Environmentally responsible consumers and eco-friendly brands avoid using plastic for cosmetic packaging because there are limited options for recycling the plastic.
Every year, 20.9 kg of plastic is consumed per person globally with a total worldwide consumption of 158,943,925 tons. Out of this plastic, only 9% of the plastic is recycled, with 19% being incinerated, as stated in the MIT Technology Review.
Furthermore, 8 to 11 million tons of plastic find its way to the ocean every year endangering water bodies and aquatic animals. Even with effective waste management, there is a high amount of plastic waste. This can be determined by the fact that July 28 was Plastic Overshoot Day last year.
The cosmetic industry is one of the leading industries, as mentioned in Top Cosmetic Industry Stats You Must Know in 2024! Thus, to play your role in reducing carbon footprint and plastic waste as a cosmetic brand, you can use PCR plastic for making packaging for cosmetics.
Let us learn about PCR plastic and its applications in the cosmetic industry.
What is PCR Plastic?
PCR is abbreviated as post-consumer recycled resin. As the name shows, PCR is a material prepared by recycling the used plastic. In general, plastics like polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are recycled to make PCR resins.
After manufacturing, PCR resins are added in certain proportions to virgin plastics including PP, PET, and HDPE. These virgin plastics with added PCR are then used to make cosmetics packaging and other plastic materials like bottles.
First of all, the carbon footprints created by making new plastic from scratch are greatly reduced as you are using recycled plastic. Moreover, the plastics going to landfills get a new life as they can be used again.
This makes PCR resins one of the top packaging materials choices for eco-friendly brands.
How is PCR Plastic Made?
Being made from used plastics and then added to virgin plastics, the process of PCR plastic manufacturing might confuse you. So, here is a simplified explanation of how PCR plastic is made.
- Resourcing the material to be recycled: Packaging made of HDPE, PP, and PET plastic, including cosmetic jars, beverage bottles, cutting boards, and trays, is obtained from recycling centers and waste sorting facilities.
- Categorizing the materials: Plastic manufacturing companies categorize different types of plastics and run them through a cleaning process to remove impurities and residues of materials packed in them.
- Recycling it: The plastics are shredded into small pieces by a machine or separated into layers through chemicals. Then, they are melted to form PCR resin.
- Reusing it: PCR resin is added in various percentages to plastics like virgin PP, PET, and HDPE to make new packaging. Also, note that PCR makes the plastic opaque. So, it is not used to make plastic packaging in full percentage in the cosmetic industry.
Benefits of Using PCR Plastic Plastic Packaging
The main advantage of PCR plastic is the part it plays in sustainability and protection of the earth from plastic waste and carbon footprint. Moreover, below are the reasons why it can help your cosmetic brand excel in the industry.
1. Competitive Advantage and Positive Brand Image
Adopting sustainable practices in production of the cosmetic products and their packaging is the need of the hour for cosmetic brands. Around 70% of cosmetic consumers prefer products packaged in eco-friendly materials.
Although a little more expensive than other options, PCR plastic packaging proves beneficial in the long run as it gives your brand an advantage over your competitors in the market.
Furthermore, using PCR plastic for cosmetic packaging shows your target audience that you are striving to keep your brand harmless for the earth and its creatures. A positive brand image gets you more loyal consumers and people praise your brand in social media, magazines, and more.
Also, its use is one of the best branding strategies to make your brand prominent in the market.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Compliance
Corporate social responsibility is the commitment of a brand or company to adopt ethical practices to continue and grow its business. In the case of cosmetic packaging, the ethical practice is to ensure that the packaging has little to no adverse effect on the earth.
By reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint along with recycling the old used plastic, PCR plastics allows brands to be compliant with corporate social responsibility. Also, some countries have a set of legal regulatory policies about the use of plastic in cosmetic packaging.
Using PCR comes within these policies and helps you maintain regulatory compliance as well.
3. Reduced Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
Product carbon footprint is the amount of release of carbon dioxide, greenhouse, and other harmful gasses in the environment. Production of virgin plastic from scratch utilizes a large amount of energy and produces a high amount of greenhouse gasses.
This adds to the product’s carbon footprint. In contrast, post-consumer resin packaging does not involve the production of the whole plastic material. Therefore, it reduces the product’s carbon footprint.
Also, the use of PCR plastic reduces 34% of the carbon emissions in making cosmetic packaging. In addition to using PCR plastic, cosmetic brands can hire electric transportation services to further reduce carbon footprint.
4. Waste Management and Resource Conservation
The used plastic adds to the landfills and reduces the waste management capabilities of a country or system. As we mentioned earlier PCR plastic is produced from already-used plastics and is added to virgin plastics to make brand-new cosmetic packaging.
Thus, it helps in reducing landfills and managing the waste created by plastic cream jars. Furthermore, the production of virgin plastic uses petroleum-derived raw materials and fossil fuels.
Because you need to make a smaller amount of virgin plastic, the utilization of petroleum-derived raw materials and fossil fuels is also reduced. Consequently, you conserve expensive resources and save them from depletion for your predecessors.
