Just because something is highly recyclable doesn't mean that lazy humans won't just throw it in the bin. For things to be recycled they need to be put into a recycling program make it to the recycling plant without being contaminated, And the recycling plant actually have the ability to recycle that product. The struggle with plastic is that there are so many different kinds of plastic and you have to sort it out into colours and types. If you just mix it all together you get an unusable recycled product.
This is specific to the cosmetics industry. I work in beverage packaging and the recycling rate for beer and soda cans is in the 50-75%+ range, depending on your area. Bc aluminum cans are easy to recycle (nothing needs to be separated or disassembled), everyone knows cans can be recycled, and recycling aluminum is pretty straight forward and profitable. Most of the aluminum produced in the US comes from recycled materials. One thing people may not know that can impact the rate of recycling is crushing cans, particularly if you live in an area where all recyclables go in together (ie, you don't have to separate glass, cardboard, metal, etc). In those systems, it's harder to separate cans that have been crushed and compacted versus cans that haven't and they might be missed accidentally. Glass in general is much less recyclable than people think. Especially coloured glass.
I’d rather spend the tiny bit more for packaging I can re-use. Either a send it back to be refilled system or it’s pretty/sturdy enough to be used for something else (foundation bottles could make beautiful bud vases imo)
Can you make a video on how to make it fully recyclable to the point where it’s almost certain to be recycled? If that’s even possible, but if you did can you link on the bottom?
unfortunately it will depend on which facility its recycled at, as they are different in each place and can even vary withing a one city. Some things that help ensure its recyclable: - one type of plastic (not multiple types glued together) - larger that 2 inches square (most caps and lids are too small for machines to sort) - no additives or only certain additives (many plastics have additives to improve varuous performance factors that can imterfere with their reclyclabiltiy. also, reclycled plastic woth aditives can have chemicals that react poorly to whatever they are trying to package next. things like medicines or other chemically unstable products require a thin layer of brand new plastic on the inside of a package where it touches the product to ensure it doesnt react badly. - make labels easily removable also note that plastic breaks down each time its reheated in the recycling process meaning that its not infinitely recyclable. Each time its recycled it degrades in quality. Depending on the use and type of plastic they often cant use 100% recycled plastic because it wont be strong enough. Paper also breaks down over time and cant be inifintely recycled but at least it biodegrades after that.
@@podpoegreat break down. What about glass/aluminum? Do they have less issues when it comes to being able to be recycled? I was very surprised as t how low the rate of being recycled thr glass/aluminum was on her chart. Sorry for the long winded questions. Could you recommend somewhere to get information as in depth as you just gave? I've had a hard time finding info, and it makes more sense now, Seeing as it differs so much.
I saw at ulta you can bring back your empties. I used to throw mine away but I've got a bag full now. I know it's not much but we should all be doing the best we can
I am not really one for makeup and cosmetics, but if the packaging allowed me to upcycle it, I would be much more likely to be a consumer. For example; I would love to see some sort of loose setting powder container be able to be used to dust reptile feeders in vitamin/mineral supplement powder. Idk how practical that would probably be or what other kind of use something like this could have, but it's an idea.
Thats why impact is far more important than intention. It’s typically Socially but environmentally is just as important. Hopefully one brand steps up to the plate and makes the change we need
1. Reduce waste 2. Reuse items 3. Recycle IN THAT ORDER. Recycling is extremely inefficient, and only a small percentage can be recycled. On top of that, mistakes from us people make a batch of trash unrecyclable.
Half-magic beauty showed us a packaging that is sustainable with their single eyeshadows. I have way too much makeup and have not bought anything for a while, remember it's reuse, reduce and recycle! Using what you have it's the most sustainable option
Companies though that use glass packaging where they can I imagine a huge win for sustainability is the company having a program to reuse their packaging as a form of recycling working with stores like Ulta Sephora and drug stores offering incentives to return the packaging by paying a deposit. Glass unlike other options can be fully sanitized and even tempered to be less breakable like Pyrex is.
Kia Ora Allison! I love your videos so much! Thank you for sharing such an important get unknown aspect of our cosmetic products and encouraging us to make smarter decisions each day! I would love for you to do a video on how you got to work in cosmetic packaging/your career beginnings. This has always been a field I’ve been interested in but don’t have enough information out there, I’ve just finished a bcom in marketing and management and by far the sustainable packaging side of things has been extremely interesting to me, I’m keen to do further study/work to Segway into this industry but would love to hear how you got your start With love from NZ xx
“what do we do then” some might ask, and the answer is Reduce and Reuse! Purchase products made with recycled materials, made with less plastic, or both. Purchase refillable products that don’t have excessive plastic packaging on their refills. Or of course reuse items yourself. Plastic bottles in a greenhouse, beauty packaging as storage for other things, glass bottles of food products reused into cups or bowls, and many others
Best way to handle This is to only buy what you need, not what you want... Don't drive very far to the store. If you can walk, it's even better. Don't order things needs to be shipped, because you've got all the trucks in the packaging that goes into shopping to Making sure that the products arrive safely and it's just not a sustainable... The really only way to combat. This is to buy extremely local. Only buy a few products. Replace them when you're done, And make sure your products use very little packaging. And it doesn't need to be pretty just simple...products only what you need, not what you want. We need to take this in our own hands and stop buying products from these companies at all. We don't need them and if we can eliminate these beauty brands were going to eliminate trash..
