Feb. 15, 2022
In recent times, there has been increasing focus on the beauty industry, with some of the biggest polluters being household personal care products due to the amount of plastic being used in production and packaging.
Plastic pollution is a huge problem all over the world. This is because, by virtue of its makeup, plastic is made to last at every step in its lifecycle (even long after it has been discarded) – often for 400 years or more.
Furthermore, plastic creates greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to global warming.
As consumers are increasingly becoming aware of their environment and going green, many beauty brands are incorporating recycling-friendly materials into their production lines thereby creating room for people to live more sustainably. But this isn’t enough.
Beyond that, brands need to go the extra mile to make their beauty formulas and packaging entirely biodegradable and compostable – break down completely within a specific time frame, usually within 12 weeks.
To ensure this, the production of organic, plant-based beauty products that are made with botanical actives such as essential oils, plant waxes, and by-product plant ingredients should be encouraged because they do not only have a positive effect on health but also on the planet.
For packaging, biodegradable materials like bamboo, wine cork, plant-based bioplastics, seaweed, mycelium, hemp, and coconut husk, as well as compostable materials include paper, straw, cardboard, brown paper bags, sugarcane pulp, corn starch, wood pulp, and palm leaf can be used.
So, if you’re a beauty line, creating plant-based beauty products is a great way for you (and consumers) to be ethical in your production (no animal cruelty), produce healthy products (no harsh chemicals), and reduce your carbon footprint and become more ecologically aware (more biodegradable materials and less emission).
Courtesy: Climateaction.africa
