REN Clean Skincare recently announced its Clean to Planet initiative, and will now be one of the first prestige skincare brands to offer consumers a product in a 100% recycled bottle containing reclaimed ocean plastic. This initiative is the brand’s latest step toward becoming a Zero Waste company.
 
In time for Earth Month 2018, REN Clean Skincare partnered with recycling TerraCycle, to create a new 100% recycled bottle containing 20% reclaimed ocean plastic. Starting late summer 2018, the brand’s award-winning Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Wash will feature the new hybrid 100% recycled plastic, 20% of which will be plastic collected by global NGOs from oceans, beaches, rivers, lakes and the banks of those waterways. The range was fittingly chosen for the pilot ocean plastics program as it’s formulated with bio-actives, sustainably sourced from the ocean. To further reduce the environmental impact of the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium bottles, the current pump, which contains a metal spring, will be replaced with a metal-free pump. Additional products in the range including hand and body lotions in the new hybrid recycled/ocean plastic packaging will be phased in across REN Clean Skincare’s full global distribution by early 2019.
 
REN Clean Skincare says its decision to use reclaimed ocean plastic in the production of its prestige skincare and body care packaging comes at a time when the health of the ocean has reached a crisis state. According to a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), an enormous mass of plastic waste floating between Hawaii and California, is four to 16 times larger than previously estimated and contains in excess of 79,000 tons of plastic over an area of 1.6 million km2. This toxic floating island has become a visible symbol of the environmental impact of plastic waste on the health of our oceans and the wildlife that inhabit it.
 
“In addition to being 100% recycled, the new packaging will be easily recyclable on the backend reinforcing REN Clean Skincare’s commitment to their goal of becoming a Zero Waste brand,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO & founder.
 
Also timed for Earth Day 2018, the activist beauty leader pledged to become a Zero Waste brand by 2021. Product packaging is the first focus in this endeavor with REN Clean Skincare ensuring all packaging elements are 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable. The new approach to meet this ambitious Zero Waste goal includes:
 
REDUCE: All unnecessary packaging will be eliminated beginning with cleanser cartons effective second half 2018.
 
REUSE: Packaging will be designed to be refilled or repurposed including the upcycling of post-consumer packaging to create new packs.
 
RECYCLE: All packaging will be 100% recyclable. REN Clean Skincare will leverage the power of their website and social media platforms to share recycling best practices.
 
Stay tuned to Beauty Packaging’s April/May issue—and our panel at Luxe Pack New York—for more on Environmental Responsible Packaging and Practices in the Beauty Industry.