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Eco-conscious consumers are demanding greener packaging to help save the planet, and corporate boards are requiring increased sustainability measures to boost the bottom line. Add in new global standards and growing retail requirements, and there may be a perfect storm gathering in the beauty world. Read on for the latest forecast.

By Jamie Matusow, Editor

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a "perfect storm" is an expression that describes an event in which a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically. This phenomena now parallels in the beauty industry, where a number of factors are gathering momentum, resulting in a whirlwind of activity unlike any witnessed before. While previous decades have shown a rise in environmental awareness and consumer interest in natural products and reduced packaging, the intensity of the movement subsequently subsided. Today, sustainability, in the beauty industry and elsewhere, is no longer considered a fad—it's accepted as a trend, and predicted to become a global way of life.

In addition to consumers' growing earth-friendly attitudes, corporate boards have caught wind of the effects of sustainable practices on profitability, and have propelled efforts into high gear. Add to this the increasingly powerful role of retail giant Walmart, as well as legislation from countries such as China and Germany—and sustainable packaging protocols for the beauty industry are pushing brands and suppliers to new levels of creativity and compliance.

The More Things Change

While a move toward sustainable packaging has been brewing for quite some time, conditions are now prime for gale-force change.

More than a decade ago, a 1999 story on sustainability in Beauty Packaging magazine addressed the fact that over the previous 10 years, brands had begun responding to consumers' awakening to the importance of protecting the environment. The article quoted Larry Plesent, president and CEO of Vermont Soapworks, on the importance of education in meeting environmental goals. "The future consumers, kids graduating high school now, were raised on a different set of 'the three R's': reduce, reuse, recycle," he said, warning that marketers must either adapt or die. "You must have the best product in the world," he said, "but if you overpackage, educated consumers will know."

Fast forward eleven years, and Darrin Duber-Smith, president of Green Marketing, Inc., and visiting assistant professor of marketing at Denver's Metro State College, says, "Nothing's really changed in the last 20 years." He explains that sustainability is now receiving more publicity, in part, because "it depends on what the media wants to focus on."

However, Duber-Smith concedes that action is progressing on a number of fronts, and says, "I think everyone's looking at packaging right now."

Multiple Fronts Colliding

Duber-Smith explains that there are eight forces that drive the sustainability movement. Although these motivators have always been there, they're now picking up speed all at once, setting the stage for "a perfect storm" (see sidebar "8 Key Drivers of Sustainability"). He says, "There's no one reason why it's growing—sustainability is more about efficiency than anything else. It just makes sense." He adds that it just "keeps rolling along," and that "we may or may not see a large cultural shift."

The beauty industry has found itself in the public eye of the sustainability storm, and Duber-Smith advises: "Beauty companies have to take it [sustainability] up or public relations groups will hammer [them]." What's more, he says, "Now they have to get in with a multi-pronged approach—water, energy, supply chain—the Green Buffet (his term for selecting various "green" items to incorporate), is gone; no longer can you pick and choose."

Duber-Smith says, "Sustainability is a business model first and a sustainability issue second," and he issues an alert: "To be global these days, you have to follow it.Companies need to see the whole picture. Failure for a company to recognize this means death."

Designer Connection

Sandra Krasovec, associate professor/packaging design at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and who serves on the Ad Hoc Faculty Senate Committee on Sustainability and President's Council on Sustainability, agrees that sustainability in packaging is a multi-pronged approach: "For most CPGs [consumer product goods], the social responsibility of developing smarter, more sustainable products and packaging is worked into overall business strategy in order to remain competitive. In the end it affects the bottom line and it's the right thing to do." In addition, she notes: "CPGs have to work with their suppliers in order to comply with scorecard criteria and remain on the shelves of Walmart stores."

Krasovec notes, "If it isn't already, sustainability will be built into business philosophy and strategy, but it still comes down to economics." She says beauty industry leaders such as Estée Lauder that have already put efforts into researching better materials and production processes will ultimately help smaller companies with a trickle-down effect.

Big and Small Beauty Companies

Whereas niche brands such as Soapworks, Pangea, LUSH and Weleda (see sidebar) remain prime examples of eco-friendly products and packaging and corporate commitment to the cause, today, beauty giant Estée Lauder is often cited for leading the pack in sustainable practices, such as the use of wind power and recycling programs, like the one at Origins where customers return their used packaging at counter for the brand to effectively recycle. John Delfausse, vice president global package development and chief environmental officer for Estée Lauder Corporate Packaging, was a founding member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. (Please see Delfausse's article on sustainability in this issue. Delfausse and Krasovec will both be speaking on Beauty Packaging's panel on sustainable packaging at Luxe Pack New York on May 19.)

