It’s 2020 and sustainability is on people’s minds now more than ever. We’re seeing the direct impact materials like plastic and cardboard have on the environment and it’s frightening. Consumers are increasingly interested in what their products are made of and how they’re manufactured. Each year, 120 billion packages are produced by the personal care industry. Data suggests that 73% of beauty consumers want to impact the environment less, and 38% prefer buying sustainable products. These numbers speak for themselves!
Sustainable Beauty Is Having A Moment In 2020
Co-founder of Credo Beauty Annie Jackson said, “Sustainability is really top of mind for people. They are looking for more sustainable manufacturers, sustainable packaging, and they want to understand the materials brands are using.” Beauty brands need to hop on board the movement or they run the risk of losing business. We’re talking more than just packaging, everything that goes behind the product needs to be sustainable.
Enterprises are getting more and more creative in order to deliver earth-friendly products to customers. Take a look at these three giant corporations:
- Dove: Switched to fully recycled plastic bottles and by the end of 2020 will be 100% plastic-free. How? Stainless steel, reusable and refillable deodorant sticks.
- Unilever: All plastic packaging will be completely recyclable, reusable and compostable by 2025.
- Herbal Essences: 25% of all shampoo and conditioner is made with ocean plastic found on littered coastlines across the world.
The biggest player coming to the market in 2020 is refillable beauty products. If packaging can be reused, the amount of plastic waste will decrease exponentially. But that’s not all- ingredients are getting a makeover too. Beauty brands are realizing how much water goes into their products, and they’re pledging to decrease their usage and some are even becoming waterless.
To motivate brands to become more eco-friendly, powerhouses Target and Walmart joined together to create a system that ranks products based on their sustainability. The scorecards take packaging, sourcing and manufacturing all into account.
Sephora said, “Every brand that we incubate now goes through a class about how they can work to make their brand even more sustainable and eco-friendly.” Walmart’s Kevin Gardner says, “We will continue to expand on our commitment to offer more environmentally-friendly skin-care products for customers to choose from.”
If you’re a beauty consumer and you’re not buying sustainable products, it’s time to start now. And for all beauty companies, do your part to decrease the amount of waste your brand produces. To 2020- a year of sustainable beauty!