The packaging sector is one of the ecological challenges of this year 2023. Consumer pressure, tightening of standards, what future for the packaging of our cosmetic products ?
Consumer expectations
It is more and more difficult for a brand to stand out from its competitors from a packaging point of view while promoting the issue of sustainability. It is essential to understand the challenges of packaging and the need to evolve with the consumer.
A few years ago, the so-called “solid” products appeared on the market. Shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste and others are now available in solid form and no longer require packaging. These products meet the expectations of a part of the consumers who want more transparency and better consumption. This type of products opens our eyes to the fact that packaging is not necessary, as it is very polluting.
The new sustainable materials
It is important to know and to be realistic about the fact that not all our products are yet available in solid form or without packaging. Nevertheless, there are new innovative materials that address the issue of sustainability.
1/ Innovative materials
They are co-produced by the agricultural, food and forestry industries and even from ceramic waste. The storytelling is very interesting for the consumer by the technological and natural aspect of their design. We recover the remains of these industries to make bio-degradable materials.
For example, the caps of the new Chanel n1 range are made with Sulapac’s bio-compound which is composed of 90% bio-based materials.
While these materials are innovative, they are limited in terms of color and shape at times. In addition, they are subject to a different recycling chain, although they eventually decompose completely and naturally in nature. On a large scale, it would be necessary to innovate and create an industrial way to recycle them.
2/ Refills
Brands are developing the principle of refills to renew the product without changing the packaging. There are several ways : refill cartridges and in-store refill devices. In the first case, although it is in an idea with an ecological aim, the cartridges are the object of packaging itself.
In the second case, it is constraining to move with its packaging to refill them and the number of brands, using this system, is limited. Although refillable products are innovative, they remain restrictive for the consumer.
3/ Paper packaging
Made from wood, these materials are an interesting solution. They are easily identifiable from a sustainability point of view by the consumer. The packaging is recyclable and compostable worldwide. Nevertheless, the limited wood resources do not allow the creation of this type of packaging on a global scale.
Packaging has become an important issue in marketing and consumer concerns. Almost as important as the product it contains, the evolution of packaging tends towards less polluting alternatives.
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