I never blame the system I blame the brands for this issue, they can make better choices in packaging, use one type of plastic and make sure the color is one that is going to be recycled and make sure most places accept it, these brands are big enough to do this and instead of sending PR or people on vacation they need to just do better with sustainability.
May I ask a question in good faith? I’d like to think I’m pretty into skincare, and I’ve been really enjoying your videos, but I’m really confused about what average consumer habits seem to be. Do bottles really make that much of a difference? For example, I have a bottle of essence I purchased half a year ago that I’m barely 2/3 done with, I purchase product maybe 1/2 times a year. I agree the excessively over packaged products you show are excessive, but honestly I’ve never seen them before, and I have no idea how popular they are… everything I own comes in, yknow, regular containers. It seems like I throw away more plastic on a daily basis when I have to yknow pick up some fish for dinner. I would love if you did a video on the scale of waste that we are talking about, or direct me to one of you did one already! Thank you ^_^
This is such a great question!! I work in cosmetic packaging, so this is the area I have the most experience and opportunity to effect positive change. However, to your point, when we zoom out and look at the environmental impact of other industries, like construction and food, we can see they have a far greater environmental impact than the cosmetic industry. Now of course, I think we as an industry should aim to reduce our environmental impact, however I do feel like the sustainability scrutiny the cosmetic industry is under is not applied equally to other industries that ultimately have a heavier environmental burden😕
@@allisonturquoise That you so much for your reply! I think that makes perfect sense; I think it's really nice to see someone in the industry walking us through some of the thoughts and considerations and cutting through the smokescreen of "sustainability" companies love to throw up! I;m glad I have a much better sense of scale ^_^ thank you as always!
Sephora has a program where there’s a special bin by the counter where you put your empty make up or skin care bottles. Sephora also gives you points if you throw an empty in that bin! Great for them trying to and encouraging throwing away the bottles a better way that a trash can.
Yup! And it also depends on where you live and it’s policies, the facilities they have and so much more. Ty hat why recycle is the last R: rethink refuse reduce reuse repair recycle!
I HAVE AN IDEA!!! Pfand! Or that law we have with electronics! Cosmetic brands would be required to take back packaging/their trash (probably even offer a discount) and make sure their stuff gets recycled! They could send it straight back to the manufacturer to be recycled!
i don't get the point of recycling all the packaging. surely some can be washed and reused instead of chucking it into an entire recycling process with other plastics.
Yes, unfortunately reuse is an underutilized sustainability strategy. There are some challenges, like ensuring proper sanitation and compatibility with other formulas/ingredients, but I'm curious to see the future innovation that allows us to reuse packaging on a larger scale!
Why wouldn't you advocate for better recycling? There is no fundamental problem with it. Denmark imports trash from other countries for a waste-to-energy plant because not enough is produced there. Look beyond the U.S., and you will see that many significant problems already have a solution.
Okay I KNEW plastic didn't have a high recycling rate...but GLASS!?!? ALUMINUM!?!?! I really thought those would've been in the 80-90% recycling rate!
I think a lot of beauty consumers (and brands!!) share this misconception!
I think those have high recyclability but, like the video mentions, it’s probably those other variables that get in the way 😢
Just because something is highly recyclable doesn't mean that lazy humans won't just throw it in the bin. For things to be recycled they need to be put into a recycling program make it to the recycling plant without being contaminated, And the recycling plant actually have the ability to recycle that product.
The struggle with plastic is that there are so many different kinds of plastic and you have to sort it out into colours and types. If you just mix it all together you get an unusable recycled product.
This is specific to the cosmetics industry. I work in beverage packaging and the recycling rate for beer and soda cans is in the 50-75%+ range, depending on your area. Bc aluminum cans are easy to recycle (nothing needs to be separated or disassembled), everyone knows cans can be recycled, and recycling aluminum is pretty straight forward and profitable. Most of the aluminum produced in the US comes from recycled materials. One thing people may not know that can impact the rate of recycling is crushing cans, particularly if you live in an area where all recyclables go in together (ie, you don't have to separate glass, cardboard, metal, etc). In those systems, it's harder to separate cans that have been crushed and compacted versus cans that haven't and they might be missed accidentally.
