John Delfaussse, vice president global package development and chief environmental officer, Estee Lauder Corporate Packaging, joined the Beauty Packaging sponsored panel at Luxe Pack New York titled “Sustainable Packaging: Gearing Up for a Perfect Storm in the Beauty Industry.” Joining Delfausse on the panel was Sandra Krasovec, associate professor in the Packaging Design Department, School of Art and Design, Fashion Institiute of Technology, and Sylvia Springolo, Client Service Office for Grail Research.

The phrase “A Dot on the Head of a Pin,” served as the theme of Delfausse’s presentation. He said that it’s Estee Lauder’s belief that packaging “must be beneficial, safe and healthy–throughout its total lifecycle,” adding that with innovation in eco-friendly materials and ideas, beauty brands can have it all. “The vision,” he said, is “Cradle to Cradle–if you make it right, you can have it all and still be good for the environment.”

Delfausse emphasized material choice as one of the pillars of an environmentally sustainable packaging program. Cellulose plastic was an example he provided as being a particularly viable solution today, joining renewable and recyclable feedstocks as well as materials with reclaimability.

In addition to material choice, good manufacturing processes and product stewardship, he said, are also keys. He said product stewardship is designing a product for its end of life, having return programs, and retail and supplier partnerships.

“We don’t have a plan to reduce our package–we optimize it,” he said.