Guide: Designing better beauty and wellness packaging
The beauty industry has a packaging problem. The vast majority of beauty product packaging will not be refilled or recycled. They will end up in landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. This has to change. This guide will get you started on designing better packaging from the start.
Sustainable Packaging Design Principles and Practices
Reduce materials
Less is more: Recycling isn't always possible. Designing packaging to reduce materials can have an important impact.
Lightweighting: Keep it light. Resist the urge to use more material to feel "luxe." This means designing with fewer layers, no "lifts" to make the products appear bigger, and without oversized caps.
Design for recycling
Tiny stuff isn’t caught in curbside recycling streams: Items smaller than a yogurt cup or fist are unlikely to be recycled by curbside recycling programs.
Keep it simple: Mixed materials can make packaging unrecyclable. Monomaterials are more likely to get recycled. Rigid/firm packaging is most likely to get recycled. If using mixed materials, make sure they can be disassembled easily to increase the likelihood of recycling.
Beware of wishcycling
That warm and fuzzy feeling we get when we think that our used container will have another life is great…when our packaging can actually be recycled. We want people to know what to do with their packaging, not guess and hope for the best (we call that wishcycling).
Recycling arrows, AKA the chasing arrows symbol or the Mobius Loop, on plastic packaging do not automatically mean that the packaging is recyclable. There is actually new legislation to combat the incorrect use of this symbol because it can often times confuse consumers.
Out tip? Educate customers on proper disposal. Tell them it needs to be clean, what needs to be separated to be recycled, and what should be thrown in the trash.
Use the highest PCR percentage possible
Post-consumer recycled (PCR or post-industrial recycled PIR) packaging is made from materials that are successfully recycled by curbside programs and other specialty recycling processes (like those who work with Pact to collect hard-to-recycle beauty packaging).
Using recycled content reduces the amount of virgin material produced, which in turn reduces toxic pollution, creation of climate-changing emissions, and other negative impacts from oil and gas drilling/refining. Demand for PCR will lead to better market rates and recycling processes and infrastructure.
“Pact-accepted” doesn’t automatically mean “sustainable”
Pact’s Collection Programs are one tool in the sustainability toolbox. Properly discarding beauty empties is a step in the right direction, but we understand that better recycling rates alone will not reverse our industry’s packaging problem.
Just because Pact can collect and (hopefully) recycle/process certain packaging, does not mean we should continue to design this way. Refillable components are best, followed by high PCR and curbside recyclable packaging. Pact takes the hard-to-recycle components but ideally we’re all creating less of these types of packages.
We suggest designing for end-of-life by using the information gathered from our recyclers to source and design better starting at the beginning of the supply chain.
Make it refillable
Let’s kickstart a refill revolution! Let’s provide durable containers made sustainably, and designed to be refilled. Let’s create smart inserts and bulk refills that also follow sustainable packaging guidelines (e.g. lightweight and with recyclable material). Just remember, pouches and non-rigid packaging for refills are unlikely to be recycled.
No more single-use
Single-use products are not necessary for the success of the beauty industry. Sustainability means increasingly moving away from sample packets, sheet masks, wipes, pads, and other non-woven disposal products.
Some components are necessary for product application (like mascara wands) but others are not (like small spatula applicators). Decrease waste and be sure your customers know how to dispose of, recycle, or properly reuse your product packaging.
Ship smarter
Shipping is another opportunity to reduce: Shipping products around the world has a huge impact on the carbon footprint of the beauty industry. Avoid air freighting when possible.
Packaging the packaging: There are layers to the packaging problem. The first step is using recycled and recyclable shipping materials. If you use robust primary product packaging you can avoid the need for fillers like styrofoam peanuts. You can also avoid filler use by working with your warehouse to pack cases in the most efficient and protective way. If you must use fillers, opt for biodegradable starches that can be composted.
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