Recently, global leader L' Oréal announced its membership in The Sustainability Consortium (TSC). Pam Alabaster, the company's senior vice president corporate communications and external affairs, says, "L'Oréal believes that consumer purchasing decisions are becoming increasingly influenced by the sustainability choices made by the companies that produce these products, and also believes that there is a need for a standardized approach to measure and report on the sustainability of consumer products, which the TSC can provide.

"L'Oréal takes a holistic approach to sustainability" adds Alabaster, "and our practices, initiatives and policies are developed with the goal of operating a business which provides for the triple bottom line; economic growth, environmental respect and social responsibility. Our approach to the selection of packaging materials is framed by three key principles: Respect, Reduce and Replace. Packaging is designed to provide the best formula/packaging combination, utilize the minimum amount of materials required and ensure optimum disposal conditions."

Consumer Interest

Now in the 21st century, it's clear that the initial, consumer-driven green movement of decades past is not receding. According to Duber-Smith, 50-75% (or the vast majority) of the population wants products that are natural/organic/green. "Consumers perceive green products as being good for them and good for the environment."

Even in the current economy, many consumers remain on a "green watch." The most recent research on green living, from market research company Mintel, found that more than one-third (35%) of survey respondents said they would pay more for "environmentally friendly" products. What's more, Chris Haack, Mintel senior analyst, notes: "Food and beverage and personal care are the two most mature categories, and account for the majority of green products in the marketplace."

According to the report, sales of green personal care products increased by 18% from 2006-08 and similar to food and beverage, saw only a slight incline in 2009 (1.2%). The research group says this segment is poised to resume rapid growth once consumer spending begins to recover from the current downturn. One-third of all consumers have never tried organic or natural personal care products, suggesting that there is plenty of room for growth in this market, says Haack. He adds, "We expect to see a growing trend toward upscale green personal care products targeted to spas, salons and other high-end retail outlets in the coming years."

The Right Packaging

But providing an eco-friendly product may no longer be enough to capture consumers' interest. Cosmetics groups are rallying for new regulations regarding claims such as natural and organic, and as Duber-Smith points out, consumers are looking at all elements of a product, looking beyond the ingredients to the packaging.

Brands savvy to these trends, as well as those aware of cost-saving and regulatory factors, have embraced a move to sustainable packaging—and suppliers continue to respond, ready to meet initiatives across the board.

Sustainable Packaging Sector Charts Growth

In a report released earlier this year, market intelligence firm Pike Research forecasts that the sustainable packaging sector is growing much faster than the overall packaging industry, and anticipates that eco-friendly packaging will nearly double in revenues between 2009 and 2014, from $88 billion to $170 billion. Pike's managing director Clint Wheelock, says,"The move toward more environmentally responsible packaging is being embraced by consumers, manufacturers, retailers, advocacy groups, and world governments alike."

Pike predicts that plastic-based packaging will be the fastest-growing segment of the sustainable packaging sector between now and 2014. "More eco-friendly plastic packaging will have a huge impact," says Wheelock, "because it represents more than a third of the total global packaging industry, second only to paper packaging."

Plastic Reduction by Design

Plastics are a major focus of L'Oréal's approach to incorporating sustainable practices, by reducing packaging materials and substituting eco-friendly alternatives.

For example, says Alabaster, Kiehl's Since 1851 Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleaner is made of 100% recycled plastic, preserving natural resources and reducing CO2 emissions. The packaging uses 100% PET PCR resin. Kiehl's Aloe Vera Biolage Delicate Care Oil 50ml is also manufactured with 100% PET PCR resin while Pureology 300ml shampoos are made with 25% HDPE PCR, and there's a plan to use 50% HDPE PCR by the end of 2010.

In addition to the more widespread use of PRC materials for primary packaging, in 1990, the L'Oréal Group launched a global weight reduction program for its bottles. In 2008, the initiative saw the quantity of plastic used in its bottles reduced by 800 tons. Garnier has pledged to reduce the weight of its plastic packaging by 15% by 2012 while the Professional Products Division aims to reduce the amount of HDPE used in its 1 liter bottles across 80 SKUs from 60 grams to 52 grams, shrinking the amount of plastic used by 120 tons. In addition, the company has taken initiatives to reduce materials used in labels, cartons, shippers and all forms of packaging.

Light weighting and reducing plastics now starts with the design stage.

With sustainability such a key issue, FIT's Krasovec says packaging designers have a stronger voice in the decision-making process and are moving to suppliers that offer more options for responsible choices. "We are looking to be better informed with the right information about packaging materials and production processes," she says. "Our relationship with manufacturers and suppliers must be strengthened so we can work in partnership in developing the best possible solution for a more sustainable package while still protecting the product and meeting consumers' needs. Designers and manufacturers are in agreement that there is a need to understand and use the ‘languages' of our different disciplines and expertise across marketing, packaging design, and manufacturing stakeholders. Semantics are still an issue," she adds.

