Since the spring of 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated worldwide to raise awareness and responsibility for the environment. And while the planet, and the living organisms that inhabit it, are being compromised by all kinds of pollution, plastic waste has steadily emerged as a sobering global crisis. According to the Plastic Soup Foundation, the production of plastic has increased every year by 8 percent and more of the polymeric material was produced over the last 10 years than during the entire 20th century. In the U.S. alone, over 60 million Cosmetic Plastic Bottle Packaging is thrown away every day.Last year, REN Clean Skincare caused a stir with its first-ever 100 percent recycled Plastic PET Bottles, with 20 percent of the plastic sourced directly from the ocean. Made in collaboration with Terracycle, the two companies will continue to challenge the industry status quo together, with REN pledging to go "zero waste" by 2021. A key component to fulfilling this goal will be offering six of their bestselling daily body care products in glass label-free bottles (designed to make them easier to clean and refill), with a single-type plastic pump for future recycling.The fashion house behind Chanel No. 5 spent two years developing a sustainable cap for perfume bottles with Finland’s Sulapac Oy, tossing out 47 prototypes before it was satisfied. The result: a biodegradable Perfume Cap made of 91% plant-based materials with a sleek black look and satiny feel.Chanel has unveiled a new biobased Aluminum Perfume Cap for all the 125 ml bottles in its Les Eaux De Chanel collection, developed in partnership with Sulapac. Chanel first invested in Sulapac—a startup company that makes sustainable packaging based on a biodegradable, microplastic-free trademarked material made from FSC-certified wood chips and natural binders—in 2018. It was Sulapac’s first investment from the cosmetics industry. For two years, Chanel teams worked hand-in-hand with the Finnish startup to create a cap composed of three layers, made out of 91% biobased materials obtained from renewable resources and FSC certified wood chips (by-products of industrial side-streams). In keeping with the rigorous standards of the House of Chanel, every detail was carefully thought out, says the company, including the sensory nature of the material, its resistance to fluctuations in temperature, the unique sound the bottle makes when the Zamac Perfume Cap is put on, the grip, and the depth of the satiny matte finish on the iconic double C engraving.
Finding ways to reduce plastic use and make packaging more recyclable and reusable, all the while maintaining product integrity, quality and safety, is a well-known challenge facing the packaging industry. When it comes to sectors such as food and drink or pharmaceuticals, or elements like Cosmetic Caps and Closures, the challenge becomes more difficult as packaging suddenly has a far higher burden in regards to ensuring safety. And while materials such as polypropylene are largely recyclable, there is no guarantee that they will be used in products that fit into larger recycling streams.
Paper Packaging is often lauded as a far more environmentally friendly alternative but how do the two materials really compare? And what is the most sustainable solution?
