoppers to reduce waste via take-back schemes.
Market: UK
Launch: January 2023
The Perfume Shop
The Perfume Shop launched a fragrance recycling scheme - which is said to be the biggest service to date. The retailer has incorporated improved recycling units across all of its 211 nationwide stores. Consumers receive a discount while the retailer will make a donation to the Eden Reforestation Projects to plant a tree for every bottle recycled.
Why it’s interesting? The newly installed recycling units will enable consumers to drop off empty fragrance bottle into any of The Perfume Shop stores.
Market: UK
Launch: April 2023
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Brands are opting for higher percentages of recycled materials for packaging such as recycled glass and/or non-virgin plastics.
- In-store recycling schemes are not new, but retailers and department stores are making it easier for people to recycle their products by improving recycling units by making it more accessible. The Perfume Shop has increased its in-store recycling to 211 stores.
- Take-back schemes that offer discounts on future purchases can entice shoppers to return empty packaging.
- Give packaging a new life by repurposing old empty bottles that have been returned back to the store into new materials such as new packaging.
- Partner with innovative recycling companies like Terracycle or PACT Collective to recycle and reuse end of life packaging.
Click on the below to access and read our other Sustainable Packaging Innovations: Brands reports in the series:
Sustainable Packaging Innovations: Brands - Part 1 Reuse/Refill
Sustainable Packaging Innovations: Brands - Part 2 Reduce
Sustainable Packaging Innovations: Brands - Part 4 Recover
