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- Comprehensive value chain collaboration achieves cosmetics market breakthrough with refill containers and caps made almost entirely using mass-balance certified polymers from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio
- Plant-based renewable feedstock supports vegan branding of customer
- Refillability, use of renewable materials and recyclability combine to deliver a role model of sustainable packaging
SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, has joined forces with Stella McCartney Beauty and three renowned French plastic converters (Texen, Leygatech and STTP Emballage) to create a set of innovative new skin and eye care refill containers produced with certified renewable polymers from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio. The containers, which have already been introduced in the market in North America and the United Kingdom, are considered a global breakthrough in responsibly sourced and implemented cosmetics packaging.
Abdullah Al-Otaibi, General Manager, ETP & Market Solutions at SABIC: “This innovation marks a significant step forward in transforming the packaging of cosmetics and skin care products to fully sustainable material alternatives. Moreover, it also demonstrates that our certified renewable polymers can facilitate the change-over by providing efficient drop-in solutions with no compromise in processability, purity, quality or convenience.”
The new refill containers have been designed for use with STELLA Alter-Care Serum and Restore Cream. They feature three SABIC polyolefin resins with a combined mass-balanced certified renewable feedstock content of up to 90% and meet with the vegan branding of the cosmetics manufacturer. The container heads are molded in an impact resistant SABIC® HDPE polyethylene (PE) material by Texen, a major player in the market of sustainable cosmetics packaging products. For the container bodies, Leygatech, a leading manufacturer of barrier and multi-layer films, supplies a film made from SABIC® LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene), which is then processed and printed for finishing the containers by STTP Emballage, a specialized provider of film lamination and flexographic printing services. Flip top closures injection molded by Texen in SABIC®PP polymer complete the packaging.
Together with the refill concept of the durable Stella McCartney Beauty containers, the dedicated use of renewable raw materials aligns with consumer demands for a more responsible use of packaging resources. In addition, once the containers have reached the end of their usable lifetime, the material value of the PP and PE polymers can be recovered through established polyolefin recycling – altogether making this a role model of sustainable packaging.
SABIC’s certified renewable polymers include various polypropylene and polyethylene materials derived from second generation renewable feedstock, that is selected to avoid direct competition with human food and animal feed production and is not linked to any direct or indirect changes in land. A cradle-to-gate lifecycle analysis has confirmed the superior sustainability of these polymers, concluding that each kg of the company’s bio-based resins reduces CO2 emissions by an average of 4 kg as compared to fossil-based virgin alternatives, while at the same time cutting fossil depletion by up to 80 percent. In addition, these plant-based materials facilitate the change-over from existing fossil-based applications without compromises on purity, quality, safety or convenience.
The mass balance of the renewable feedstock in the SABIC materials is validated by independent third-party accounting according to the widely recognized International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) regime, following a set of clearly defined and transparent rules. The approach allocates the renewable content used in the production and conversion of the plastic materials to the ultimate application. The certification also provides traceability throughout the partners’ entire supply chain from the feedstock to the final product and allows brand owners to document the sustainability of their packaging towards consumers.
The innovative cosmetics refill containers from Stella McCartney Beauty will be officially launched and presented by SABIC during Interpack in Düsseldorf, Germany, from May 4 to 10 at Booth B21 in Hall 9.
Read more about SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services here.
SABIC and brands marked with ™ are trademarks of SABIC or its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Photo: In an innovative value chain collaboration project, SABIC and Stella McCartney Beauty have joined forces to create a cosmetic market breakthrough with a set of skin and eye care refill containers produced with up to 90% of certified renewable polymers from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio. (Photos: Stella McCartney Beauty)
ABOUT SABIC
SABIC is a global diversified chemicals company, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It manufactures on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, making distinctly different kinds of products: chemicals, commodity and high performance plastics, agri-nutrients and metals.
SABIC supports its customers by identifying and developing opportunities in key end-use applications such as construction, medical devices, packaging, agri-nutrients, electrical and electronics, transportation and clean energy.
SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 16.53 billion (US$ 4.41 billion) in 2022. Sales revenues for 2022 totaled SR 198.47 billion (US$ 52.92 billion). Total assets stood at SR 313 billion (US$ 83.46 billion) at the end of 2022. Production in 2022 stood at 61 million metric tons.
The company has more than 31,000 employees worldwide and operates in around 50 countries. Fostering innovation and a spirit of ingenuity, SABIC has 9,948 patents and pending applications, and has significant research resources with innovation hubs in five key geographies – USA, Europe, Middle East, South Asia and North Asia.
ABOUT STELLA
STELLA by Stella McCartney was launched in September 2022. STELLA is a responsible alternative to luxury skincare, an Alter-Care™. A new approach developed in partnership with LVMH Beauty Division, that supports caring for ourselves and Mother Earth in perfect harmony. Rooted in nature, with Stella’s vegan and cruelty-free principles at its heart, our ‘conscious luxury’ skincare line consists of three essential products – a cleanser, a serum and a moisturising cream – that never compromise on results. Read more at www.stellamccartneybeauty.com.
ABOUT LEYGATECH
Leygatech SA, based at Saint-Romain-Lachalm in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, is a market leader in the development, design and manufacturing of co-extrusion blown multi-layer tubes and films for a wide range of packaging applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and industrial markets.
The company’s products are characterized by important features, such as barrier properties and recyclability in an increasingly circular plastics economy, and have repeatedly been awarded the French ‘Oscar de l’Emballage’. More than 40% of Leygatech’s films and tubes are exported to 28 countries, worldwide, including most of Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Middle East and South Africa. Learn more at www.leygatech.com.
ABOUT TEXEN
Texen was founded in France’s Plastic Valley in 1984, close to some of the world’s largest manufacturers. With a dense industrial network and partners around the world, the group develops innovative multi-material solutions for the beauty and spirits markets. It is a major player in the packaging industry with strong sustainable claims. Acting as the holding company, PSB Industries has made Texen its sole brand. Learn more at www.texen.com/en/who-are-we.
