If you’re in the field of packaging, chances are you’re also well versed in sustainability. You almost have to be because the two concerns conjoin these days more often than not. As we reviewed our best-read articles of the year, we realized that most articles we posted on PackagingDigest.com in 2019 at least touched on sustainability if not focused on it entirely. One of the reasons we prepare lists of the Top Articles of the Year by different topics is so one hot topic—like sustainability!—doesn’t dominate the others. Because it would. Nine of the 10 sustainable packaging articles on this 2019 list appear in the top 50 of all articles ever posted on PackagingDigest.com. So, what are these relevant and compelling articles?! As succinctly as possible (and in reverse order for the ultimate reveal!), they are: 10. Non-plastic packaging isn’t the only sustainable solution Plastic waste is becoming a more pressing concern for today’s consumers than it has ever been in the past. But, as sustainable packaging leaders, we have an obligation to help the public understand that there is more to sustainability than shifting away from plastics entirely. Sustainable Packaging Coalition senior manager Trina Matta has some recommendations on how brand owners can handle the situation.   9. How Nestlé is innovating its way to 100% recyclable or reusable packaging Walt Peterson, Nestlé USA’s manager of packaging innovation and sustainability, talks about the world’s largest food and beverage company’s ambitious goal of moving to 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025. In this 28-minute presentation, hear how Nestlé is harnessing partnerships and cutting-edge technology to get there.   8. Marine pollution consumes plastic packaging’s sustainability story When it comes to plastics and sustainability, packaging professionals are hyper aware there is an attitude or perception problem—69% of respondents in Packaging Digest’s 2018 Sustainable Packaging Study feel a high level of environmental concern around plastic packaging. And much of that concern is centered around the visible and visceral problem of pollution in our oceans and waterways. What else do packaging professionals think about plastic packaging and its sustainability position? Download your free copy of this 48-page report by clicking the headline above. As a companion to this industry study, Packaging Digest also conducted a survey on plastic packaging sustainability with consumers. The interesting results include an analysis of the different viewpoints between packaging professionals and their customers. Click here to download your free copy.   7. Paper or plastic? 6 sustainable foodservice packaging options for both Consumers’ appetite for foodservice convenience at restaurants of all types—casual, quick-serve and takeaway—and for catering services continues. And Novolex product lines are seamlessly aligned with the ongoing foodservice packaging shift toward sustainable solutions. Here are six notable examples.   6. Remedies for single-use plastic packaging Does cold and flu season inevitably generate packaging waste? Consumer brands can step up to treat people and planet, as TerraCycle and Loop CEO Tom Szaky enlightens us. A new example is the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program, a national network for health-and-wellness package recovery.   5. Top sustainable companies by state Rankings always gain attention—you’re reading this “Top 10” article, right?! This infographic identifies the top sustainable companies from each state and includes many that are familiar to you as either brands or packaging vendors.   4. Packaging peers react to Loop’s daring reusable-packaging model Spoiler Alert: You’ll hear more about Loop as you continue through this list. When it was announced in January 2019, Loop—a circular economy shopping platform with durable reusable and luxury packaging at its core—gained massive media attention from around the globe, including numerous packaging and sustainability publications, as well as Forbes, Bloomberg, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, BBC News, Reuters, Le HuffPost, Fortune and many more. So what do packaging professionals think about this ground-breaking Loop initiative? Reactions were mostly positive, but there are, uh, concerns as well.   3. Amazon chooses refillable packaging for clean revolution A sustainable-packaging collaboration between Amazon and Replenish has borne fruit in the form of Amazon’s Clean Revolution cleaning products. Amazon uses the new Replenish 3.0 packaging design for its Clean Revolution line, with Replenish acting as a private-label supplier.   2. Amazon incentivizes brands to create frustration-free packaging When we published this article in September 2018, we knew it was going to be the top article of last year. And it was. Interest in ecommerce packaging remains high, though. So this article experienced high readership well into 2019—enough, in fact, to be the second best-read sustainable packaging related article of this year. Here’s what the hub-bub is all about… To help reduce packaging waste and improve efficiency of ecommerce shipping for its vendors, Amazon requires that select products being sold and fulfilled by Amazon arrive in its fulfillment centers in certified packaging under its Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP) program. This means that the packaging does not require any shipping preparation or an overbox to be applied. On the positive side for marketers, the vendor retains its own branding on the shipment. But now you might have to create a separate/special package for products sold through Amazon.com or face a stiff penalty.   1. Loop and big brands boldly reinvent waste-free packaging At the time we reported on the new Loop circular-economy shopping platform—which is totally based on reusable packaging—I knew it was going to be the top packaging news of the year. Not only is this the best-read article posted in 2019, but it also appears as the top article in our list of packaging design-related articles because design and sustainability are integral to the success of this new venture. It really belongs on both lists! Major brand owners—like Nestle, Coca-Cola, Mars, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble—have created luxury packages for their regular products for sale in select areas of the world.  

