Lumson sums up the values, goals, and business activities that characterized the company in 2021 and that will act as the backdrop for 2022. At the center of it all there was- and there will be once again - sustainability, treated as a pathway built step-by-step that takes into consideration initiatives, community and environmental impact, and repercussions for future generations.
RE-USE, RE-DUCE, RE-CYCLE
Guiding Lumson’s development and philosophy are the cardinal principles of a circular economy: Re-duce, Re-use, Re-cycle. Re-duce means eliminating the 'superfluous', meaning the elements of packaging that aren’t absolutely necessary (closures, caps, over-caps…), but also taking action to make packaging lighter and more functional.
The concept of Re-use translates into attentive design study so that packaging can be reused multiple times. The advantage of refillable solutions is evident: refilling bottles that already exist means avoiding the production, transport, and throwing out of new ones. All to the advantage of the environment. In this regard, the company has studied various refillable solutions for skincare (Re-Place) and for make-up (Eco-compact and Lip solution).
Re-cycle means acting on packaging recyclability. In practice, it means giving products or materials a “second life” that otherwise would have ended up in waste; but also, it means studying mono-material packaging or solutions that, when finished, can be separated and discarded in the correct recycling mode. Lumson already undertaken a variety of initiatives to this effect: the use of PCR materials in the TAG, APP and TAL systems in which the components can be separated and correctly disposed of.
SUSTAINABLE, RECYCLED AND RECYCLABLE MATERIALS
Working on materials to produce sustainable packaging is about protecting the planet and our heath. Lumson has been working on solutions that don’t require extra additional packaging; from lighter options suited for disposal to once again, the use of recycled, biodegradable materials obtained from renewable sources with a design (eco-design) that integrates into the circular economy.
Plastic: the many sustainable offers that have plastic as the protagonist, a material that is safe, light, and recyclable, are proof of how this material that is often given a bad name can actually be compatible with the environment. Lumson's catalogue spans from recyclable versions to PCR (PET-R, PP-R, ABS-R) and biobased (PLA and PE) plastics.
Glass: it’s a material that is 100% sustainable and can be recycled without losing its characteristics. In 2021, Lumson also introduced various solutions created using post-consumer glass (PCR) into its catalogue.
Aluminum: aluminum is the most widely available material on the planet. It's light, versatile, ecological, and can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing its qualities.
ALWAYS IN TUNE WITH THE TIMES
Packaging is a fundamental element of the cosmetic industry. Companies and consumers need trustworthy information and recognized standards in order to make informed decisions. Following the route of transparency and having faith in innovation and technology as motors for the company’s development, Lumson, already an institutional part of the Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, has started a series of initiatives aimed at evaluating the impact of its operations on the environment and society.
MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY
If measuring the sustainability of a product is quite a complex topic, one that is even more difficult is clearly defining “what is recyclable and what isn’t” because the recyclability of a product, in fact, is connected to a variety of factors.
On its end, Lumson, has chosen to trust the guidelines of RecyClass DFR (Design For Recyclability) and to become a Platinum Member of RecyClass. RecyClass is an international company that has developed a system of evaluating packaging made of plastic, assigning it a class from A to F based on its grade of recyclability (how recyclable it is).
Another crucial area that the company is working on is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The LCA is an objective parameter to quantify the potential impacts of a product (from resources consumed to emissions produced) on the environment and society.
Uniting the concepts of eco-design and sustainable development, in September 2021, Lumson joined SPICE-Sustainable Packaging Initiative for CosmEtics, a project founded through a collaboration between L’Oréal and Quantis, which has set a goal of collectively shaping the future of packaging in the direction of sustainability. In 2021, Lumson obtained the Evovadis Silver Medal (a result that it has reached, year after year, since 2018) with a score very close to the gold medal goal that the company aims to reach in 2022.
