L'Oréal reinforces commitment to reducing virgin plastic use

L'Oréal reinforces commitment to reducing
virgin plastic use

Reducing the environmental footprint of our products is a major focus on which L’Oréal has been working for close to 20 years. Since 2007, we have a frame to design more sustainable packaging. Recognizing our planet's finite resources, L'Oréal is embracing a circular approach built on the 3 R's: reduce, replace, and recycle.A significant part of our strategy centers on minimizing virgin plastic use in our packaging. We're tackling this through several key actions:

1.     Reducing plastic use: this involves lightweighting, eliminating unnecessary packaging components, and optimizing product sizing. We also champion refill solutions, both at home and in-store, to move away from single-use plastics.

2.     Replacing virgin plastic: we prioritize using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in our packaging. Where PCR isn't feasible, we explore renewable alternatives to virgin plastic.

3.     Recycling: we design our packaging to be recyclable, including our plastic packaging, supporting a circular economy where materials are reused and repurposed.
This transformation requires a pragmatic approach. While many promising innovations exist, widespread deployment requires further development. We're actively investing in these technologies while balancing our ambition with current supply chain realities and rigorous product safety testing. Our current target enables responsible implementation of sustainable solutions while driving future innovation.

This transformation requires a pragmatic approach. While many promising innovations exist, widespread deployment requires further development. We're actively investing in these technologies while balancing our ambition with current supply chain realities and rigorous product safety testing. Our current target enables responsible implementation of sustainable solutions while driving future innovation.

Our Strategy for Optimizing Packaging:

For years, L’Oréal has analyzed product life cycles to measure environmental impact. To optimize packaging, we've implemented complementary initiatives:

·       Using recycled materials: Incorporating post-consumer recycled content into our packaging.

·       Reducing packaging intensity: Designing more efficient packaging using less material.

·       Utilizing renewable sources: Substituting conventional materials with renewable alternatives whenever possible.

·       Promoting refills: Offering refillable containers at home and in-store to reduce single-use packaging.

·       Eliminating packaging: Developing innovative formulas, such as solid cosmetics, that require no packaging.

L’Oréal believes that driving circular beauty means reimagining everything. Our most impactful current action is reducing virgin plastic. 

Our packaging choices are guided by environmental footprint assessments and collaborations with partners like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, ensuring robust and transparent decision-making. We continue our efforts to reduce single-use plastics and plastic waste, setting new targets to promote a circular economy including our 2030 goal of reducing 50% in absolute the use of virgin plastic for product packaging compared to 2019.

Spotlight on Innovation:

·       Carbios: In 2021, L'Oréal announced the first cosmetic bottle made entirely from enzymatically recycled plastic using Carbios's groundbreaking technology. We aim to begin production using this disruptive innovation in 2025, starting with Biotherm's Waterlover sun mist. This partnership paves the way for products made from 100% recycled materials.