Eco-design, eco-refills, glass, aluminum, zero waste and other reassuring proposals are flourishing for cosmetic packaging. But are these eco-responsible and "clean" packagings really so? Faced with pressure from consumers, manufacturers and brands are working together to develop the least harmful and most economical packaging, while remaining desirable. A real challenge!
What is eco-responsible and clean packaging?
It is virtuous packaging, that is to say that it does not pollute or pollutes little during its manufacture, and whose disappearance has no impact on the environment (eco-designed). The difficulty is to reconcile the use of the product, its cost and its often very specific manufacturing standards. And unfortunately, it is often the most polluting materials that are the safest and easiest to use. This is the case with plastic, very cheap and very practical. Weighing the pros and cons in choosing packaging is a delicate process, a real headache: is the ugly plastic ultimately more harmful than the holy glass? If the parameters to evaluate are numerous, what is certain is that the only packaging that has no impact is the one that we do not produce ( zero waste and bulk ).
Paper and cardboard, bravo champions
Considered the least dangerous for the planet, cardboard packaging degrades easily if, by chance, it ends up in nature.
Made from wood, the fibres of the paper pulp do not resist humidity, which is an advantage for nature, but a disadvantage for manufacturers: since cardboard can only contain dry materials, it is often rejected. In clean beauty , it is the reference packaging for all dry products such as soaps , solid shampoos or accessories. It is very recyclable, because its own recycling sector produces packaging made from recycled cardboard and paper. And if the inscriptions are made with vegetable and biodegradable inks, then paper and cardboard are the cleanest and most harmless materials there are. As long as they are not lined with an outer plastic film to make them shinier and stronger, or an inner film to make them waterproof (as for cups). Note: opposing biodegradable and recyclable is particularly inconsistent in the case of paper since it is both at the same time. One does not prevent the other!
Plastic packaging, it lasts forever
Unsurprisingly, plastics (very numerous) are the bad students. It is unfortunately very difficult to deprive oneself of its "qualities" in the world of packaging. Light, very cheap, plastic is infinitely modular thanks to chemical products. Polymers and treatments make it possible to obtain a tailor-made material: density, hardness, flexibility, color, texture. We can manufacture bottles, but also overpackaging in the form of transparent plastic film, bags, but also boxes, of mediocre or very luxurious quality, in short, plastic has all the advantages... except that of being clean!
Once created, its material derived from oil never disappears. At best, it is recycled and transformed into new packaging or objects. A process that has its limits, because plastic loses its properties over the course of recycling and quickly requires the addition of new "virgin" plastic.
The problem of plastic incineration
At worst, plastic waste is incinerated or buried, creating massive soil and air pollution, because the incineration or pyrolysis of plastic generates CO2 and contributes to global warming. They are found in the sea where they degrade into microplastics , impossible to filter. This plastic waste colonizes the oceans and is absorbed by marine organisms that sometimes end up on our plates! Reducing the use of plastic is a challenge, especially forfood and cosmetic products , which require impeccable hygiene. Manufacturers are now offering more and more eco-responsible alternatives, such as:
- PCR (Post Consumer Recycled) packaging, which is nothing other than recycled plastic, from household waste
- Lighter caps/capsules (by reducing their sizes).
Bioplastics, not so fantastic?
Plant-based plastics (or bioplastics) are said to have the qualities of petrochemical plastics, but not their drawbacks. Except that... made from sugar cane or corn, they are sometimes bio-sourced, but not always biodegradable. And if they are designed without oil, this poses other problems: this plant material must be supplied in quantity and therefore the soil must be used to grow these plants. However, using a consumable resource and arable land to make plastic at a time when millions of humans are dying of hunger raises questions. Not to mention that these plants, which often come from the other side of the world, have a heavy carbon footprint even before being transformed into plastic.
Bioplastics, neither organic nor biodegradable
Then, the "bio-PE" (PolyEthylene) or "bio PET" (PolyEthyleneTerephthalate) undergo chemical transformations that make them materials of the same type as petroleum-based plastics. A bioplastic bag, made from sugar cane, will take decades to decompose, just like a conventional plastic bag. And in the meantime, if the plant-based plastic bag ends up in the sea, it will still suffocate the turtles. This is the whole ambiguity of bioplastics: they are called "bio", which suggests that they are obtained without chemicals and are naturally biodegradable. In fact, most so-called "biodegradable" plastics are not in individual composts. They only degrade in industrial composters, which are very rare in France. As for the sorting channels for recycling these bioplastics, they do not exist. These bioplastics, which sometimes end up in the yellow bin with other plastics, will be collected and taken to a recycling plant which will not be able to take them into account.
