Beauty giant Amorepacific enlists Eastman to design new sustainable packaging from molecular recycling

30 Nov 2021 --- Global beauty company Amorepacific and materials supplier Eastman are collaborating on sustainable packaging solutions using Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies. 

Laneige will be the first Amorepacific brand to utilize packaging made from Eastman Cristal Renew copolyester – which is made with certified recycled content – as early as December 2021.

“Cristal Renew and Eastman’s innovative molecular recycling technologies will play a crucial role in helping us achieve the commitments laid out in our ‘2030 A MORE Beautiful Promise,’ without sacrificing the premier beauty experience customers expect from Amorepacific,” remarks Jung Changwook, senior vice president of Amorepacific development and purchasing division.

Molecular recycling
Laneige’s Water Sleeping Mask featuring Cristal Renew will be available at cosmetics retailer Sephora in the US and Canada.

The new Water Sleeping Mask’s technological advances in skincare include a probiotics-derived complex to fortify skin’s moisture barrier that improves clarity and texture. It is packaged in jars made from molecular recycling technology.

Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies break down hard-to-recycle plastic waste into building blocks used to create new materials that are comparable to traditional materials in clarity, luster and mechanical properties.

Using molecular recycling to make these materials diverts plastic waste from landfills, incinerators and the environment. The process also reduces the use of fossil resources and results in 20% to 50% lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional manufacturing.

The recycled content in Cristal Renew is achieved by allocating the recycled waste plastic to Eastman Cristal Renew copolyesters using a mass balance process certified by the environmental organization ISCC.

Cristal Renew is available with 30% and 50% certified recycled content.

Greening up for 2030
Amorepacific’s “2030 A More Beautiful Promise” includes a total of five goals are set under two guiding pillars, which are “moving forward together with customers and society” and “coexisting responsibly with nature.”

Among its notable developments, the company has reduced 70% of its plastic use by developing a technology of manufacturing paper containers that increases the expiration date up to 36 months.

It has since underscored its plans to increase the use of recyclable, reusable plastic by implementing the 4R strategy that includes reducing, recycling, reusing and reversing.

By Benjamin Ferrer