What is biodegradable cosmetics packaging?
The sustainability of a cosmetic manufacture must take into account all aspects of how a finished product is made available to the consumer. Indeed, one of the most impactful aspects is packaging, which generates significant pollution if one bears in mind the huge amount of cosmetics used every day in the world. For this reason, cosmetic packaging companies have for years now been proposing packaging with biodegradable features to minimise the environmental pollution input of this part of the supply chain.
But what is biodegradable packaging? In general, packaging is biodegradable when it is dispersed in the environment and is easily degraded to a cleaner element by bacteria or other microorganisms. However, biodegradable packaging must also be ‘sustainable’ in the sense that the production processes for its production must have been optimised so as to be as pollution-free as possible, the raw material for production must be recycled and reusable.
No less important is that the packaging system of a sustainable cosmetic needs to be simplified, reducing the use of secondary packaging only when it is strictly necessary.
At the same time, however, the packaging must both maintain its functions of containment and integrity of the cosmetic it contained, be safe and allow the obligatory label information to be included.
Which are the most suitable materials?
The biodegradable material for cosmetic packaging suppliers of excellence is the paper: from an initial phase of using recyclable paper in secondary packaging to a full-fledged replacement of primary packaging with the solid cosmetics that are currently booming. This has met with a great deal of interest from consumers, who consider it to be a virtuous choice to eliminate plastic and place their trust in a renewable raw material such as paper.
In cases where the type of cosmetic does not enable the use of paper, packaging companies propose bioplastic, a type of plastic obtained from renewable sources such as sugar cane, which is non-biodegradable but reusable. This is often accompanied by the choice to reduce the thickness of cosmetics containers.
The other solution is to use glass, which is biodegradable, reusable and safe for storing cosmetics. A limitation of its use is related to the fragility of the material, which is not suitable for all types of cosmetic products.
Even wood processing waste has entered the composition of biodegradable packaging, with the simple addition of natural additives. The cosmetics packaging production sector is evidently continuously searching for innovative materials to offer on the market.
Why should a company choose biodegradable packaging for cosmetics?
Cosmetic manufacturers, meanwhile, are increasingly turning to the selection of biodegradable packaging because the consumer market demands it, and awareness of this need which can no longer be overlooked. For many cosmetics brands, the choice is also a matter of values, to demonstrate the possibility of acting on the entire supply chain in proposing an environmentally sustainable cosmetic.
Cosmoderma is choosing biodegradable and sustainable packaging.
Cosmoderma, which as part of its cosmetics manufacturing service deals with all parts of the production of a finished product for the market, also offers its customers sustainable packaging which is obtained by giving new life to already FSC-certified wood waste. The recycled wood chips then become the renewable basis for further processing, resulting in a packaging material with significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
Today, choosing biodegradable and sustainable packaging is increasingly a requirement not only for business, but also for ethics and values for companies and in the interest of all consumers.