Lisa Knowles, DDS, shares how to create eco-ambiance in the dental office.   Q: Why would anyone want to create eco-ambiance in a dental office?    A: Let’s discuss 2 main reasons. The first reason speaks to a number of people in the United States who are concerned about creating a sustainable planet. According to a report published in 2017 by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, the number of Americans “very worried about global warming” is at a record high. These kinds of beliefs are spurring people to consider their personal impacts on the environment. I fall into this category. I read a lot about the environmental impacts of industries on our Earth. Healthcare choices, mandates, and policies force us to create our fair share of waste. To meet OSHA standards, for example, we generate tons of medical waste that contributes to our landfill usage—from sharps container waste to billions of personal safety disposables like gloves and masks.   We have to create some waste. But, there are ways to reduce our optional waste within our work environments.   There are several categories (with examples) I recommend for consideration when trying to be more eco-friendly:   1. Office Design   Start with ways to save costs on electricity and water usage. By learning more about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) practices, any office can become more energy conscious. A new build or a remodel can incorporate best practices to enhance an eco design.   2. Dental Materials Selection   Patients want safe dental products in their mouths. Stay abreast of hot topics like BPA in composites and amalgam alternatives. Even though we may feel certain products are safe and pass our evidence-based standards, there are patients who want other options. At the very least, they want someone to explain their risks with our dental materials.   3. Daily Use Product Selection   Choose less plastic when possible. Incorporate things like bamboo utensils and biodegradable cups in a team eating area. Encourage the team to pack a lunch instead of increasing landfill waste with fast food wrappers and containers. Use more cloth towels and washcloths instead of paper towels. Buy laundry detergents with no phosphates to help prevent algal blooms downstream from our offices.   4. Consumption Habits   Do we have to buy it new? Can we reupholster chairs? Can we give our older chairs to a new dentist starting out? Do we need new scrubs every year, or can we use them for 2 years or more? New products require a lot of energy to create.   5. Reconsider Freebie Give Outs   Offer bamboo toothbrushes and silk floss for patients. Skip the plastic bags and use paper bags with stamped logos or don’t even offer a bag. Many of my eco-conscious patients decline the bag.   6. Encourage a Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Culture   Make it easy for people to recycle paper products. Have recycle bins strategically located to remind team members to recycle first before throwing anything away into the trash. Put one in the bathroom, too!   The second reason for creating  eco-ambiance in the dental office focuses on the business benefits of creating such an atmosphere. There are financial benefits for pursuing a target market that buys into sustainability and living more Earth-friendly. Let’s consider Whole Foods Market shoppers. According to a consumer analysis of Whole Foods Market in the International Journal of Latest Engineering and Management Research, Whole Foods Market chose a specific target market to offer groceries and goods. “‘People who bought organic foods in last 6 months: 55% are age 25 to 54, 60% are at least graduates, and 53% have income over $50,000.’ The primary target market is men and women aged 22 to 40 (more women), who care about the sustainability of the earth and prefer all-natural products.” Since 1980, Whole Foods Market increased its number of stores from one to 340. It was sold to Amazon for $13.7 billion in 2017. The eco-shoppers are out there, and they believe in a lifestyle that demands a softer footprint on the earth.   This type of shopping and trust in a grocery store is another reason, I believe, Whole Foods Market faired so well. In the analysis, the process for product selection is explained: “While procuring, the company checks for the authenticity of their suppliers for the raw or the finished products that they procure from. The products go through a strict quality check and then find their way in the Whole Foods Market store.”   In other words, the consumers learn to trust that Whole Foods Market is providing a first line of defense for them when trying to eat organic foods and purchase foods with fewer additives and preservatives. A dental office with an eco-flair can do the same thing. The patients are comforted to know their dental space is less wasteful than others, is screening products for healthier options, and is also choosing to a support a lifestyle that is more conscious—like them. Time is precious, and if someone can help sift out purchase options, it’s helpful for consumers.   