The global beauty industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging per year. This produces around 70% of the waste generated by the sector, as most of it is difficult to recycle due to the mixture of materials involved or the product residues left inside.

Jesús Palenzuela and Natalia Ortuño - ITENE

 

The transition to refillable and reusable packaging in the cosmetics sector is a key lever for reducing waste, decreasing the demand for virgin raw materials, and responding to growing regulatory and social pressure for a more circular economy.

 

With the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), approved in December 2024 by the Council of the European Commission, new rules are proposed to minimize the amount of packaging and waste generated, while reducing the use of primary raw materials and promoting the transition to a circular, sustainable, and competitive economy.

 

Among the new regulations, the European Commission is committed to refillable and reusable solutions as one of the most effective ways to curb waste growth at source, since recycling, although necessary, cannot fully offset the increase in single-use packaging consumption. An effective reuse model would help to effectively prevent waste generation, as one recyclable container can replace dozens (sometimes hundreds) of single-use containers. This would directly reduce the demand for raw materials, energy, and emissions associated with waste production and management.

 

That is why cosmetics brands are...READING MORE AT https://www.infopack.es/revista/328/index68.html