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L’Oréal and Albéa Launch the First Paper-based Cosmetic Tube

Long committed to reducing our environmental impact and improving the footprint of our packaging, L’Oréal is proud to announce the development of the very first paper-based cosmetic tube. The fruit of our collaboration with Albéa, a world leader of cosmetic packaging, its debut on the market is scheduled for 2020

Brand Provided | By L'Oréal | Published 5 years ago | About a 3 minute read

Image: L’ORÉAL

This breakthrough innovation will allow brands from the L’Oréal group to replace the majority of the plastic currently used in their tubes with new bio-based and certified paper-like material. The environmental benefit of this innovation will be evaluated through Life Cycle Analysis, the most advanced tool for comprehensive and multi-criteria assessments of environmental impact.

“Since 2007 we have been constantly improving the environmental footprint of our packaging. Today we are going one step further and launching this new technology based on certified paper,” declared Philippe Thuvien, director of packaging and development at L’Oréal.

Mission 2020

Our goal is to finish this new technological solution quickly in order to release the first models on the market in 2020, after a testing period in April.

“L’Oréal is committed to improving the environmental or social profile of 100% of its packaging by end 2020,” continued Philippe Thuvien. “This innovative, alternative solution is an integral part of the Group’s packaging strategy.”

The first of these tubes may contain face or body care products.

A committed partnership

This project illustrates how collaboration between industry experts is essential for developing breakthrough innovations. L’Oréal and Albéa share a consciousness of their responsibilities as major industrial actors. The two companies are also committed to the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, which promotes a circular economy.

“Albéa’s commitment to sustainability goes back 15 years and is reflected in our broad range of responsible packaging,” said Gilles Swyngedauw, VP of Marketing, Innovation and Sustainability at Albéa. “Our ambition today is to accelerate the development of innovative, responsible solutions, to dare break the codes, to aim for breakthroughs.”

The search for the most responsible packaging

This innovation is another step forward to improve the environmental footprint of L’Oréal’s packaging, an effort the company has been making for over 10 years. It’s part of the group’s strategic program for sustainable development, Sharing Beauty With All, and is based on concrete initiatives: respecting biodiversity and the environment, reducing the volume and weight of packaging by only using necessary components and optimal dimensions, replacing high-impact materials, and promoting circularity.

SPOT (Sustainable Product Optimisation Tool) — our tool that evaluates the social and environmental impact of products — allows us to quantify, in a precise manner, the areas of improvement that we need to focus on. We plan to improve the environmental or social impact of 100% of our new products by 2020. In 2025, all our plastic packaging will be rechargeable, refillable, recyclable or compostable. Lastly, 50% of the plastic used in our packaging will come from bio-sourced materials by 2025.

For more information: see our commitments to sustainable development and our progress report on Sharing Beauty With All.