The L'Occitane en Provence brand has been committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its packaging since its inception, and wishes to fully integrate it into a circular economy approach. The increase of reusable or refillable solutions is at the heart of its strategy since its first eco-refill launched in 2008.
Today, VPI, a French specialist in the injection of plastic parts for the luxury industry, is carrying out a new ambitious and innovative project for the brand: a new type of refill for one of its iconic products, the Utra Rich Shea Body Cream.
New refill and new material
Eco-responsibility is at the heart of L'Occitane's attention. Its strong commitment to CSR is reflected in its formulations and selection of ingredients, as well as in its packaging and accessories. The products are designed according to the principles of eco-design and the Ultra Rich Shea Body Cream refill uses several levers to minimize its environmental impact.
Beyond the implementation of a refill, L'Occitane teams have chosen to use a PP 100 % PCR (post consumer recycled) material. They are thus working to revalorize fossil resources and to better integrate L'Occitane in the circular economy process.
The PP 100 % PCR cup offers the benefits of preserving natural resources, supporting recycling channels and reducing the environmental footprint of the entire supply chain due to the inherent lightness of the material.
The use of recycled PP 100 % and the creation of the cup are real technical advances for which VPI has demonstrated its commitment. The management of batches of recycled material, their traceability, the dimensional control of a 200 ml format, all within a tight development schedule, are the real feats achieved by VPI for L'Occitane.
Reinventing the new gesture of an iconic product packaging
The 200 ml Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream refill represented a major technical challenge. L'Occitane called upon VPI's know-how to meet a double challenge, including the mastery of a new material and the implementation of a new process.
The collaboration of the teams, involving a design study on the grip, for unclipping and reclipping, has enabled the invention of an intuitive and pleasant gesture. The cup, with a capacity of 200 ml, heat-sealed after filling, is sold alone, and is positioned in the aluminum packaging acquired at the time of the first purchase.
"At VPI, we are honored to work with committed companies like L'Occitane en Provence. We thank the teams in place who, upstream, think about eco-design and who, in the development and industrialization of products, invest themselves so that the reflections lead to beautiful projects really eco-designed. We are proud to have been able to complete all the research carried out on recycled materials and to see such ambitious action plans come to fruition, said Marc Beltrami, VPI's Sales Director.
"The Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream refill solution allows us to significantly reduce our dependence on plastic compared to the old product, saving over 40 tons annually. It also meets our ambition to maximize our use of post-consumer recycled plastic. VPI's teams were able to meet this challenge perfectly". said David Bayard, R&D Packaging Director of L'Occitane en Provence.
