Making a Positive Impact on the Environment

Sustainable Beauty Packaging Solutions: Reducing Impact on the Environment

Sustainable packaging solutions are crucial for reducing the environmental impact of the packaging in the beauty industry. As concerns about climate change and environmental degradation increase, businesses and consumers alike are seeking ways to minimize their ecological footprint. 

Sustainable packaging aims to achieve this by adopting environmentally friendly practices throughout the packaging lifecycle, from design to disposal. Looking at materials use and sourcing, or manufacturing as well as usage and disposal aspects can help our beauty world decrease its impact at every step of the product life-cycle.

Here are some ways sustainable beauty packaging can reduce its impact on the environment.

Biodegradability and Compostability

Emphasizing the use of biodegradable and compostable materials ensures that packaging can naturally break down into non-toxic particles when disposed of properly. This reduces the burden on landfills and decreases pollution. Consumer research also proves that beauty users are looking for compostable packaging offerings in order to reduce eco-anxiety and guilt associated with the purchase of goods, with a recent study showing that 46% or european consumers expect to find compostable packaging solutions on the beauty market.

At mPackting we have developed our own proprietary solutions mBlack™ as we think it’s important to offer compostable solutions that remain luxurious and that are fully adapted to beauty requirement. Since we know and serve the market well, we have developed a solution that makes sense. mBlack™ is made using biochar, which is derived from the wood waste generated by our manufacturing activities. Biochar is a carbon sink because it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Biochar is blended with a biopolymer to generate mBlack™, which is biodegradable and does not leave any microplastics behind at the end of its life cycle.

Our material mBlack™ stores carbon in a stable form in the long term, reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and effectively acting as a Climate Cooling Service.

Not only mBlack™ is a nature-based, cost-effective, scalable carbon sink, but it is also biodegradable, food-grade, it decompones without leaving microplastics behind, and it does not interfere with the food supply chain.

Investing in research and development of innovative and sustainable beauty packaging materials, such as plant-based materials can significantly reduce environmental impacts.

mPackting has become a specialist of wood and its derivatives thanks to a parent company, Minelli, and sister companies, who offer solutions based on this noble material.

Minelli wood: experts and manufacturers of wood components.

• Minelli systems: expert in complete products that are composed of wood (in full or in part)

• mPackting: expert in finish products made of wood (in full or in part) for Cosmetics & Luxury 

• Minelli materials: build and buy competences to take their own waste stream to develop material, compounds, blends, etc. to make products .. again not compounders, but reuse waste to make products… their are makers

In addition to using innovative products from nature using biotechnology, reducing materials use and developing efficient designs can also reduce the carbon footprint of beauty packaging, and ensure a better sustainability score.

Reduced Material Use 

Sustainable beauty packaging strives to use fewer resources, minimizing the overall amount of material needed for packaging. This approach reduces waste generation and conserves natural resources, such as water and energy. 

Material reduction can be also developed in mono-material solutions that aim to use the same materials in all parts of the packaging. This may sound like an easy solution, but it actually is not as simple considering that all parts play a special role in preserving the product, and they may have a different technical aspect or manufacturing processes. For example a cap needs to be rigid and offer tightness at closure when the body of a skin care bottle (for serum or foundation application) may need to be soft and offer squeezability. Resistance to pressure (tensile strength) in both parts is very different. That is why we used different materials until now. But innovation allows us to push this further and develop different options with the same material.

mPackting offers beauty packaging options in current existing materials in the beauty industry and also offers new materials with an even smaller carbon impact thanks to its source origin.

Another way to reduce material use is to ensure a lightweight, efficient and yet luxurious Beauty Design.

Creating packaging with minimal weight and volume helps decrease transportation-related carbon emissions. It also reduces the consumption of fossil fuels needed for shipping. At mPackting we have worked with seasoned designer Thierry de Baschmakoff to ensure a sleek and luxurious design of our white-label range. It is a stock range because it is available to any brand, and the decoration options are endless offering a not-so-standard finished design. 

Thierry's vision was to use wood while making it disappear so it integrates seamlessly into any brand’s design. “ The design objective was to make wood disappear, thanks to mPackting's expertise in woodworking and finishing. Everyone must interpret wood differently, as it is a noble material. The secret to luxury lies in the details, that's why we achieved amazing results through customised decoration using different finishing techniques," explained Thierry de Baschmakoff.

While developing a white-label range it was paramount to use the exact amount of material, no more, no less, in order to achieve the most effective design in terms of cost, finishes and environmental impact. Also note that in general, using wood or compostable material tends to reduce the overall weight of packaging, wood being light by “nature”, depending on the essence.

Adding to our design eco-friendly printing and labelling is a must. Thankfully wood and other materials that we use can be moulded in a lot of different shapes, even in our white-label range. Using eco-friendly inks and adhesives for printing and labelling reduces the release of harmful chemicals during recycling or disposal, and reduces the carbon footprint down the line.

Adopting Sustainable practices in the beauty and luxury sectors

Adopting sustainable beauty packaging solutions not only benefits the environment but can also enhance a company's reputation, attract environmentally conscious consumers, and contribute to the global effort to combat climate change and preserve natural resources. By prioritizing sustainability and taking action on packaging choices, businesses can make a positive impact on the environment and work towards a more sustainable future.

Would you like to adopt these strategies for your own packaging solutions? Get in touch with us!