Cross-industry partners roll out “groundbreaking” cosmetic packaging to curb plastic waste

21 Jun 2022 --- In an attempt to tackle the ecologically harmful plastic waste produced by the industry, Clariant, Siegwerk, Borealis and Beiersdorf are joining forces to form the Design4Circularity initiative, creating recyclable consumer packaging based on 100% retrieved plastic packaging waste for cosmetics applications.

“Achieving circularity needs a complete shift in designing product packaging and packaging raw materials, considering sortability, recycling and packaging end-of-life,” says Richard Haldimann, chief technology and sustainability officer at Clariant.

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. 

Circular packaging means reducing plastic waste, using less virgin plastic material and minimizing climate impact.

Design4Circularity targets the achievement of circular packaging by considering the entire life cycle within each development step. It also aims to create a new standard for the industry. Circular packaging means reducing plastic waste, using less virgin plastic material and minimizing climate impacts to help the climate issues. Credit: Clariant.  

Holistic understanding of systems
Stefan Haep, technology head brand owner collaboration at Siegwerk, explains that the initiative assesses circularity in every design parameter, from additives to bottle material to inks, including mapping industry competencies, potential gaps, and feasibility proof points to open up circular solutions.

“This collaboration was possible because all participants are dedicated to the circular economy, with company-wide programs and holistic understanding of the systems involved,” adds Haldimann.

This enables packaging waste to be used for personal care applications as they can be recycled “again and again.” The bottles contain 100% post-consumer recyclate content (PCR), with a printed full-body shrink sleeve. 

“Transforming to a circular economy is a team effort. It starts with packaging design and the right sorting and recycling infrastructure. Through collaboration, we reinvent essentials for sustainable living,” comments Peter Voortmans, global commercial director of consumer products at Borealis.

The collaborators aim to design packaging with cleaner input waste streams that find their way back into the loop in high-value applications while also ensuring the high-quality and visual appeal of cosmetics packaging. 

Collaborative result
Borealis brought expertise in its mechanical recycling technology with high-quality PCR based on proprietary Borcycle technology. This gives packaging waste a second life with the highest value. Design4Circularity targets the achievement of circular packaging by considering the entire life cycle within each development step. Credit: Clariant.

Additionally, Clariant offered recycling solutions ensuring “targeted additivation” to protect PCR quality from polymer chain breakdown at each recycling step. As a result, high-value PCR material fitting for personal care consumer packaging was created.

Siegwerk provided ink systems with Beiersdorf for a full-body print with colors. The ink was designed to allow deinking of the sleeve within a recycling process to ensure recyclability at a materials recovery facility.

The solution focuses on colorless bottle options to increase PCR quality after recycling. The companies also decided to use a full-body shrink sleeve as the best way to allow different brand designs. 

“The Design4Circularity packaging solution is ground-breaking for future cosmetics applications. Through all collaboration partners involved, we have managed to combine the high design requirements of cosmetic packaging with full circularity,” concludes Stefan Rüster, packaging expert at Beiersdorf.

Edited by Venya Patel 

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