As we consider our business strategies in the years to come, it may be wise to incorporate an eco-ambiance into your environment.   CLOSING COMMENTS   Currently, we have to create some waste, but that may not always be the case if more affordable options become available. There is a process right now by TerraCycle to freeze used gloves, decontaminate them, and repurpose them. TerraCycle is a company that helps us recycle almost everything. Yes, it comes with a price, but so does landfill usage and expensive clean-up activities after environmental disasters.   The choices are ours to make with how we want our dental settings to look and feel in the future. The patients will make their choices, too. Many will want an eco-option. Will your space be green enough with the best eco-dental ambiance?   Dr. Knowles received her degree from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and has been in practice for 20 years. Before opening her practice, Dr. Knowles created her speaking, writing, and consulting business, IntentionalDental Consulting. She speaks and writes to dental professionals around the globe about leadership, overall body health and wellness, and eco-conscious dentistry. She is a Board of Trustees member for the Michigan Dental Association and is on the ADA Council for Government Affairs. She can be reached at intentionaldental@gmail.com.  

Swiffer, a pioneer in the Quick Clean category and used in more than 50 million households worldwide, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle to make their Swiffer Sweeper, Duster and WetJet refills nationally recyclable.   Through the Swiffer Recycling Program, consumers can now send in the following Swiffer cleaning products to be recycled for free:   •             Swiffer® Sweeper™ Wet Mopping Cloths •             Swiffer® Sweeper™ Dry Sweeping Cloths •             Swiffer® Sweeper™ Wet Heavy-Duty Mopping Cloths •             Swiffer® Sweeper™ Dry Heavy-Duty Sweeping Cloths •             Swiffer® Dusters™ •             Swiffer® Heavy-Duty Dusters™ •             Swiffer® WetJet™ Mopping pads •             Swiffer® WetJet™ Heavy-Duty Mopping pads •             Swiffer® WetJet™ Wood Mopping pads   Participation in the program is easy, simply sign up on the TerraCycle program page at https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/swiffer and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is broken down, separated by material and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.  

The holidays are a great opportunity to reconnect with family, unwind, and share in gratitude. However, it can also be a moment of overindulgence, excess, and consumerism. Looking for a change? We have the perfect sustainable gift for your favorite adventurer or dog-owner, beauty queen or zero waste enthusiast. Below is your go-to guide of B Corporations, purpose-driven organizations, and industry leaders for finding that perfect gift for the holiday season while giving yourself the gift of knowing you are supporting companies that are good for the earth and its people.                              

Swiffer®, a pioneer in the Quick Clean category and used in more than 50 million households worldwide, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle® to make their Swiffer Sweeper™, Duster and WetJet™ refills nationally recyclable. As an added incentive, for every shipment of Swiffer waste sent to TerraCycle through the Swiffer Recycling Program, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to the nonprofit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   “We are very excited about our partnership with TerraCycle to offer free recycling of all Swiffer refills in the US. This is an important step towards sustainable solutions for our products and the start of an exciting journey with Swiffer and TerraCycle” said NA Brand Director, Kevin Wenzel.   Participation in the program is easy, simply sign up on the TerraCycle program page at terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/swiffer and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is broken down, separated by material and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “Cleaning our home is a task that we all share,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. “By participating in the Swiffer Recycling Program consumers can demonstrate their commitment to a clean home, as well as a clean planet, all while being rewarded for doing the right thing.”   The Swiffer Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.  

