900.care is one of the most promising beauty and hygiene start-ups of the moment. Created in 2019, it has managed to rally to its cause, via participatory financing, thousands of people aspiring to enjoy quality products while reducing the volume of packaging thrown into bathroom garbage cans. The founders of 900.care met the VPI teams very early in their project: the love affair was mutual, and so was the desire to move forward together. Three years after meeting, VPI and 900.care continue to innovate in favor of a more eco-responsible consumption.
The challenge of revolutionizing the hygiene and beauty sector
The 900.care brand was born in July 2019 around a double observation: the amount of single-use plastic thrown away in a bathroom and the fact that this plastic is mainly used to carry water. Two challenges imposed themselves on the co-founders, Thomas Arnaudo and Aymeric Grange: drastically reduce the use of plastic and offer anhydrous (waterless) formulas to refill. In the fall of the same year, both visited the Luxe Pack Monaco trade show in search of the packaging supplier capable of supporting them in their project. " One thing we knew was that we wanted to create a range of specific, identifiable packaging that could be easily refilled. This meant unique molds for our brand. The VPI team listened to us and very quickly thought along with us. They knew how to bet on us and commit themselves to us "says Thomas Arnaudo, co-founder of 900.care.
Recharging as a key to sustainability
The choice of plastic came very early in the project: " We wanted to produce in France and revalue plastic. Indeed, I am convinced that if we use it well, if we do not systematically throw it away after a single use, if we favour recycled plastic, then plastic can be virtuous. It is reusable, light, strong and recyclable at the end of its life: if we look at the whole value chain, it is the choice that makes the most sense for the ecology "explains Thomas Arnaudo. Hence the choice of the French manufacturer VPI, a specialist in plastic injection.
Several packagings are to be imagined, each with their specific challenges. 900.care worked with designers to select a line of clean, consistent, easily identifiable shapes. Then VPI was called upon for the technical design phase: drawings and molds. A few adjustments later, production was launched.
Latest innovation: a mouthwash in effervescent tablets
After making the shower gel cap, the refillable solid deodorant case and the toothpaste dispenser, VPI has taken on 900.care's latest challenge: its refillable mouthwash tablet packaging. " It's a smart packaging. The tablets are stored in the body of the bottle and the opening cap serves as a measuring cup. The user puts a tablet in the bottle, adds water and obtains a mouthwash. It is an ingenious container that stores, facilitates the use and, moreover, by its design, integrates perfectly in our range "says Thomas Arnaudo.
" As packaging suppliers, we like to accompany our customers in their challenges and ambitions. It's a chance to meet a brand in its early stages, and we enjoyed joining the 900.care adventure from the start. This is what drives us at VPI: to be at the side of brands that want to revolutionize consumer habits by developing innovative and eco-friendly products with them. ", said Marc Beltrami, VPI's sales director.
" We are very happy to work with a company like VPI. It's a company on a human scale, which wants to innovate and change the way things are done. Its teams are very responsive: they knew perfectly how to adapt to our start-up rhythm. We wanted speed and efficiency: we got them. ", said Thomas Arnaudo, co-founder of 900.care.
