Since sustainability is a topic on everyone's minds, we asked packaging suppliers in the beauty industry for their insights regarding the future of beauty in light of the growing demand for sustainable packaging—and the challenges that lie ahead.

Following are responses. Want to join the conversation? We’d love to hear from you. Please email me with your thoughts.

Interested in reading more? We asked beauty brands and package designers for their insights.

Brian Saputo, President, SeaCliff Beauty

"Sustainable packaging is no longer tied to natural and ‘green’ brands. It’s not a trend. It has become the new normal. Consumers are asking for it, governments are starting to demand it— and the beauty industry is responding. At SeaCliff Beauty, most every brand we talk to these days has specific goals or is looking for help in developing more sustainable packaging." 

"Still, the challenges are large, and the solutions need to be holistic. If we make a package recyclable, we need to ensure that it’s actually being recycled. The business of recycling is inefficient and challenging. We still see the majority of plastic being put in the waste stream." 

"The good news is that the packaging industry is responding by offering refillable designs, more PCR and innovating with recyclable materials. The big chemical companies are also seeing the potential of new technologies in chemical recycling and pyrolysis. Someday, it could actually be possible to turn garbage into gold." 

Josh Kirschbaum, CEO, WWP Beauty

"The future of sustainable packaging is going to be driven by a need for constant and continued innovation which will lend itself to more creative and inspiring new package designs. For brands and suppliers, the challenges to achieving sustainability are different, but when we work in collaboration with each other they can be easy to overcome."

"At WWP Beauty, we are constantly looking for new innovative materials and design approaches to simplify a design and increase its sustainability impact. New materials offer innovative stories for brands. And more simplified high-impact designs make it easier for brands to explain the sustainability benefits to their customers."

"We know that in the future consumers will continue to be more informed on sustainability and will want to see brands offer validated claims. This is why we are beginning to generate this type of information for the brands that we work with using our Eco Analyzer tool."

Sue Nichols, CEO, ICS

"Being sustainable and eco-conscious are core principles at ICS. Brands and governments around the world are implementing sustainability targets and together ICS shares in these goals. Recyclability is no longer an added benefit, but quickly becoming a necessary element to packaging."

"This can be a challenge for some consumers and brands who are faced with limited recycling facilities in their area. As a result, mono-material packaging that can easily be recycled without disassembly is growing in demand. Decoration and finishing options also need to be taken into consideration for optimum recyclability of the pack."

"Designing refillable or reusable packaging that can be repurposed is also a growing trend. Creating these packs with sustainable materials adds an extra level of sustainability to the product. PCR is a great option, however, brands also need to be aware of its challenges."

Jack Albanese, Lombardi Design

"The future of beauty will include more regionalized packaging with various manufacturing sites. Brands need to realize the environmental costs of producing packaging overseas—only to discharge large amounts of greenhouse gasses and pollutants into the environment due to shipping."

"Lombardi has made a commitment to produce locally in the USA, now with 85% renewable energy. We are also expanding our use of both mechanically and chemically recycled PCR."

Dan Campbell, FusionPKG

"The future of sustainable packaging in beauty will focus on finding solutions for challenging issues. Driving innovation that does not reinvent the wheel, but spins the current trajectory towards something more innovative will be a realistic way to be more sustainable." 

"At FusionPKG, we know it will take a mutual understanding of what sustainability truly means, and a more aligned focus on industry teamwork. It will take a true partnership between brands and suppliers to drive sustainability forward, and further the development of the circular economy of packaging."

"The ultimate future of sustainable packaging in the beauty industry will be the full adoption of sustainable solutions as industry practice, building on research and collaborating with policy makers, while educating and encouraging the consumer on the precise method of recouping each package for a no waste system."

Alexandre Daniellot, Head of Global Sales, GEKA

"The beauty packaging industry is facing a strong push from brands to have sustainable products—but they also have to be beautiful and on-trend. There is growing pressure from consumers and regulatory agencies to find sustainable packaging options that ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle.’"

"As a packaging supplier, at GEKA we know that the choices we make during product development are crucial. We have an educational role to play for brands and end-consumers to avoid any greenwashing. We often advise that different approaches can be combined, and that light weighting will reduce material usage without affecting a pack's performance."

"The use of recycled plastic feedstocks is increasing—soon, the use of PCR will become the standard for plastic packaging. Our goal is to incorporate up to 100% PCR content in our components. We are also investigating the use of bioplastic packaging. We are evaluating and testing biomaterials, which offer huge potential for the future. However, they remain a more midterm solution at the moment because they often require design and tooling modifications."

"We feel that PCR paired with reusable concepts will play an increasingly prominent role."

Vali Braselton, Marketing Manager, Berry Global 

"The demand for sustainable packaging in beauty is here to stay. There are many ways to meet that demand. At Berry, we offer our customers a variety of solutions including refillable jars, single-substrate packages for tubes or jars, bio-based materials, and plastics with recycled content." 