Consumers see beyond the cliché when it comes sustainability, according to Echo Brand Design's Jenny Cook. The consumer of 2020 wants to buy sustainable beauty products, and they see beyond the cliché of artisanal, organically sourced potions, lovingly wrapped in untainted craft paper. For them, sustainability goes deeper than packaging; it is about innovation for genuine impact. Beauty brands, from the freshest start-up to the largest global corporate, recognize this. They want to respond to this rising consumer demand, and they want to mitigate their impact. The challenge for many is knowing where to get started. Here we offer seven ideas. We hope they provoke thought, inspire action and help beauty brands join the movement towards a more sustainable future. #1: Personalize Formulas How many of us have despaired at our ‘Foundation Graveyards’ – off the shelf formulas sitting unused because they didn’t match skin tone or disagreed with skin type? In response to this, a growing number of forward-thinking beauty brands are offering personalized formulations. Look at Lancôme in-store custom-made foundation service which matches skin and blends the formula into a personalized bottle. Allél goes even further, matching its customers’ DNA profiles to specific products. Personalization of products will reduce waste, as well as transport and storage costs. It also delivers a far better product and experience to the customer. Looking ahead, we expect to see this reach the mainstream, with personalization becoming a standard beauty concept, primarily led by direct-to-consumer brands collecting real-time data to adapt formulas. #2: From Natural to Bio Design For too long people have fetishized the notion of organic. Today, there is a growing recognition of the burden resource-intensive botanicals like vanilla and rose oil place on both the planet and the people who farm them. Synthetic formulas offer a more environmentally friendly approach with lower carbon footprint. They are the future. The remarkable work being done by Gingko Bio Works shows just what will be possible in this future. Through collaborations with a paleogenomics lab, a smell researcher, a multidisciplinary artist, and cutting-edge synthetic biology it is resurrecting scents that have been extinct for up to 200 years. In the years ahead consumer thinking in this area will shift as people begin the recognize that synthetic is more resource efficient whilst also opening up a new spectrum of colors and scents. The opportunity now is for beauty brands to lead the way in this. #3: Tomorrow’s Packaging Materials While plastic and glass are both strong, durable and recyclable, they have problems: glass is heavy, and only 50% of bathroom waste is recycled, compared to 90% in the kitchen. With the World Economic Forum predicting that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean, this is a major issue. The beauty sector is responding. L’Occitane now offers its products in an Eco Refill range that uses 90% less plastic compared to its standard size products. Ecologic transports its bottles as shells. Chanel has invested in the firm Sulapac. Made from wood and natural biopolymers, Sulapac material is industrially compostable, and they are working towards recycling via plastic waste streams. Crucially, these packaging alternatives look desirable. While they switch glass and plastic for locally abundant materials there is no compromise on how they look and feel. #4: The Naked Store We have been trained to equate heavy, complex packaging with quality. At its most extreme this is the unboxing phenomenon. Today’s consumer is increasingly taking a different approach. For them quality is delivered not through harmful packaging but through a digital and real life brand world. Lush has long been associated with a uniquely multi-sensorial approach to merchandising which encourages consumer interaction with a variety of smells, colors and textures around the store. The experience is the product. When it created a video to explain its naked shampoo bars, pointing out that it could replace the 552 million shampoo bottles we throw out annually, the video went viral and Lush sold 12,000 shampoo bars in just two days. #5: Go Waterless With water making up around 70% of most beauty products, there is significant potential to reduce water use as well as transport and storage costs by developing water-free alternatives. L'Oréal has pledged to reduce its water consumption by 60% per unit of finished product by 2020. Brands like EC30 are showing how it can be done: you add water to its single dose drops and they become one of eight cleaning products from shampoo to conditioner, handwash, even laundry detergent. This visual alchemy can help ingredients evoke a sense of activeness and enhanced freshness. People enjoy being there in the final act of creation. The opportunity is for beauty