Beauty brands have always been prominent for their profligate packaging and their appeal to the customers. However, as the concerns keep growing for the environment, consumers and critics alike have started to call out brands and companies that do not regard this problem. This call-out culture has ever since pushed numerable companies to pay attention to their role in saving the environment. The current focus for the industry of beauty products is to create packaging that is sustainable as well as appealing to the customers. From refillable to recyclable and compostable product packaging, several options have been absorbed by the companies.
The Zero Waste Week reports 120 billion pieces of packaging is produced by the industry year-round. With customer age ranging from 24 to 33 year-olds, industries have nowhere to hide from these concerns. Read the article to know how beauty brands are handling this dilemma:
Customer Demands for Recyclables:
Customers’ demands have been shaping businesses for as long as we can remember. Now that recyclable packaging has entered the spotlight, customers are embracing it with open arms and demand brands to do so too. This has brought industries in the beauty sector to fight fiercely against single-use plastic packaging and to revolve around PCR (Post Consumer Resins) plastics. Take Aveda, for instance; the company has managed to bring 85% of its hair and skin products to the use of PCR containers, that are 100% PCR material based.
The industry is currently researching packaging that eliminates the use of virgin plastics. This involves substitutes such as sugarcane bioplastic, seaweed, and cow waste. The potential solution will completely eliminate the need for plastics and replacement will be healthy for the environment.
Future of Packaging: Innovation:
Using sustainable materials are proving effective in the industry towards a better future for all brands. Innovative alternatives are working and industries are taking on these packaging replacements one after another. Now, the future of packaging is being reshaped with bioplastics, sugarcane byproducts, glass, and aluminium.
Another example of impactful novelty in the industry is the near-infrared colourants in the packaging; this allows the machines to locate and sort black plastics instead of them passing unnoticed by the machines like they used to. This enables the system to eliminate the chances of such plastics ending up in landfills.
Beauty Brands Tackling Waste in their Packaging:
Reuse, recycle and refills aren’t the only solutions industries are merging with their packaging. It is aimed to reduce the waste in online and in-store product packaging as well. What makes the recycling of beauty products difficult, in most cases, is the use of different materials like paper inserts, cardboard cutouts, and mirror glasses, etc. which makes the separation and recycle process near to impossible. However, after the realisation of this problem by the brands, excessive wastes as such are being avoided now.
Luxury brands like Dior are taking sustainable packaging more seriously and have started reducing the extra packaging inserts and items. After facing customer backlash, Glossier announced limited packaging options to their customers to tackle the problem.
Brands and businesses are shifting towards greener options and it is the only choice they have if they are to avoid facing backlashes and call out from customers. Luckily, the advancement and innovation in technology are there to aid business in this cause as they have been doing for the past decades. Taking on such solutions and alternatives prove beneficial not only for your business and reputation but also for the customers and the environment.
