At a time when sustainability remains a top concern for beauty consumers around the world, the beauty industry is finding itself under increasing pressure not only from regulations but also from environmentally conscious consumers.
For example, as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) becomes a focus of legislation, companies are being asked to take responsibility for their brands right from the production stage.
To address this challenge, Spencer Ball, creative director at design firm SGK, suggested that a crucial starting point is to look upstream.
This means tackling the problem at its source, rather than simply mitigating downstream impacts.
In this way, the focus shifts from immediate concerns such as packaging materials to broader considerations.
“The right thing to do is to start looking upstream. For example, instead of just thinking about the immediate issue with materials, start thinking about other factors that also affect downstream: inks, finishes, additional color features. If you think about things like , varnishes, some of those things actually prevent recycling.” Ball said.
Changing trends and new solutions
In recent years, there has been a growing trend to develop solid or water-free beauty products with reduced environmental impact.
This not only allows manufacturers to rethink packaging materials, but also addresses the carbon costs associated with transporting heavy liquids.
Changing the product format also requires a complete rethinking of the packaging format. We’re seeing a lot of interesting brands growing around such solutions.
However, transitioning to new product formats presents challenges in terms of ease of use, effectiveness, and cost.
Ball encouraged brands to think beyond the linear lifecycle of packaging and explore reuse and recycling opportunities.
“You’re investing all this money into the creation of the packaging, the construction and design of that packaging, and the actual engineering. What’s the opportunity to get that value back? How do you return it, reuse it, recycle it? Can you? And often it’s as easy as it sounds. It’s an obvious answer, but often it’s just overlooked.”
Plastics are often criticized for their environmental impact, but Ball suggested they could be part of the solution if used thoughtfully. This approach aims to maximize the value of plastics and emphasizes the importance of designing products that can be used repeatedly.
“Plastic, if used in the right way, could actually be a solution. And instead of being designed to be used once, it could be designed to last forever. And I We give it back its value. Plastic lasts forever, so you can use it over and over again.”
If you want to know more, watch the video above.