brands to engender the same sensorial rituals. #6: Refill Packs for Life With waste such a major issue in the beauty industry, more and more brands are finding innovative ways to offer refillable packs that customers can keep for life. Crucially, this model allows design teams to invest more heavily in these packs for life, so they are more desirable than their disposable predecessors. Loop is leading the way here. It delivers beauty products in premium durable packaging which is returned and refilled. The customer never owns the packaging. As the company describes itself: ‘Like a milkman, just for beauty’. Buy one Lancôme Absolute L’Extrait reusable jar and two refills, and you achieve a 58% weight reduction compared to three conventional products. Just as people now visit shops with their own bags in a way that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago, soon they will visit with their collection of stylish refill jars. #7: Nudge People Towards Sustainable Disposal Finally, there is disposal. Lush has always been ahead of the game in sustainability and has a well-established closed-loop recycling scheme with its black pots which ‘could have more lives than a cat.’ Customers who return these pots are rewarded with a free face mask.  Similarly, The Body Shop is collaborating with TerraCycle to encourage customers to bring back empty products from any brand to receive a discount. There is huge potential in the beauty industry to innovate towards sustainable products and experiences. It’s a journey, and the most forward-thinking brands in this space are already finding ways to nudge consumers in the right direction. In the years ahead they will reap the benefits not only in sales, but also in a cleaner, greener planet for future generations.

 

From Kesha revealing her natural face full of freckles to Kardashians sharing no-makeup videos, 2019 is the year for a natural, makeup-free kind of beauty.   As celebrities embraced their natural selves online, social media soon followed and hashtags like #nomakeup, #nofilter went buzzing.   Naturally, consumers started to invest in skincare, but not just any skincare. With millennials and Gen Zs now making up half of American consumers, consumers started to demand and respond to sustainable skincare.    According to the NPD Group, within the U.S. prestige beauty industry that reached $18.8 billion in 2018, the skincare category grew by 13 percent and contributed 60 percent of the industry’s total gains.   Out of $6.5 billion worth of skincare sales in 2018, natural brands, which accounts for $1.6 billion, remained the top contributor to the sales growth.   “Knowledge is power. There has never been a time where young people had more knowledge about sustainability and access to information on companies and what they are doing to help create a healthy planet,” Maria Davis, a marketing director at Jurlique USA, a sustainable skincare brand based in Australia, told The University Network (TUN).   All across the globe, both big name and starting brands are bringing out their shade of green with products that are kind to both the natural skin and our Earth.   Despite today’s surging demand and supply of sustainable skincare, the skincare industry had and still has many shortfalls regarding sustainability.   First, the most basic ingredients are sourced unsustainably. Most skincare products require a lot of water to make and can cause water waste. Also, palm oil, which is used in 70 percent of all cosmetics, can cause widespread deforestation and has led to decimated rainforests and deforestation in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.   And deforestation accounts for more carbon emissions than cars and trucks in the world combined, according to the World Carfree Network.   Addtionally, other ingredients that are widely used in skincare industry, such as shea butter, silk, vanilla and cocoa are often sourced in dangerous working conditions and may include human trafficking and child labor.   Second, stemming from a false belief that more is better, both the industry leaders and consumers have grown a habit of overconsumption.   Starting from around 2012, K-Beauty entered into the global skincare market, creating an instant hit. A K-Beauty star would come out and show her 8-step skincare routine that would differ in products for day and night. And disregarding their unique skin type, consumers would fill their shelves with the same products the star used.    However, the truth is that with more layers, just like makeup, there’s a higher risk of your pores getting clogged and you breaking out as a result.   “Layering multiple products doesn’t mean you’ll increase the benefits to the skin. Chances are, you’re increasing the likelihood of the different active ingredients inactivating each other,” Brian Oh, founder of Venn, a minimalist skincare brand, told the Guardian.   