While Beauty Packaging’s special feature in our upcoming April/May issue will highlight the topic of Environmentally Responsible Packaging in the Beauty World, the topic is worth a look this month, as well, as it will undoubtedly continue to impact our industry. The start of 2018 has brought a flurry of news concerning the effects of plastic packaging on the future of the planet—and on the consumer product industry, in general.

Announcements concerning plastic packaging reform have been made by influential governing powers, brand manufacturers and suppliers.

In mid-January, the European Union announced a plan that would “lay the foundations for a new plastic economy,” ensuring that all plastic packaging must be recyclable by 2030.
“If we don’t change the way we produce and use plastics, there will be more plastics than fish in our oceans by 2050,” said European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. “The only long-term solution is to reduce plastic waste by recycling and reusing more.”

About a week later—and a year after Unilever made a commitment to ensure 100% of its plastic packaging was fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025—the company’s CEO Paul Polman recognized other companies’ commitments—and called for more consumer goods manufacturers to step up their efforts in this regard.

Polman said: “Addressing the issue of ocean plastic is a shared responsibility–all stakeholders in the value chain must work together in partnership to find effective solutions. However, there is no doubt that the response from the consumer goods industry will be amongst the most critical in determining the speed at which positive change takes place. We are at a critical juncture.”

News that packaging company Amcor would develop all of its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, followed suit. In addition, the company committed to “significantly increase its use of recycled materials and drive more recycling of packaging around the world.”

On the retail side, NaturaBrasil opened a second boutique in the U.S. in January. Both stores reflect the brand’s sustainability efforts and values with their décor, and all packaging is made of 100% post-consumer recycled materials and is recyclable.

The brand manufacturers mentioned here are just a fraction of those taking this route in the beauty industry. Stay tuned for our April/May feature on Environmentally Responsible Packaging, in which we’ll bring you the latest on beauty industry suppliers and brands who are offering the packaging and practices that more and more brands and consumers are seeking.