Shiseido’s cross-sectoral alliance boosts circular plastics economy for cosmetics containers

06 Jul 2022 --- Shiseido Company, Sekisui Chemical and Sumitomo Chemical are launching a joint initiative where used plastic cosmetics containers will be collected, converted into other resources and materials and recycled back into plastic cosmetics containers. 

Cosmetics containers are often made from a wide range of plastics due to the importance of protection, usability and appearance. In line with this, Innova Market Insight data shows that 45% of consumers in Asia believe plastic performs very well in terms of protection. Additionally, 52% believe plastic performs well in terms of ease of use and 42% believe it performs well in terms of design possibilities.

As a result, it is difficult to sort cosmetic containers for recycling, and even more challenging to deconstruct them. The three companies have agreed to collaborate, leveraging their respective expertise to develop a new system to collect used plastic cosmetics containers and recycle them into new cosmetics containers.

Utilizing synergetic expertise
Using the company’s expertise in cosmetics container design and R&D, Shiseido will establish a new scheme to collect used plastic cosmetics containers through retail stores and promote the reuse of recycled PP and PE for cosmetics containers.

Consumers find the protection, usability and appearance of cosmetic packaging important.Sekisui Chemical will leverage BR ethanol technology to convert used plastics into ethanol, a raw material for plastics, by turning combustible waste into a gas without the use of heat or pressure and converting the gas into ethanol using microbes.

Meanwhile, Sumitomo Chemical will manufacture ethylene by using a technology for converting renewable ethanol into ethylene. From the ethylene, it will produce polyolefin products with quality equivalent to conventional polyolefin derived from fossil resources.

The three companies will push for this cross-sectoral alliance while encouraging other industries and businesses to join in the effort to create a circular economy.

Solo initiatives
The companies have separate initiatives to promote environmental sustainability. Shiseido is developing business models that promote a circular economy rather than a disposable economy, based on the idea of “praise the virtues of the Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth significant values,” which inspired the company name.

Sekisui Chemical has developed BR ethanol technology, and in April 2022, the company began testing at its newly constructed demonstration plant in Kuji, Japan, with the goal of commercializing this technology.

Sumitomo Chemical established a new pilot facility in April 2022 at its Chiba Works in Japan to manufacture ethylene using renewable ethanol as a raw material.

As part of its commercialization efforts, the company will also work to produce polyolefin products of comparable quality to conventional polyolefins from renewable ethanol-based ethylene, leveraging its R&D and process engineering capabilities.

Shiseido in the spotlightCosmetics containers are often made from a wide range of plastics, making them hard to recycle. 
In recent news, Henkel, a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company, completed the acquisition of Shiseido’s hair business, to further its understanding of Japanese beauty, hair and scalp care, anti-hair loss, styling and perm solutions. Shiseido will reportedly retain ownership of a 20% stake in its legal body in Japan.

With beauty companies increasingly making commitments to meet the 1.5°C climate challenge, Shiseido introduced a supply chain-conscious beauty brand called Ulé, powered by vertical farming. The brand has also partnered with Sulapac for bio-based and anti-microplastic packaging lids.

Furthermore, Ulé advanced its environmental sustainability by adding selected jars and bottles from glassmaker Bormioli Luigi’s green collection, ecoLine, to its portfolio. Since the brand targets a short supply chain to lower its carbon footprint, it chose a European manufacturer that uses recycled and recyclable materials. 

Industry efforts for circularity
In an attempt to tackle the ecologically harmful plastic waste produced by the beauty industry, Clariant, Siegwerk, Borealis and Beiersdorf joined forces to form the Design4Circularity initiative. It creates recyclable consumer packaging based on 100% retrieved plastic packaging waste for cosmetics applications.

The Design4Circularity solution offers a colorless polyolefin bottle with 100% PCR content, full-body sleeved in a printed shrink sleeve. All the materials are fully recyclable with the potential to be recovered and used for the same high-value application, says Clariant. 

By Mieke Meintjes