The path to sustainable packaging is littered with pitfalls; it truly is a significant challenge to redesign your beauty brand packaging to be more sustainable – and get it to market.  It is not uncommon to hear of brands working hard to make a transition to sustainable packaging, and the process takes twelve to twenty-four months. The innovation process is complicated, filled with multiple stakeholders, each of whom has a goal to reach or a metric to hit. The result–some great ideas never gain traction. Redesigning cosmetic packaging to be more sustainable requires a new way of design thinking –a more holistic supply chain approach that includes multiple stakeholders like brand, manufacturing, packaging engineering, design, procurement, and production sitting at the table at the beginning of the process. In the end – the new design must deliver on the most important metric of all – brand presence and consumer experience – all while keeping costs in check, not disrupting current manufacturing processes, and enhancing performance. The good news is that it’s not necessary to replace the entirety of a pack or product to improve upon it. Consider a staged process — adapting just one aspect initially and evolving the design versus a complete overhaul. Or analyze current materials to determine if you can take advantage of the mono-material trend. For example, millions of lipsticks are sold every year and each of those is encased in a complex mechanism containing multiple parts made of mixed materials, which makes them difficult or impossible to recycle. Today there are lipsticks casings that are 100% aluminum and can be produced in the regular manufacturing process and provide a sustainable claim for the brand. Consumers globally continue to be concerned about sustainability, and that concern likely will only increase.  It takes time, effort, and serious due diligence to make a commitment to sustainability. Focusing on continual analysis of packaging materials will satisfy consumer interests, reduce production costs, are safer for the environment, and benefit your brand. Are you doing everything you can with your packaging to future-proof your beauty brand?

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