Earth Protect Blog

Beauty is beginning to say so long to old-school plastic.

Two of the beauty industry's biggest players -- Whole Foods and Procter & Gamble -- are passing new regulations for sustainable and recyclable packaging that are causing a growing rumble in the marketplace, where other brands are beginning the shift to using renewable materials.

The new Whole Foods regulations go into effect this month, and mandate that suppliers use packaging materials that are easily reused or recycled, are non-toxic, and that they switch from plastic to glass when possible.

"We are strengthening our commitment to reducing, reusing and recycling waste," Jeremiah McElwee, senior whole body coordinator for Whole Foods tells StyleList.

"We have switched to post-consumer recycled bottles for most of our store-brand personal care and nutritional supplement products, and have implemented new responsible packaging guidelines for all of the company's more than 1300 personal care product suppliers nationwide," adds McElwee.

Insiders say that much like regulations on organic beauty products passed by Whole Foods this summer, the new rules will cause many brands to adapt their packaging, regardless of wherever else they are sold.

Meanwhile, supermodel and Pantene endorser Gisele Bundchen announced P&G's plans last month to switch to sustainable packaging made from sugarcane produced in her home country of Brazil. The packaging will make the switch over the next couple of years on P&G's top three global brands -- Pantene Pro-V, CoverGirl and MaxFactor -- the last of which is no longer sold in the U.S., but is still sold internationally.

"This initiative, together with others you'll be hearing about from us soon, will help meet the needs of women around the world who've been telling us that they want more environmentally-friendly products with no trade-offs in performance, aesthetic or value," says vice-chairman of P&G beauty and grooming, Ed Shirley.

While brands like The Body Shop and Stila have long had a history of eco-friendly packaging, the new changes from a giant like P&G signal a change in the mainstream marketplace.

Could this mean an end to the layers of plastic sheeting that infamously seal -- or should we say armor -- drugstore cosmetics? We hope so.

Author: Grace Gold

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/09/08/beauty-green-packaging-trend/