5. Promotes Recycling and Circular Economy
You might have noticed that there are only a few waste sorting facilities and recycling centers. This is because PCR is not used to its full potential. Using PCR plastic and running campaigns about the use of recyclable materials in the cosmetic packaging industry promotes recycles.
When people recycle the old plastics instead of making new ones, a cycle is initiated. Here, the used plastic can be used over and over again to make new products. As a result, there is reduced use of resources, energy, and money. Thus, it promotes a circular economy.
Drawbacks of Using PCR Plastic Packaging
Regardless of the positive impact of PCR plastic on the environment, its use is not as common as it should be. Let us discuss the drawbacks of using PCR plastic packaging to explore the reason behind it.
1. Limited Supply
The process of production of PCR plastic is extensive, with the availability of PCR-recycled plastics being its essential step. With limited trash sorting centers and plastic waste collection organizations, the availability of PET, PP, and HDPE is low.
As their availability is low, the amount of recycled plastic is also low. Thus, there is a limited supply of PCR in comparison to the requirement for it.
For small businesses, the limited supply might not be a problem because they do not have large demands. However, it affects the sales of brands with high demand.
So, there is only one way to balance the supply with demand and it is to recycle more plastic through awareness and campaigns.
2. Quality Limitations
PCR resin is an opaque material in comparison to virgin plastic which is transparent. When PCR is added to virgin plastics, their transparency is reduced. This is the main reason why high-end eco-friendly brands do not use PCR in full proportions.
Furthermore, the durability and sturdiness of PCR plastic is undefined. Depending upon the type of plastic used and the manufacturing process, PCR plastic might come out as a hard or flimsy material.
The quality limitations of post-consumer recycled packaging reduce its use in the cosmetic industry, especially by brands focusing on the appearance of the packaging.
3. Color Variation
All packaging boxes, bottles, containers, and jars have different colors. It is essential to separate the plastics of different colors before beginning the production of PCR materials.
However, the sad thing is that even after categorizing the plastics by their types and colors, there is no surety about the final color of the PCR produced. The huge color variations in the PCR plastic make it unsuitable to be used by brands with a consistent packaging color and design.
4. Increased Costs
Although virgin plastics utilize petroleum-based raw materials and fossil fuel-based resources with high energy consumption, the cost of production of virgin plastic is lower as compared to PCR plastic.
This is because getting PCR-recyclable plastic material from a recycling unit, categorizing it, breaking it down into pellets, and making PCR is a time-consuming and costly process.
Not to mention that the brands still have to make virgin plastic to add PCR to it. The overall production of PCR product packaging has a high cost. So, brands with a limited packaging budget might not use it.
Regulatory Compliance and Mandates of PCR Plastic Content
Currently, many states have introduced laws and regulations for recycling plastic material and many are on their way to do so. Therefore, here are the regulatory compliance and mandate of PCR plastic content in different contents.
European Plastic Packaging Content Target
As per the Plastic Europe Organisation,
- European Commission has set a plastic content target that plastic packaging must have a 30% content of recycled packaging by 2030 making leading brands in the industry invest millions to make high-quality recycled packaging.
- It also suggests that it is preferred to use waste material for recycling through mechanical and chemical methods.
- Moreover, use EU-compliant labels on your packaging to enhance its reliability.
North America Plastic Packaging Mandate
Below is the North America Plastic Packaging Mandate,
- With no federal mandate in the US, the responsibility falls on individual states to set their targets and regulations. Some states, such as California, are leading the charge with recycled content standards, requiring 25% PCR content in rigid plastic packaging containers and other plastic packaging as mentioned in an article by Lorax Compliance.
- Plastic Recycling Organisation has mentioned that around 15% of recycled plastic in California comes from plastic bottles and around 40% from plastic bags. In Washington, 40% of recycled plastic comes from carrying plastic bags. Moreover, it is expected that the packaging manufacturers in New Jersey will use rigid containers, trash bags, shopping bags, and plastic beverage containers to make PCR.
Need Packaging for Your Cosmetics Brand? Contact Us for More Information
From resourcing plastic to make PCR to using it for plastic packaging production, you need a trustworthy product packaging manufacturer.
Therefore, contact VCPAK to design sustainable yet versatile cosmetic jars and bottles for your beauty brand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Lastly, let us answer some of the most frequently asked questions about PCR plastic.
1. What does PCR stand for?
PCR stands for Post Consumer Recycled Plastic. It is the resin material that is produced by recycling recyclable and reusable plastic materials including PET, PP, and HDPE.
2. Can PCR plastic be recycled?
PCR plastic can be recycled if it is produced using a standard procedure and its use.
3. How many times can PCR plastic be recycled?
Although PCR plastic can be recycled, the number of times you can recycle it is limited. In general, any material made out of PCR can be recycled 7 to 9 times.
This is because of the degradation of plastic through multiple recycling and the risk of contamination.
Conclusion
The utilization of PCR plastic in cosmetic packaging is not just a trend anymore. Rather, it has become mandatory to save the planet and stay popular among your target audience.
Not only does it help the brand achieve more consumers, especially those who strictly buy from eco-friendly brands, but also offers CSR compliance and promotes circular economy. However, its expensive cost, quality limitations, and color variations are some of its drawbacks.
