Guide: Beauty packaging end-of-life
Packaging end-of-life is largely determined by the materials used. Beauty products have various packaging needs. It is impossible for us to say what is best for your products since one size does not fit all, but the following guide will help you make sense of the complicated world of packaging materials.
Where does it go when it’s gone?
Refill or Reuse: Reuse/refill models are the gold standard for beauty packaging. When a user is done with the product, the packaging is either returned to the producer to be sanitized and refilled, or the user refills it themselves. These models most effectively minimize waste in beauty packaging.
Compost: Compostable materials are designed for home composting or industrial composting facilities. Unfortunately, curbside industrial composting programs that accept packaging are currently only accessible to a small fraction of users.
Recycling: Packaging that is recycled by a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is either mechanically recycled, molecularly recycled, or processed as waste-to-energy through incineration. Unfortunately, most beauty packaging is incompatible with the majority MRFs’ processing capabilities due to materials and size.
Trash: Landfills and pollution are the inevitable ends for a LOT of our beauty packaging. Even those materials that promise to be compostable, recyclable, or sustainably designed often end up as waste.
Recycling is complicated.
Recycling is seriously complex. We work to be as transparent as possible when it comes to what we’re able to properly recycle through our collection programs. We are clear on how we collect, sort, and recycle/process the materials sent to us. Pact prioritizes upcycling, downcycling, molecular recycling, and waste-to-energy in that order. We're transparent about our recycling rates.
Pact’s Collection Program is one tool in our toolbox. On its own, it will not change our industry’s packaging problem. We need to start designing for end-of-life realities and more sustainable packaging overall at the beginning of the supply chain (aka circularity!). Just because Pact can collect and properly recycle/process these materials doesn’t mean we should continue to design this way. Our goal is to move away from specialty programs like Pact and develop packaging that can be recycled curbside or, even better, can be reused.
Types of recycling
Mechanical recycling
Mechanical recycling is the most common and most sustainable way to recycle. The materials are sorted by material types (plastics, glass, paper, aluminum). The material is further sorted by size, thickness, and color. The materials get washed before they are physically broken down.
Plastic that is successfully recycled mechanically gets melted down into pellets and sold for reuse in packaging and other goods as post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. Paper is broken down with water and turned into a pulp that can be reconstituted for future paper products. Glass can be broken down, melted, and used again endlessly through mechanical recycling. However, color, size and deco of packaging may impact the longevity of recycled glass.
Molcular recycling
Molecular recycling involves breaking down materials to their most basic molecular components so that they can be used as “raw” material in future products.
However, in order to be sustainable, molecular recycling requires a large collection of eligible materials. As a result, the infrastructure for molecular recycling is still under development. We should be cautiously aware of the energy required for this process.
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-Energy processing involves the conversion of plastic waste into energy through incineration. Plastics that have not been successfully recycled mechanically or molecularly can find a new life through waste-to-energy. Mechanical recycling and molecular recycling are preferable as we lose the opportunity to reuse the material through incineration and it causes air pollution. In many cases, these facilities are located in/near underserved communities and disproportionality harm poor communities. However, with landfill crowding in some parts of the world, waste-to-energy can be a good alternative.
Not all plastics are alike.
Plastic is the most problematic material when it comes to our packaging. Different types of packaging are recycled at different rates: PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) have the highest rates of being recycled. However, PP (Polypropylene) and PVC (Polyvinyl) chloride are recycled at pretty low rates.
Since the majority of beauty products are packaged in some form of plastic, it means very few of these containers have a chance at a second life. Recycled PET can turn into new jars and containers, carpet, construction materials, and protective packaging. HDPE is often turned into pens, plastic tables, and benches.
When designing packaging, choosing a supplier and communicating to consumers, it is critical that the packaging end-of-life is considered. We are huge proponents of a reverse-engineered approach to packaging decision-making. Thinking about how, if, and by what means packaging is recycled allows us to select materials that ensure packaging is as sustainable as possible. For more information, we encourage you to check out our sustainable sourcing guide and our sustainable packaging design guide for more information.
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