The Dutch company Royal DSMa global scientific company, has announced a partnership with Albéa to offer sustainable packaging for its prototype solar formulas, and to realize its vision of a responsible product offering.
The move towards more sustainable beauty and skincare products is nothing new. But increasingly, consumers looking for planet-friendly options are extending this focus to include packaging too, looking to the packaging itself to make responsible choices. According to a recent Mintel study, 83 % of Malaysian adults would like to see more innovative sustainability ideas from major beauty brands, while more than half of German adults believe that eco-friendly packaging for care and beauty products does not contain plastic. In addition, growing consumer concerns about the safety and ease of use of packaging are fuelling demand for safe packaging. With the cosmetics industry producing over 120 billion units of packaging a year, the opportunity to make a positive impact on the planet through more sustainable packaging is enormous.
Two companies, one commitment to a sustainable value chain
The partnership between DSM and Albéa is a milestone and underlines both companies' commitment to sustainability. Thanks to this partnership, DSM can provide its customers with a complete sustainable sun care solution. As a first step, DSM plans to transfer most of its prototype suncare formulas into tubes, known to be the packaging format with the greatest sustainability impact, as well as safety and hygiene benefits. In addition to protection against microbial contamination, tubes also offer minimal product loss (compared to spray formulations, for example).
The Albéa tube used in DSM's formulation prototypes combines the 3Rs: recycled content, ready to recycle and reduced weight. Albéa's tube features a Slim cap with a lightweight, eco-designed look, combined with a lightweight structure derived from Thin-Wall technology for a reduced-weight solution. This tube, ready to be recycled in today's recycling flows, also incorporates a maximum level of post-consumer recycled content (PCR), the tube reaching 38 % of PCR (62 % excluding cap) for a D35, 50ml tube, thus contributing to the move towards a circular economy.
Every step counts
"Customers and consumers are looking for a commitment to sustainability throughout the value chain. To make our offering more sustainable, we need to work together and strive to introduce sustainable practices at every stage and in every area of our business, explains Gaelle Bathany, Global Director Sustainability DSM Personal Care and Aroma Ingredients. This requires us to think differently and take many small but thoughtful steps in the right direction, such as formalizing our partnership with Albéa. Albéa shares our broader commitment to encouraging sustainable practices in this sector by developing solutions and services that help customers minimize their environmental footprint."
Caroline Hughes, Marketing Manager at Albéa Tubes, adds: "We're rethinking packaging to make it circular, low environmental impact and safe. This radical change requires collaboration along the entire value chain, as illustrated by this partnership between DSM and Albéa. We are combining our expertise, innovation capabilities and social and environmental responsibility so that beauty and skincare brands can meet their own commitments to their stakeholders."
