Heavy snowfall, ice, intense rains, flooding and fallen trees and power lines have all marked a season of weather patterns rarely seen on the East Coast of the United States. Similarly, a variety of economic and cultural patterns have impacted the beauty industry. While Mother Nature wreaked havoc on local geography, conditions in the packaging industry point to a positive outcome: one in which sustainable practices will not only improve our global and ecological future, but one which also promises to reap economic rewards for suppliers and manufacturers.

According to many of the experts I spoke with in writing the feature on sustainable packaging for this issue (please see p.16), the movement toward eco-friendly packaging is no longer a fad, but a growing trend—and one which must be taken very seriously if brands and suppliers want to remain competitive. Meanwhile, market research shows that opportunities in environmentally responsible products and packaging abound.

To complement this theme, we’ve included contributed articles on sustainable packaging written by two esteemed members of our Board of Advisors: John Delfausse, vice president global package development and chief environmental officer, Estée Lauder Corporate Packaging; and Maureen Kelly, creator and CEO of Tarte Cosmetics.

John will also be a speaker on Beauty Packaging’s upcoming special panel on sustainability at Luxe Pack New York on May 19, along with Sandra Krasovec of FIT and Silvia Springolo of Grail Research. It promises to be an event certain to move the “green” conversation along.

Also in this issue you’ll notice that we’ve welcomed a new member to our Board of Advisors. In the future, you’ll be hearing from Philippe Bonningue, L’Oréal’s vice president packaging and development for corporate operations North America.

Additional print features this month focus on metals for primary packages and sun care packaging. And don’t forget to visit nitesh_bp.rodpub.com for exclusive online articles, daily news, industry reports, and our popular The Expert’s View column.

We’re generating a deluge of activity of our own.

We hope you enjoy this issue—and look forward to seeing you at Luxe Pack New York.

Jamie Matusow
[email protected]