Glass in general is much less recyclable than people think. Especially coloured glass.
@@erin9868 love your input! Thank you!!!👏👏👏
That's why recycle is the last R! Reusing and reducing are always the best options and most feasible
I’d rather spend the tiny bit more for packaging I can re-use. Either a send it back to be refilled system or it’s pretty/sturdy enough to be used for something else (foundation bottles could make beautiful bud vases imo)
Reuse (and reduce) are underutilized sustainability strategies in my experience 😕 I hope we see more brands start to adopt them!!
Didn't Kim Kardashian launch a perfume which could reused as a flower vase?
@@allisonturquoisecan you look at the fill good and talk about how they take back their refill pouches to reuse and go into that type of packaging.
Can you make a video on how to make it fully recyclable to the point where it’s almost certain to be recycled? If that’s even possible, but if you did can you link on the bottom?
unfortunately it will depend on which facility its recycled at, as they are different in each place and can even vary withing a one city.
Some things that help ensure its recyclable:
- one type of plastic (not multiple types glued together)
- larger that 2 inches square (most caps and lids are too small for machines to sort)
- no additives or only certain additives (many plastics have additives to improve varuous performance factors that can imterfere with their reclyclabiltiy. also, reclycled plastic woth aditives can have chemicals that react poorly to whatever they are trying to package next. things like medicines or other chemically unstable products require a thin layer of brand new plastic on the inside of a package where it touches the product to ensure it doesnt react badly.
- make labels easily removable
also note that plastic breaks down each time its reheated in the recycling process meaning that its not infinitely recyclable. Each time its recycled it degrades in quality. Depending on the use and type of plastic they often cant use 100% recycled plastic because it wont be strong enough. Paper also breaks down over time and cant be inifintely recycled but at least it biodegrades after that.
@@podpoefantastic overview!👏👏👏
@@podpoegreat break down. What about glass/aluminum? Do they have less issues when it comes to being able to be recycled? I was very surprised as t how low the rate of being recycled thr glass/aluminum was on her chart. Sorry for the long winded questions. Could you recommend somewhere to get information as in depth as you just gave? I've had a hard time finding info, and it makes more sense now, Seeing as it differs so much.
My town stopped offering recycling! I want recycling again!! 😭
I saw at ulta you can bring back your empties. I used to throw mine away but I've got a bag full now. I know it's not much but we should all be doing the best we can
I'm a big fan of in store recycling programs, like Pact Collective! They're able to recycle packages that most recycling facilities don't accept
Bringing them to ulta is the same as throwing it into a recycling bin lmao
Same thing at Sephora you also get points if you do it
Can you please talk about your opinions on wands for wildlife, I'm curious to see what your take on their organization is.
This is soooo frustrating 😤
Truly 🥲
this video is a testament to beauty lighting cause the way trixie is throwing up at the look of her skin and it's still hard to notice
what??
The greatest contribution to sustainability is to consume less, meaning using up our products.
I am not really one for makeup and cosmetics, but if the packaging allowed me to upcycle it, I would be much more likely to be a consumer. For example; I would love to see some sort of loose setting powder container be able to be used to dust reptile feeders in vitamin/mineral supplement powder. Idk how practical that would probably be or what other kind of use something like this could have, but it's an idea.
Same. But companies with biodegradable packaging is where it's at.
Thats why impact is far more important than intention. It’s typically Socially but environmentally is just as important. Hopefully one brand steps up to the plate and makes the change we need
1. Reduce waste
2. Reuse items
3. Recycle
IN THAT ORDER. Recycling is extremely inefficient, and only a small percentage can be recycled. On top of that, mistakes from us people make a batch of trash unrecyclable.
Half-magic beauty showed us a packaging that is sustainable with their single eyeshadows. I have way too much makeup and have not bought anything for a while, remember it's reuse, reduce and recycle! Using what you have it's the most sustainable option
Companies though that use glass packaging where they can I imagine a huge win for sustainability is the company having a program to reuse their packaging as a form of recycling working with stores like Ulta Sephora and drug stores offering incentives to return the packaging by paying a deposit. Glass unlike other options can be fully sanitized and even tempered to be less breakable like Pyrex is.
Kia Ora Allison!
I love your videos so much! Thank you for sharing such an important get unknown aspect of our cosmetic products and encouraging us to make smarter decisions each day!
I would love for you to do a video on how you got to work in cosmetic packaging/your career beginnings. This has always been a field I’ve been interested in but don’t have enough information out there, I’ve just finished a bcom in marketing and management and by far the sustainable packaging side of things has been extremely interesting to me, I’m keen to do further study/work to Segway into this industry but would love to hear how you got your start
With love from NZ xx
That's really the one thing LUSH gets right.
