2014-05-05 15:44:11

Creating Packaging That Lives On

2014-05-05 15:44:11

By Marie Redding, Associate Editor

Terracycle and Garnier help turn ‘beauty waste’ into new products.

It’s Earth Day on April 22nd - and making sure sustainability is a part of a beauty brand’s packaging plan is more important than ever.

TerraCycle has been collaborating with some brands to fulfill their eco-conscious missions, which has resulted in saving billions of used packages from ending up in landfills.

“There is always an initial challenge, but once a brand gets involved in our recycling programs, they see the value and typically become highly engaged partners,” says Albe Zakes, global vice president of communications, TerraCycle, Inc.

Collecting & Upcycling ‘Beauty Waste’

The logistics of collecting and sorting used packages pose major issues for recycling efforts, experts say – plus, many types of beauty and personal care packages are non-recyclable or difficult to recycle.

“Packaging from beauty and personal care products accounts for nearly one-third of all the waste in landfills. TerraCycle has processes in place to accept more than 40 types of waste through its collection Brigade programs, on a national level,” says Lauren Taylor, U.S. director of public relations, TerraCycle, Inc.

Some brands, including a few beauty and personal care companies, have been collaborating with Terracycle to sponsor its collection Brigades – making it possible for millions of consumers to collect used packaging, including ‘beauty waste,’ in homes, schools, offices and communities.

“By off-setting the costs of collection and processing, our

Hair care, skincare and cosmetics packages are accepted for collection in the Garnier Personal Care and Cosmetics Brigade program.

brand sponsors are making it possible for consumers to recycle used packages from any brand – and taking responsibility for the packaging waste stream, for their entire product category,” explains Zakes.

Consumers can sign up on TerraCycle’s website to take part in one of the collection Brigades for free, and there is also a charitable component - for each unit collected, two cents is donated back to the non-profit organization of their choice. (Or, if the organization signing up is a non-profit, they can choose to raise money for themselves.)

TerraCycle ‘upcycles’ – by selling the collected packaging to companies that will create new products using the recycled materials, such as park benches, garbage pails and flower pots.

“Since our collection efforts are subsidized by our brand sponsors, we can sell post-consumer resin, for example, at a price comparable to virgin plastic. This creates an incentive for companies to use more recycled materials for manufacturing,” explains Zakes.

The Garnier Personal Care & Beauty Brigade

Garnier has been the official sponsor of the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade since 2011, collecting hair care, skincare and cosmetic packaging.

To date, the Garnier Personal Care and Beauty Brigade has collected over 3.5 million used packages, raising over $70k for charities. To help convey a message about recycling efforts to consumers, TerraCycle’s logo appears on the back of Garnier’s packaging.

Through this initiative, Garnier created a ‘Green Garden’ in Harlem, NY last year, which can produce over 2,000 pounds of food for community residents. The garden’s raised beds, picnic tables and trash cans were all made from recycled materials.

This year, Garnier is asking consumers to vote for a community that will win the ‘Garnier Green Garden’ for 2014. Voting is taking place March 20 - June 15th.

The Colgate Oral Care Brigade

Terracycle recruited the help of Colgate for the Oral Care Brigade - and is promoting recycling by showing an innovative way to re-use toothbrush cartons.

Another collection stream is designated for oral care products – the Oral Care Brigade, which Colgate has sponsored since 2010.

To date, the Colgate Oral Care Brigade has collected nearly 900,000 used toothbrushes, raising nearly $20,000 for charities. The brand also sponsors the Colgate Wisp Brigade – and over 7,000 of the brand’s disposable mini toothbrushes have been mailed to TerraCycle to be given a second life.

During the brand’s ‘Bright Smiles Bright Futures’ initiative program this year, teams will be travelling to schools throughout the U.S. to provide free dental screenings, while also collecting used toothbrushes.

Kiehl’s Own Initiative

In addition to the Brigades, TerraCycle offers brands other ways to join recycling efforts. Kiehl’s Since 1851 has its own initiative, and collects back its empty bottles from consumers. The used packages are shipped to TerraCycle, and then made into a variety of different products.

Since 2009, Kiehl’s has collected over 1 million bottles and tubes from consumers at its 54 free-standing stores, nationwide. Shoppers returning an empty package get a stamp - for every ten stamps, customers are given the travel-size product of their choice.

Chris Salgardo, president, Kiehl’s USA, commented, “We only have one planet, and it’s important that we do our best to take care of it…Encouraging customers to bring in their empty Kiehl’s bottles in return for free products has proved to be very successful.”

Salons Join ‘Zero Waste’

TerraCycle also has a program called “Zero Waste.” Recently, two salons have purchased collection boxes, which will be filled with empty packages and then sent to the company for upcycling.

“The program is still new, but we have already received inquiries from three large national salon chains that may be in interested in joining, in an effort to reduce their environmental impact,” says Taylor.

What’s being collected from salons? Empty product tubes and bottles, bobby pins, pomade tins, pedicure kits, old brushes and combs, latex gloves – and even human hair.

The Future Looks ‘Green’

TerraCycle’s efforts seem to be working – and, getting more successful each year.

“We have kept more than 2.5 billion pieces of waste out of U.S. landfills through our Brigade programs, since 2007,” says Krauss. She continues, “All of these numbers – the waste streams we accept, the teams that collect for us, and the total waste diverted from landfill – are constantly growing.”

Zakes adds, “Ninety-five percent of the programs we launched in 2008 and 2009 still exist today, so we expect them to continue, indefinitely.”

For a beauty brand, taking part in one of TerraCycle’s recycling initiatives shows consumers that they are giving back. “Our brand partners are encouraging consumers to recycle, and giving them incentives to do so - it’s as if they’re funding their own ‘bottle bill,’ instead of waiting for the government to do it,” says Zakes.

He adds, “The end result is a double benefit - more products that are made with recycled resin, and less made from virgin plastic. It’s a win-win for everyone - including the planet.”