Sustainable Packaging Solutions for Cosmetics and Detergents

A group interview with Charlène Barel (Eurofins), Vivian Loftin (Recyda), Stefan Zender (rezemo) and Alexander Schau (Werner & Mertz)
Eurofins | Recyda | rezemo | Werner & Mertz

Please introduce yourself briefly: who are you and what are your responsibilities? Could you start by telling us about your professional background and your role in the packaging industry, particularly in the cosmetics and detergents sector?

Charlène Barel: I’m Charlène, Toxicologist ERT and Manager of the Regulatory & Toxicology team at Eurofins. Under Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009, our team ensures the safety of packaging that comes into contact with cosmetic products. To do this, we gather detailed data on packaging materials and follow key guidelines like those from Cosmetics Europe. While EU food contact standards are the benchmark for risk assessment, any deviations require a tailored, case-by-case safety evaluation.

Vivian Loftin: I’m Vivian Loftin, one of the three co-founders and managing directors at Recyda, where we provide an all-in-one software solution for packaging sustainability management. Our platform empowers multinational companies to efficiently manage their packaging portfolios while navigating the complexities of global regulations. By doing so, we help drive sustainable innovation and foster a circular economy.

My background is in International Cultural Business Studies, a field I worked in for several years before co-founding Recyda. In 2019, I met my future co-founders while collaborating on an innovation project. Through this experience, we identified a critical gap in the packaging industry – the need for a digital solution that leverages software and data to assess the recyclability of packaging across its entire value chain.

Stefan Zender: I’m Stefan Zender, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the innovative technology start-up “rezemo GmbH” located next to Stuttgart (Germany) and responsible especially for Sales and Communication. Sustainable packaging is one of my passions as it plays an integral role to foster decarbonization in our daily’s life. By today, I have around 10 years’ experience in developing, producing and implementing sustainable packaging products by using our sustainable forewood^® approach – starting with sustainable coffee capsules until today with cosmetic packaging products like our plant-based forewood^® jar closures.

Alexander Schau: I’m Alexander Schau, Head of Packaging Development at Werner & Mertz. I´m working for this company since six years and with my team we are constantly working on the circularity of our products packaging. We are frontrunner in terms of recyclability and use of recycled materials over all categories.

What fascinates you personally about working in the packaging industry and what aspects do you find most challenging?

Vivian Loftin: I find it exciting that the packaging industry is currently undergoing a phase of transformation. This shift is noticeable when I attend industry events or have meetings with our customers. From packaging manufacturers to brand owners, key players along the packaging value chain want and need to adopt more sustainable solutions. The combination of this growing demand and evolving packaging regulations is particularly interesting to me, as it creates an opportunity for digitisation to bridge the gap and facilitate the transition to sustainable packaging.

The packaging industry is highly dynamic with many interconnected and moving components. At Recyda, we’ve observed that each company faces its own unique set of obstacles during this transition. Our goal is to simplify the process by providing software that supports and guides them through these changes by creating transparency. 

Stefan Zender: The scale of the packaging industry and the influence of the packaging produced on our everyday lives are impressive. In my opinion, we unfortunately still rely too much on packaging made of traditional and ending materials even though there are market-ready alternatives, e.g. made of plant-based resources, available and asked from customers already by today. Fostering decarbonization and reducing plastic waste in the packaging industry are with no doubt the biggest challenges.

Alexander Schau: The packaging industry is quite small, just like a family, which makes it easy to stay in contact with others. It helps to share best practices quite fast.

The industry’s desire to change as little as possible is the most challenging thing for me. I would like to see much more speed in some areas. Areas such as design for recycling and the use of recyclates. A well designed plastic tax could help here.

How do you see the future of the packaging industry in the next five to ten years, especially in the areas of cosmetics and detergents?

Charlène Barel: Packaging suppliers and cosmetic product manufacturers will need to collaborate more closely, especially when it comes to packaging materials. Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) packaging will be a key focus of these discussions, driving the need for increased information sharing between both parties.

Vivian Loftin: In the next five to ten years, I anticipate that the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will drive substantial changes throughout the packaging value chain. Suppliers will be better equipped to provide detailed data, enabling companies to gain deeper insights into the composition of their packaging. This will improve their ability to assess recyclability, comply with legal requirements, and ultimately ensure that their packaging is recycled effectively.

Additionally, I foresee new concepts emerging in how cosmetics and detergents are packaged. For example, there may be a shift from liquid to firm soaps, reflecting broader trends that will influence not just packaging but the products themselves. 

Finally, in the next five to ten years, I predict that packaging will need to be genuinely sustainable rather than just appear to be, leading to simpler designs that use fewer materials. Features like pumps may be redesigned or replaced with more eco-friendly alternatives like flip tops, requiring a shift in consumer mindset and product interaction.

Stefan Zender: The packaging industry will change dramatically due to a growing customers’ demand on sustainable solutions and new business models (e.g. reuse, refill). In this perspective, the focus will get on biobased packaging products by using natural fibers and plant-based biopolymers due to the relevance of decarbonization and the unsolved end-of-life challenge.