“what do we do then” some might ask, and the answer is Reduce and Reuse! Purchase products made with recycled materials, made with less plastic, or both. Purchase refillable products that don’t have excessive plastic packaging on their refills. Or of course reuse items yourself. Plastic bottles in a greenhouse, beauty packaging as storage for other things, glass bottles of food products reused into cups or bowls, and many others
Best way to handle This is to only buy what you need, not what you want... Don't drive very far to the store. If you can walk, it's even better. Don't order things needs to be shipped, because you've got all the trucks in the packaging that goes into shopping to Making sure that the products arrive safely and it's just not a sustainable... The really only way to combat. This is to buy extremely local. Only buy a few products. Replace them when you're done, And make sure your products use very little packaging. And it doesn't need to be pretty just simple...products only what you need, not what you want. We need to take this in our own hands and stop buying products from these companies at all. We don't need them and if we can eliminate these beauty brands were going to eliminate trash..
that's why recycle is last in the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle." tho it can be good, it has the smallest impact overall compared to the other two
I never blame the system I blame the brands for this issue, they can make better choices in packaging, use one type of plastic and make sure the color is one that is going to be recycled and make sure most places accept it, these brands are big enough to do this and instead of sending PR or people on vacation they need to just do better with sustainability.
May I ask a question in good faith? I’d like to think I’m pretty into skincare, and I’ve been really enjoying your videos, but I’m really confused about what average consumer habits seem to be. Do bottles really make that much of a difference? For example, I have a bottle of essence I purchased half a year ago that I’m barely 2/3 done with, I purchase product maybe 1/2 times a year. I agree the excessively over packaged products you show are excessive, but honestly I’ve never seen them before, and I have no idea how popular they are… everything I own comes in, yknow, regular containers. It seems like I throw away more plastic on a daily basis when I have to yknow pick up some fish for dinner. I would love if you did a video on the scale of waste that we are talking about, or direct me to one of you did one already! Thank you ^_^
This is such a great question!! I work in cosmetic packaging, so this is the area I have the most experience and opportunity to effect positive change. However, to your point, when we zoom out and look at the environmental impact of other industries, like construction and food, we can see they have a far greater environmental impact than the cosmetic industry. Now of course, I think we as an industry should aim to reduce our environmental impact, however I do feel like the sustainability scrutiny the cosmetic industry is under is not applied equally to other industries that ultimately have a heavier environmental burden😕
@@allisonturquoise That you so much for your reply! I think that makes perfect sense; I think it's really nice to see someone in the industry walking us through some of the thoughts and considerations and cutting through the smokescreen of "sustainability" companies love to throw up! I;m glad I have a much better sense of scale ^_^ thank you as always!
@@MahouShoujoAutumn my pleasure!! Thank you for your great question and input in the conversation 😊❤️
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Recycling is last for a reason
There's a reason reduce comes first
💯💯
Sephora has a program where there’s a special bin by the counter where you put your empty make up or skin care bottles. Sephora also gives you points if you throw an empty in that bin! Great for them trying to and encouraging throwing away the bottles a better way that a trash can.
Yea from what I heard it’s like something between 10-20% of things being able to recycle.
In certain countries tho it is have a high chance being recycled. Such as Japan Singapore and South Korea. We the rest of the world need to do better.
Agree!!!!!😊
Yup! And it also depends on where you live and it’s policies, the facilities they have and so much more. Ty hat why recycle is the last R: rethink refuse reduce reuse repair recycle!
I HAVE AN IDEA!!! Pfand! Or that law we have with electronics! Cosmetic brands would be required to take back packaging/their trash (probably even offer a discount) and make sure their stuff gets recycled! They could send it straight back to the manufacturer to be recycled!
Impossible lmao
@@KarolinaPietryka 🚽
i don't get the point of recycling all the packaging. surely some can be washed and reused instead of chucking it into an entire recycling process with other plastics.
Yes, unfortunately reuse is an underutilized sustainability strategy. There are some challenges, like ensuring proper sanitation and compatibility with other formulas/ingredients, but I'm curious to see the future innovation that allows us to reuse packaging on a larger scale!
Why wouldn't you advocate for better recycling? There is no fundamental problem with it. Denmark imports trash from other countries for a waste-to-energy plant because not enough is produced there. Look beyond the U.S., and you will see that many significant problems already have a solution.
How do we fix the problem?
Most recycled items ends up in the ocean…that’s why there’s so much trash floating in the ocean 😢
Then what's the solution?
Say it louder!!
The way u talk is so satisfying