To address this problem, the new “OK Home Compost” label indicates waste that degrades on its own in nature or in household compost. Finally, these plant-based plastics will still emit CO2 if they are incinerated at the end of their life.
The glass ceiling
Glass is considered the cleanest material that exists. It is true that it has many advantages: infinitely recyclable, washable, pretty, it allows for beautiful creations. However, glass production is done at very high temperatures in ovens that run day and night at more than 1500°, thus consuming a lot of energy. In addition, it can be heavy: its transport thus adds a share of pollution to the bill and its carbon footprint. The solution is therefore to adopt so-called "light" glass. Finally, it is fragile: breakable during transport or dangerous when used at home or in stores. Disadvantages that mean that glass is still rarely chosen (wrongly?) by manufacturers and consumers. But the lines are starting to move.
Glass, a strategic choice
Nobody wants to see a bottle of shower gel break in the bathtub. But for all other uses (make-up remover waters, oils, serums, creams, etc.), glass is a very interesting alternative to plastic. It can be refilled, and in this case, it is only manufactured and transported once.
Aluminum in question
Aluminum packaging, unlike glass, is relatively light. On the waste side, aluminum is not biodegradable and can persist for a long time in nature, but it is very easily and infinitely recyclable (provided, of course, that it is sorted and the caps and pumps associated with it are separated).
Another important point: when aluminum ends up on the seabed, it oxidizes and becomes dust (no impact on underwater life)... unlike plastic which degrades into microplastics, sooner or later ingested by fish which end up on our plates.
In cosmetics, the cleanest option (with an aesthetic result equivalent to that of virgin aluminum) is to choose:
- Either PCR (Post Consumer Recycled) aluminum
- Either PIR (Post Industrial Recycled) aluminum. The recycled material comes from aluminum production waste.
The fact that it is opaque, finally, is a great option for cosmetics.
There are, however, two drawbacks with aluminum:
- To produce it, it must be extracted from certain minerals (including bauxite) using polluting chemical processes, which emit millions of tons of greenhouse gases worldwide and consume large quantities of water and energy. Open-pit bauxite mines cause environmental damage (chemical waste, damage to flora and fauna).
- It gets damaged easily: you must therefore be prepared to sometimes buy products that are a little dented (transport).
Aluminum and polyfoil, not to be confused
It may seem like you are buying an aluminum pack when in fact it is made up of different layers, including plastic. Called polyfoil, this process makes it possible to obtain small tubes of hand cream that are flexible and non-breakable, for example. It is impossible to envisage recycling, because the different layers of polyfoil are not separable.
Aluminum: a danger for food
As for its safety, aluminum is accused of leaching too easily into food products, which can have a significant impact on health. However, it is extremely widespread: beverage cans, trays, tin cans or even aluminum foil in the kitchen.
Does eco-friendly packaging exist?
If by ecological we mean "having no impact on the environment", the answer is no, and forever. Apart from reusing a paper bag (provided the inks are biodegradable), all manufacturing consumes energy, and therefore resources, oil and water among others, and releases CO2 . We must therefore make a choice and choose our fight, taking into account the complete life cycle of the material: manufacturing, use and end of life. We must also have a long-term vision of packaging and not a "single use" vision.
Packaging and eco-design
Recyclable, reusable, today packaging cannot do without eco-design! Reducing the volume of plastic used with eco-refills, instead of bottles that we throw away, is a first step. But the ideal is above all to reduce packaging that has a very long lifespan, and to favor recycled and recyclable materials.
Recycling must be deployed
In addition to encouraging consumers, it is essential to have the support of public authorities and politicians to increase sorting capacity and strengthen the sectors. When will there be a reward for those who sort and thus enable communities to make savings? And what about the companies , still too rare, that are developing an internal system so that employees, who fill their office bins, also sort them? Because between the glass bottles in restaurants and the paper in offices, how much recyclable waste slips through the cracks.
The ideal eco-responsible packaging would therefore be perfectly biodegradable in nature, or in garden compost or even recovered in the form of energy thanks to methanization, a technique that produces fuel from organic, household or agricultural waste. Except that it does not exist. It's up to you to choose your fight!
