Liz Wilks
The US cosmetics industry has been at the forefront of sustainability issues since the United States announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Industry leaders, including L’Oréal, The Estée Lauder Companies and Unilever made a counter-announcement of their own, promising to honour the commitments they made towards going green. This means supporting a low-carbon economy and a pledge to minimise global temperature rise.
Cosmetics leaders changed the course of action since the moment sustainability was viewed as an economic necessity as opposed to a cosmetic indulgence.
A wider transparency drive among beauty companies will build greater trust in the quality and safety of beauty products available on shop shelves. This is another step in our sustainability journey towards enabling consumers to make informed choices.
Cosmetics and packaging have always gone hand-in-hand, with a beautiful box signalling luxury and quality. A big part of brand’s commitment to sustainable practices can be seen through their packaging choices – and with cosmetics packaging encompassing 82.5 million tonnes of waste in the EU alone in 2014, what happens to this packaging can have big consequences for the environment.
Here, Dr Liz Wilks from Asia Pulp & Paper, takes a look at three ways cosmetics companies are demonstrating best practice through their sustainable packaging choices.
1. Forest Certification
"Top cosmetics brands like L’Oréal are choosing suppliers with independent forest certification. Forest certification is offered by third-party organisations, like the