Sustainability in the Cosmetic Industry

Sustainability in the Cosmetic Industry

• Sustainable development aims to meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.

• The three pillars of sustainability:

  • Environment (Planet): Natural resource use, biodiversity, environmental preservation.
  • Social (People): People's health and well-being.
  • Economy (Profit): Financial feasibility.

• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance): Used to assess a company's sustainability and impact.

Ecological Footprint

• Palm Oil: Key raw material for cosmetics and personal care products.
• Deforestation in Indonesia: Linked to palm oil production, impacting local communities and the environment.

Sourcing of Ingredients

• Ethical Sourcing: Ensuring ingredients are sourced responsibly and sustainably.
• Burt's Bees Lip Balm: Uses natural and sustainable ingredients.

Life Cycle of Cosmetics

• Microbeads: Tiny plastic particles in products for exfoliation.
• Microbead Pollution: Microbeads are slow to biodegrade, leading to accumulation in water and ingestion by marine life.

Packaging

• Primary Packaging: In direct contact with the product (e.g., bottles, tubs).

• Secondary Packaging: Contains primary packaging (e.g., boxes, containers).

• Tertiary Packaging: Used for shipping and storage (e.g., pallets, crates).

• Packaging Functions:

  • Product Protection: Against contamination, light, oxidation, and moisture.
  • Communication: Ingredient list, instructions for use, expiry date.
  • Marketing: Brand messaging and aesthetics.
  • Convenience: For consumers.

• Plastic Packaging:

  • Pros: Flexibility, light weight, low cost.
  • Cons: Non-renewable petrochemicals, high carbon footprint, landfill waste, non-biodegradable, microplastic pollution, low recycle rate.

Bioplastic

• Biobased Plastic: Made from natural raw materials (e.g., sugar, starch, corn, cassava).
• Biodegradable Plastic: Can be broken down by microorganisms.
• Bioplastic Limitations: High water permeability, lower heat stability.
• Examples: Biobased plastic bottles from sugarcane, bamboo jars and bottles, hybrid plastic bottles, polylactic acid packaging.

Circular Economy for Packaging

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R):
  • Reduce: Minimizing packaging to save resources and reduce waste.
  • Reuse: Using containers multiple times (e.g., refillable packaging).
  • Recycle: Reprocessing materials.
    • Use of PCR (Post-Consumer Regrind) plastics.
    • Aveda's sustainable packaging initiatives.
    • Physician's Formula organic wear cosmetic products.
  • Upcycle: Creating new products from recycled materials.

Recycling of Plastics

• Not all plastics are recyclable.
• Challenges in recycling plastics:
  • Complex chemical composition.
  • Polymer additives.
  • Collection and sorting difficulties.
  • Deterioration in quality with each recycling cycle.
  • Higher cost compared to using new materials.

Addition and Condensation Polymers

• Addition Polymers:

  • Formed by free radical addition reactions, breaking double bonds.
  • Not biodegradable.
  • Example: polyethylene.

• Condensation Polymers:

  • Monomers join by eliminating small molecules (e.g., water).
  • Susceptible to hydrolysis, making them biodegradable.
  • Example: Polyesters and polyamides.

Explore the sustainability practices within the cosmetic industry through the lenses of environmental, social, and economic perspectives. This quiz covers key concepts such as ethical sourcing, ecological footprint, and the life cycle of cosmetic products. Test your knowledge on how companies assess their sustainability impact.