"Designing packages to minimize plastic usage and improve recyclability is another important way to address sustainability. It’s also important for packaging suppliers to work with organizations and partners to improve recycling of beauty packaging, develop new materials and new processes and to educate brands and consumers on how to identify the ‘best’ option, using data wherever possible."

Al Lustrino, IPG President, INOAC

"The future of beauty packaging and consumer packaging in general will be tied to cradle-to- grave sustainability. As corporations are becoming more socially responsible for their actions and products, the impact their products make on the environment will come into greater focus."

"At INOAC, we see both large established brands as well as smaller, emerging brands asking for sustainable packaging. As material suppliers continue to develop sustainable materials, it will be the responsibility of the packaging manufacturers to seek out and integrate these materials into their products. The brands can then capitalize on the ‘brand-right’ materials."

"In the future, sustainability in both packaging and formulation will become a large part of the brand identity."

Romualdo Priore, Marketing Director, Lumson

"The design of a product involves the analysis of the entire production process—from the preventing waste to designing solutions that add value. Follow the principles of three key pillars— regeneration, reuse and reduce."

"At Lumson, we aim to give concrete answers as to the safety and sustainability demands of the market by offering high-performing, avant-garde products. We think that these will be the real challenges for the future—sustainability, safety, aesthetics, and functionality—all in one package."

Erin Gallagher, Director of Marketing, APC Packaging

"The trend is toward refillable packaging, as well as multi-functional products, and packaging that is easily disassembled. At APC, we see higher PCR percentages being used. Recyclable mono-material designs are also increasing for the beauty packaging market."

Joyce Kim, Purchasing Coordinator, NF Beauty Group

"At NF Beauty, we see an interesting paradigm in the beauty industry. From a packaging standpoint, brands are finding ways to reconcile innovation versus market-driven consumer trends that deliver a focused message."

"With consumers and brands marketing concepts like 'Slow Down Beauty' and 'Clean Beauty,' the new challenge that we see now is creating components that fit within a narrative that resonates with the ethos of sustainability."

"I think something that we can look forward to regarding sustainability will be an even more heightened focus on end-of-life for materials, and more focus on a product's circular lifecycle during the idea-to-concept phase."

"Examples include utilizing components such as aluminum, uncontaminated glass and PET. I think we’ll also see a shift in allowing the actual material to showcase its value within an eco-friendly narrative—and it will be crucial to dial-down and bring everything back to values of 'intentional minimalism'."

Steven Macphail, VP Sales & Marketing, Montebello Packaging

"At Montebello, we are making a big push on sustainable materials. Trends will be influenced by what is available in terms of materials, what is in supply."

Martina Christiansen, Director of Sales, Neopac

"Brands are facing the challenge to reach their 2030 goals regarding compliance with new packaging and waste laws. This means getting the proof of the supply chain for the use of recycled materials, as well as calculating CO2, country-specific EPR fees, and recycling infrastructures."

"At Neopac, we feel that there is an increasing need for better recycling solutions, and consumers are demanding that they are easy to do."

Jason Clerke, President, Garrett-Hewitt

"At Garrett-Hewitt, we feel we all have a responsibility to ensure all packaging conforms to sustainable standards to protect our environment. More consumers are demanding this, and we need to lead the way. Our packaging must come from both sustainable or plentiful sources to minimize our footprint on our planet."

"Consumers are demanding change, and both brands and suppliers need to respond. We now have many more options, and it also makes sense, economically."

Jay Tarantino, VP of Sales, General Fibre

"The future of sustainability in beauty is to keep pushing forward with all parts of the supply chain to reduce the carbon footprint in our packaging."

At General Fibre, innovation is and will continue to be a large driver in the future. We partner with beauty brands and suppliers to help drive sustainability."

Don Earle, President, Overnight Labels

"At Overnight Labels, we often have conversations about sustainable packaging every day, but often a client will say, ‘We want a waterproof label with metallic effects that is 100% recyclable.’ Many brand managers don’t realize that we are not able to completely achieve this vision just yet. However, we are starting to see the gap narrow between what brands desire and what is possible."
 
"New materials become available all the time—but I hope that the next phase for the beauty and personal care industry will be in the area of sustainable specialty finishes. Currently, there is nothing available to accomplish the dazzling look of a metallic or holographic effect while still claiming sustainability. Even if there were a good option, it might not adhere well to the sustainable stocks currently offered."

"Getting to a place where we won’t have to compromise the final result will be a game-changer."

Rosa Porras, Marketing Communication Manager, Virospack

"A key challenge for the beauty market is to merge sustainability and aesthetics. Today the market increasingly demands sustainable packaging solutions. There are many brands with a natural positioning, and many brands committed to the environment. But this concern for our environment should not be at odds with aesthetics, and that is the real challenge."

"How do you achieve sustainable solutions with luxury finishes? And ensure they are capable of responding to the premium positioning of a brand? And capable of generating illusion in the consumer? At Virospack, we ask ourselves this every day and strive to offer beauty brands the best solutions." 

Read More

Feature: A Growing Responsibility for Sustainable Packaging