Alexander Schau: We have to align packaging concepts and packaging materials much more. D4R will be a main driver in product development, a recycled content will be mandatory. The detergent market is ideal for the use of recycled materials, as the requirements for packaging materials are not as strict as for food, for example. There are no more excuses here to use virgin materials.

How do current regulations such as the new PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) affect your work and what challenges do they pose?

Charlène Barel: Interest in Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) materials will grow as the PPWR regulatory requirements take center stage. Guidelines like CosPaTox offer new methodologies for assessing packaging materials. In the coming years, toxicologists will play a critical role in evaluating Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) and ensuring the safety of PCR materials.

Vivian Loftin: The PPWR is one of the key reasons Recyda was founded. Although the EU packaging regulation is not yet in effect, existing country-specific regulations are in force and impacting our customers. Managing these regulations is a complex task for companies, and they rely on our intuitive software platform to streamline the process by managing all their packaging requirements in one place.

The PPWR has the potential to create a more harmonised packaging system across Europe. This could bring consistency in areas like labelling, eco-modulated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees, and design guidelines for recyclability.

I don’t view the PPWR as a challenge but rather as an opportunity. It motivates companies to prepare for the future, and that’s where Recyda comes in. We offer forecasting tools that enable businesses to assess whether they are on track to meet the PPWR’s requirements or if further adjustments are needed in their packaging processes.

Stefan Zender: Nowadays, it’s getting difficult to keep track with the number of different regulations and to offer the “one perfect solution”. With my colleagues from forewood® we do not only see challenges, but above all we see clear opportunities for sustainable packaging concepts. Furthermore, we see in such regulations a clear sign against conventional plastics products and the challenge of the resulting waste problems that cannot be solved only with recycling.

Alexander Schau: Of course we´re checking these regulations regularly, but so far we don’t see big obstacles for our packaging portfolio. As we´re having a clear strategy since years to improve our packaging portfolio for circularity, we are prepared.

Which innovations or new technologies in the packaging industry do you find particularly exciting and why?

Vivian Loftin: I’m a big fan of innovative technologies like HolyGrail 2.0 and their water-marking initiative. This pilot project aims to enhance the technical feasibility of digital watermarks, enabling more accurate sorting of packaging waste. The ultimate goal is to create highly efficient sorting streams, benefiting the entire packaging value chain.

What excites me about this project is its use of digitisation and data to significantly improve sorting and recycling processes, to make packaging more recyclable. It also offers more optimised processes. This approach aligns with what we do at Recyda, and I’m eager to see the impact of integrating more knowledge and transparency into the packaging process.

Stefan Zender: Of course, our plant-based packaging solutions created with our sustainable forewood^® approach as they prove already by today “sustainability that works”. Me personally, I am supporting all new approaches that are working plant-based to get rid of traditional plastics in the packaging and other industries. 

Alexander Schau: After decades focusing on low-cost and high convenience in packaging it’s good to see, that the whole packaging industry and the FMCGs realized, that there´s more than that. To think already in the product design process for the end of life is necessary and a must. In addition, the use of AI and image recognition in the packing waste sorting process made a big difference in recyclate quality. 

How do you think brands will present themselves in terms of packaging design in the future, and do you think there will be significant differences between different countries or regions?

Charlène Barel: Consumers are demanding more ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘natural’ cosmetic products, pushing brands to adopt PCR packaging – not only to meet regulations but also as a marketing strategy. While EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009 emphasizes packaging assessment, this isn’t always the case globally. As a result, there may be discrepancies between EU and international packaging suppliers when it comes to regulatory compliance and material analysis.

Vivian Loftin: Brands will need to optimise their packaging designs to be more recyclable and comply with ever-changing packaging guidelines. While the PPWR aims to create more harmonisation across countries and regions, I don’t believe we will see complete alignment in every detail.

Although harmonisation is a popular topic, I believe that significant local differences between countries will continue to exist. For example, the PPWR states that eco-modulation will be a general concept, but pricing will still be set at the national level. This makes sense, as countries with high population densities will have different waste collection and sorting needs compared to those with smaller, more rural populations.

These regional differences will continue to influence packaging design. Brands will need to strike a balance between simplifying their designs to ensure recyclability, while also meeting product performance requirements and maintaining product protection. The industry can expect an ongoing challenge in managing these competing priorities.

Stefan Zender: I think there will be a trend in the future to show more the sustainable aspects of the packaging and work less with glitter, coatings, etc. As customers are well informed today, sustainability promises will also have to be verifiable and brands will put a focus on informative marketing (e.g. supply chain transparency law) with a lot of background information on their sustainability promise. Some regions will take an innovation leading position in terms of sustainability, in others, sustainable solutions will be established later as we already see today (innovation follower). It will be interesting to see, which regions will trend the packaging of tomorrow.  

Alexander Schau: I think there will be two main directions. One will decide against a sustainable approach and concentrate on pricing (premium or discounter). The second direction will work on the problems that have arisen and establish a circular economy in the packaging sector. In my opinion, this direction will generate the most trust among consumers.

Picture Credits: ©TensorSpark, Adobe Stock / ©venimo, Adobe Stock