Also, other products of K-Beauty, such as single-use sheet masks and cleansing wipes, are dubbed as the plastic straws of beauty industry in terms of their harmful environmental impact. Third, due to the fragile nature of the products, excessive packaging is hard to avoid and often leads to improper recycling or recycling contamination.   According to Zero Waste Week data in 2018, more than 120 billion units of cosmetics packaging were produced globally, the majority of which were not recyclable.   And according to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, out of 14.5 million tons of plastic containers and packaging generated in 2017, around 70 percent wasn’t properly recycled and went to landfills.   Fortunately, consumers’ demand for sustainable skincare is strong enough to hit the breaks for brands who would have continued with their unsustainable practices.   The general demand for natural and organic skincare is already high.   Specifically, millennials and Gen Zs are increasing in both number and purchasing power. And these growing influential consumers expect companies to value and apply sustainability in their business practices.   According to The Business of Fashion, 66 percent of global millennials are willing to spend more on brands that are sustainable and more consumers are expected to demand that brands be held accountable for waste and carbon footprint.   And a 2018 study by WP Engine revealed that 69 percent of Gen Z consumers are more likely to buy from a company that contributes to social causes, while 33 percent have stopped buying from those with values different from their own.   “They (younger consumers) are very aware, conscious about what they consume and add to landfills in general. There is a new much more alert awareness of that generation,” a Kjaer Weis representative told TUN.   Both starting and big name skincare brands are responding in their own ways.   Jurlique    Founded in 1985, Jurlique is a sustainable skincare with a business statement to preserve the integrity of nature. From its biodynamic farm and clean energy Natural Beauty Plant, both powered by 75 kilowatt solar panels, Jurlique grows and harvests its ingredients sustainably.   Since 2016, Jurlique’s farm has sent zero waste to landfill. Since 2015, Jurlique has not only reduced 20 percent of transport emissions through its freight management initiative, but also reduced its water usage by 18 percent by using rain and recycled water.   “Sustainability has always been fundamental to everything we do here. From our biodynamic farm and clean energy Natural Beauty Plant in the Adelaide Hills, to our commitment to reducing our carbon cycle and looking after our people, sustainability is at the core of Jurlique,” said Davis.   Jurlique hopes not only to be transparent about its business, but also to educate its customers on what they can do on a daily basis to become more eco-friendly.   “Our focus is on transparency and education,” Davis said. “We want to continue to provide honest information to customers about our production and manufacturing processes. As new technology becomes available, we will continue to improve our processes and adopt better ways of creating formulas and packaging.”   Kjaer Weis    Founded by a veteran make-up artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis, Kjaer Weis is mainly a sustainable makeup brand, but it has a sustainable skincare line as well.   “Our founder Kirsten Kjaer Weis, who is a 20-year make-up artist veteran, saw an open gap in the market for a make-up line without compromises on ingredients’ performance and luxury. It didn’t exist,” said a Kjaer Weis representative.   Ninety-five percent of Kjaer Weis’s ingredients come from organic farming, meaning they don’t add chemicals to the soil. And all of its products are refillable, meaning their package does not need to be thrown away after a few months.   Additionally, with a purchase of both cleanser and toner, Kjaer Weis offers its own organic cleansing cloth, which is made from organic cotton remnants from womenswear brand Loup Charmant, for free. Unlike single-use wipes or cotton pads, organic cleansing cloths can be reused after every wash.   Neal’s Yard Remedies   Founded in 1981, Neal’s Yard Remedies is a UK-based brand that came first in many things. In 2008, it was the first high street retailer to become carbon neutral. In 2014, it was the first health and beauty brand to receive 100/100 for ethics by the Ethical Company Organization.    The brand uses the highest possible percentage of organic ingredients, including ethically sourced herbs, botanicals and essential oils, in all its products.   The brand maintains that sustainability is part of its DNA and is committed to creating its great products in a sustainable and ethical way.   