Japanese beauty conglomerate Kao is hoping to attract the attention of environmentally-conscious shoppers by switching its beauty brand packaging to chemically recycled PET.
As of this month, the company will begin to introduce the material, starting with bottles for its Twany cosmetics brand (pictured).
Jeplan, the company behind the chemically recycled PET, creates the packs by chemically breaking down raw materials for PET resin and is said to remove foreign matter and impurities from the material being recycled.
“Recently, the social trend toward reducing the burden on the environment [has] been strengthening,” Kao wrote in a statement.
“A change in consumer purchasing awareness is visible, with an increasing number of people choosing environmentally friendly products.
“This is true for the cosmetics industry as well.”
New findings by Swiss insurer Zurich revealed that sustainability credentials are the top purchasing priority for one in five UK shoppers, amounting to 18%, which is expected to double in the next five years.
By 2026, researchers predict that 55% of UK customers will be motivated by ethical concerns when they shop.
“Going forward, Kao will continue working to achieve material recycling PET bottle containers and progressively expand its use of bottle containers using chemically recycled PET material,” added Kao.
The business also said that it is considering ways to gather and reuse its containers.
