L’Oréal scales up sustainability goals with new announcement

L’Oréal scales up sustainability goals with new announcement

Unveils cosmetic bottle made from recycled plastic

L’Oréal

MUMBAI: Global Cosmetic major L’Oréal has announced the realization of the first cosmetic bottle made from plastic entirely recycled using Carbios’ enzymatic technology. The Group aims to start the production of the bottles based on this disruptive innovation in 2025.

Biotherm would be the first of the Group’s brands to launch a product in this bottle of the future, it said on Thursday.

The technology developed by Carbios, a pioneer in the development of biotech solutions for the recycling of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastics, paves the way for the manufacture of new products made from 100 per cent recycled materials produced using its enzymatic process. According to the company, it has the advantage of being suitable for all types of PET - clear, colored, opaque, and multilayer - and making these plastics infinitely recyclable.

L’Oréal Packaging and Development director Jacques Playe said: “We have been working with Carbios since 2017 to develop this first bottle made from PET derived from enzymatic recycling technology, an alternative to mechanical recycling. We are pleased to announce the feasibility of these bottles in a pilot phase and are delighted to be in a position to create the packaging of the future with our partners. This is a promising innovation for the years to come that demonstrates our commitment to bring to market more environmentally friendly packaging and which is part of a circularity initiative begun more than 15 years ago”.

Biotherm Global Brand president Giulio Bergamaschi noted: “We are delighted to be the first beauty brand to realize a completely recycled bottle using plastic from Carbios’ disruptive technology”.

L’Oréal set up a consortium with Carbios in 2017, which Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo, and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe have since joined. In 2019, L’Oréal invested in Carbios via its venture capital fund BOLD - Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development.

With “L’Oréal for the Future”, L’Oréal’s new sustainability programme for 2030, the Group has taken a step further towards the transformation of its business and has set ambitious new objectives, particularly in the area of packaging. It aims to have 100 per cent of its plastic packaging as refillable, reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025, 100 per cent of its plastic packaging to be derived from recycled materials or biosourced by 2030.