There are many alternatives today, whether it’s packaging or ingredients, to ensure beauty products don’t create more waste than the planet can cope with. Beautiful, in fact, should not cost the Earth. We explore how brands can commit to zero waste!
Go green. Think sustainability. Save the earth. You’ve probably heard these slogans before. From fashion to beauty brands, there is a way they can commit to zero waste. In the past years, in fact, saving Mother nature has become a global trend because of the urgency to act for the environment. As each day passes by, humans are doing more damage to our planet. Our carelessness has resulted in climate change, deforestation, land, air, and ocean pollution, biodiversity loss, and more.
It’s a good thing that people are now becoming more conscious of how their actions are affecting the earth. Simple efforts such as conserving water, recycling, and shopping wisely by choosing eco-friendly fabrics and sustainable plant-based food are practised to revive our environment. For industries, they are also on the move to lessen their impact on the environment. More pro-environment businesses are emerging by adapting to a green business model. Companies are coming up with ways on how to minimize their environmental effect while ensuring ample revenue.
Meruyert Gonullu via Unsplash
The beauty industry has also threatened the environment. They contribute to pollution because of the use of single-use plastic packaging. In addition, the toxic chemicals used in the products get washed in the ocean, which causes coral reef destruction and the build-up of microplastics that sea creatures have mistaken for food. But the industry is also now shifting to a more earth-friendly way of doing business by committing to zero-waste processes.
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Sustainable Packaging
A product’s packaging completes customer experience but it can remain presentable without degrading the environment. Since the biggest problem of the beauty industry is the use of plastic for packaging, beauty brands are now opting to use sustainable packaging. The most common of these include glass jars, wooden containers, cork caps, paper wraps, and cardboard boxes. You may see some packaging with the printed logo of FSC or Forest Stewardship Council. This means that the paper and packaging board used came from a forest that is properly managed according to strict environmental standards.
In addition, some brands are now using eco-friendly ink to print on their packaging since conventional inks are non-biodegradable. Eco-friendly inks use natural vegetable oils such as soy, flaxseed, rapeseed, and corn.
Packaging waste makes up one-third of what is delivered to landfills each year
There are many other strategies for sustainable packaging. Some brands use aluminum as packaging because of its recyclability. Aluminum packaging is also lighter compared to glass, thus it provides more cost-efficient shipping. Another way to do it is by offering a refilling option. Customers get to use their recyclable packaging, go to the physical store, and refill their chosen product. Some brands also give a discount to those who choose to refill. Lastly, some brands such as Lush have completely ditched the shampoo bottle and replaced it by creating a bar shampoo.
Upcycled cosmetic ingredients
Upcycled cosmetic ingredients are becoming a trend in the beauty industry. In this process, various by-products are used as ingredients for beauty products. Fruits and vegetables that are discarded because of how they look are used as cosmetic ingredients instead of becoming food waste.
There are lots of food wastes that can be used to upcycled cosmetic ingredients, examples of which are olive oil waste, citrus extracts (like lemon and orange peels), coffee beans, and dried fruit seeds used by the juice and jam manufacturers.
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Alternative beauty products
Another way that beauty brands are complying with zero-waste practices is by providing consumers with an alternative to common, single-use items such as wet wipes and cotton pads. Wet wipes are made of a combination of different materials, some of which are non-biodegradable. On the other hand, producing cotton pads entails a lot of chemicals and pesticides, which makes it damaging to the environment as well.
Fortunately, there are now washable and reusable facial wipes and cotton rounds. There are also many reusable swabs to replace disposable cotton buds, washcloths instead of shower puffs, bamboo toothbrushes over plastic ones, and safety razors instead of disposable ones.
Conclusion
The beauty industry is sure to stay. These products are essential in making people look and feel good about themselves. But with the commitment of beauty brands to be eco-friendly and sustainable, not only do people stay beautiful, but the earth does as well. We all need to take the proper measures to save the earth because this is our only home.