As an example, it uses recyclable blue glass and 100-percent recycled plastic bottles for its products. It also offers refills on two of its products.   L’Oréal USA   Holding brands like Essie, NYX, Garnier, Maybelline, Lancome, Kiehls and more, L’Oréal is one of the big names in the industry. As the largest subsidiary of the group, L’Oréal USA has pledged its plans to achieve carbon neutrality in 2019 for all 21 of its U.S. manufacturing and distribution facilities. Currently, the company has 17 renewable energy installations across the country.   Just last month, L’Oréal finished developing the very first paper-based cosmetic tube, a promising alternative to the majority of plastic packages. Its goal is to release the first model on the market in 2020.   L’Oréal’s business statement stays constant throughout the group’s other brands. For example, in 2011, Garnier partnered with TerraCycle to make previously non-recyclable packaging recyclable, diverting approximately 11.2 million empty packages from ending up in landfills. Also, in all its scrubs, Garnier uses Perlite, a natural alternative to microbeads, which are microscopic plastic beads often used in face and body scrubs and litter our seas.   And one of its luxe brands — Kiehl’s — has a Recycle Be Rewarded system that gives one travel size product for every 10 empty packages a customer brings back.   Currently, 36 percent of L’Oreal’s products contain at least one sustainably sourced raw material, such as quinoa husk extract in its Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate or ginger leaf in its Ginger Leaf Hibiscus Firming Mask.   L’Occitane   For its packages, L’Occitane uses only renewable resources or those that are sourced from sustainably managed forests to make sustainable customized packaging. The brand also has committed to using 100-percent recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.   From 2010 to 2016, L’Occitane reduced its carbon footprint by 14 percent.   L’Occitane is committed to using natural ingredients in all its products. For example, it uses ethically sourced almond in its Almond Milk Concentrate and ethically sourced and fairly traded shea butter in its popular, enriching Shea Butter Hand Cream.   LUSH    Lush makes some of its packages from a mix of purchased recycled plastic and recycled black pot material. Also, when a customer brings back five empty packages, they will get a free face mask.   To achieve zero waste, Lush sells 35 percent of its products, including soap bars and bath bombs, in a solid form to remove the need for packaging entirely. The other 65 percent of Lush’s products are packaged in either BPA-free or 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic or metal.   The beauty industry is also using biotechnology to create sustainable skincare products.   An an example, Biossance, a skincare line, makes squalene, a naturally occurring oil traditionally derived from shark livers or olives, from renewable sugarcane instead.   And One Ocean Beauty uses biotechnology to reproduce marine extracts from algae, kelp and seaweed in a lab rather than harvesting them from the sea and tapping into our limited resources.   The trend is definitely there. The numbers show it.   According to Grand View Research, the global natural and organic cosmetics market reached a revenue of $10.31 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach a value of $48.04 billion by 2025.   However, trends come and go. And for any other trend, coming and going could have been okay. But, this one can’t for our Earth cannot go once and come back another time.   While brands have their responsibilities, consumers also have theirs. They have to turn this trend into a lifestyle.  What can you do?   First, buy only what your skin can take in. Especially for sensitive skin, finding the perfect moisturizer that won’t leave you breaking out is hard. Trust me. I understand. I’m one of you. The more sensitive you are, the more research you’ll need to do. And once you find your match, stick with it and leave some room for your skin to work its intrinsic power to heal itself. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm your skin with so many products.   Second, once your skincare routine is fixed, recycle your empty skincare products properly. Make sure all containers are clean to avoid recycling contamination. Then, check the labeling and determine how to recycle it.    If unclear, try TerraCycle, a program that offers free recycling for all beauty product packaging, or Return to Origins, a recycling program that takes and recycles all cosmetic containers regardless of brand.   Hyeyeun Jeon is from South Korea and a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a double major in Professional Writing and International Relations. She is passionate about non-fiction storytelling. She loves reading, watching, writing and producing stories about extraordinary lives of everyday people.