With all that's changing in the packaging industry, Krasovec reports that the Packaging Design Department at FIT is currently waiting for approval to move forward with a credit certificate program in sustainable packaging design.

Davide Nicosia, of design firm NiCE Ltd., and a pioneer in the use of eco-friendly printing techniques, packaging materials and manufacturing processes, makes sustainability the starting point of every project. "On one project," he says, "we figured out a way to reduce the amount of plastic in a shampoo bottle by 13%." Nicosia explains, "This provided huge savings to the client, but even more importantly, it caused a dramatic reduction in waste. Something like 500 metric tons per year, just from redesigning the bottle for one shampoo brand."

While plastics are frequently used in samplers designed to let consumers trial a product, Xela Pack set out to replace the plastic mini packs with an eco-friendly alternative.

Anthony A. Gentile, director of art and marketing, Xela Pack, says, "With more and more people growing aware of the ‘plastic ocean' problem in the Pacific Ocean, it seems as though companies are finally paying more attention to finding alternatives to plastic. Product companies and packaging companies are utilizing more and more new materials that help to reduce the production of new plastic."

Gentile says Xela Pack's sample packaging uses about 92% less plastic than same-sized plastic bottles or tubes, and offers a huge reduction in the amount of plastic used for its samples. "Furthermore," he says, "the paper portion of the Xela Pack, which amounts to about 75% of the packet, can be constructed using 100% post consumer recycled paper."

PCR Tubes

Plastic tubes are another packaging segment where great sustainability strides have taken place both in light weighting and using alternative materials.

At Alcan Packaging Beauty, Nicholas Thorne, director, innovation and development, says, "All of our market segments are affected [by sustainability], and increasingly so. That said, the commodity type products are where it has been easier to develop and easier to market the improvements..." Alcan has reduced the environmental impact of a standard tube by up to 30% over the last few years, says Thorne, by down gauging, designing lightweight caps (Slender), and more recently introducing a tube specification with 60% post consumer resins (PCR) in the tube body.

"In the absence of suitable biopolymers," says Thorne, "pragmatic, readily available solutions are beginning to gather speed, such as reducing packaging weight, incorporating recycled materials, etc. It is even more and more common to see designers comparing and evaluating traditional fossil-based polymers not only based on their mechanical or aesthetic properties, but also their environmental impact."

Steven A. Gallo, vice president of sales and marketing for Global Packaging, says while they specialize in luxury acrylic and PETG jars and pump bottles for the upscale cosmetic market, they also market sustainable tubes.

He says, "Plastic tubes for the cosmetic and HBA markets is an area where the tube industry has made strides towards offering a reduced footprint on the environment by the use of PCR, derived from recycled milk bottles."PCR tubes, explains Gallo, are made from a unique combination of virgin and recycled plastic materials. "However," he says,"the recycled raw material we use is very uniform allowing predictable resin properties, thus maintaining a uniform PCR product and never sacrificing structure or printability quality."

By using a three-layer extrusion process, Gallo says they can isolate the up to 100% PCR middle layer from the inner and outer layers of the tube sleeve, where it may be required for stability purposes to use virgin material in contact with the product.

Biodegradables

Alpha Packaging has also seen growing interest in PCR, but Marny Bielefeldt, marketing manager, says more people are now also asking about biodegradable plastics than ever before. "They are specifically asking about biodegradable additives that would make regular plastics—high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—biodegrade in landfills," says Bielefeldt. Alpha is just beginning to explore these types of additives, but is not currently supplying these types of bottles to customers.

She says that interest in sustainable packaging materials is driven in part by retailers such as Walmart and Target, but many of the brand owners have a real commitment to the environment as well. Cost savings is not really a driver, says Bielefeldt, because at minimum order volumes, recycled plastics and bioresins both tend to cost slightly more than virgin resins—although Alpha's research shows that most companies feel that recycled plastic should cost less. "As more companies offer FDA-approved recycled resin," says Bielefeldt,"we hope that the costs for PCR will come down."

In addition to light weighting materials through reduction, Bielefeldt points to brand owners who have recognized that they can significantly source-reduce the total weight of their finished package by switching from pressure-sensitive labels to direct screen printing with UV inks. "This is a source-reduction method that almost every beauty brand could embrace," she says.

In late 2008 and 2009, Bielefeldt says, "We had very few new customers convert to recycled plastics or bioresins such as polylactic acid (PLA). But 2010 looks like it will be a busy year for companies to make that conversion from virgin plastic bottles to bottles with 25% to 100% recycled content."

And the possibilities continue. Joint research by IBM and Stanford University details discoveries that could lead to the development of new types of biodegradable, biocompatible plastics. The breakthrough also could lead to a new recycling process that has the potential to significantly increase the ability to recycle and reuse common PET and plant-based plastics in the future.