A broadening choice

Sustainability. It is the hottest topic in the beauty sector today. Consumers demand it and beauty brands are eager to deliver. As formulas become additive-free, vegan and organic, what about the packaging? Navigating the options can be a daunting task, but it helps to consider two key areas: products and processes. 

As a packaging provider, Quadpack works in both fields to optimise sustainability. In terms of product development, the company has mapped out a strategy called Repack, offering four complementary routes to sustainable packaging: recycle, replace, reuse and reduce. 

Of course, more than one category can apply to a product. 

Ideally, it would embrace all four – but, by focusing on the four areas of major impact, the options become clearer as well as easier to incorporate on the drawing board and beyond. 

Recycle: Meeting the demand for recyclable materials 

By developing packaging solutions that challenge the industry norm, our company answers to market demands for recyclable materials. From glass packs to mono-materials, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PET) and post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic components, our product development also aims to enhance disassembling and facilitate recycling.

Mono-material packaging makes recycling much easier by eliminating the need to separate components altogether. The SusPET jar, produced in Kierspe, Germany, at the injection-moulding facility of Louvrette, a Quadpack Company, and the Light Cream Jar, made entirely of PP at the Quadpack Plastics factory in Spain, are just two of an ever-growing range of mono-material solutions.

Replace: Alternatives for disposable components

Renewable, biodegradable and recycled materials are gradually replacing disposable and fossil-based components. We are continually investigating advances in materials to incorporate in our packaging, testing ground-breaking alternatives such as Sulapac, which uses waste-stream cellulose from the wood industry.

The Kierspe factory is able to incorporate PCR from ocean-waste plastics, PRCR PET and recyclable PET. While injection-moulding traditionally uses PETG, as it is easier to inject, the experts at the factory have successfully developed an injected PET bottle which, unlike PETG, can be fully recycled.

Wood is another sustainable material captivating the beauty sector, ever since our wood factory in Spain introduced the first wooden cap for Burberry Touch for women back in 2001. Quadpack Wood sources its raw materials from sustainably-managed forests and is producing gorgeous standard and bespoke solutions for the leading brands. It recently developed an eco-friendly pack for German brand Cult Care’s new unisex pro-biotic face cream. The pack includes a 60ml glass jar and an engraved cap made of sustainably-sourced ash.

Reuse: Refill solutions for waste reduction

Our company has developed high-quality refill solutions to reduce waste and minimise carbon footprint. The reuse concept is behind our lines such as the Eco-warrior fragrance pack, as well as lipsticks, jars and airless refill system packs.

Refillable jars have always featured in our portfolio. Some 80% of the jar production at the Kierspe factory is refillable today. This concept is now being improved upon to modernise the options available and we will be introducing more intuitive and hygienic concepts.

Louvrette’s airless systems will be refillable from the beginning of next year – a new patented system will be on the market for luxurious, refillable packaging. In addition, Quadpack already offers refillable airless solutions from its Korean partner Yonwoo, such as its popular Show Bottle, a pack which combines Yonwoo’s airless protection with a test tube shape that inspires consumer confidence.

In make-up, Quadpack recently extended the YouWood range with a lipstick with an optional refilling mechanism that is easy to recharge and provides an intuitive, cost- and residue-saving feature.

Reduce: Cutting down the amount of material

The reduce option looks at cutting down on the amount of material in a product. High-quality packaging with reduced material usage is the perfect blend that drives our company’s sustainable line of products. From lighter but resistant glass bottles to weight-reduced plastic jars, all creations are carefully developed to avoid any extra load – saving carbon and money.

The Regula Light jar and Konico Light jar produced at the Kierspe factory meet functional and aesthetic requirements for thick-walled jars but are more ecological to produce. Using up to 50% less material, they have the same size impression as their thick-walled counterparts. To the consumer, there is no notable difference in the finished product. Production requires less energy and there is less wastage because there is no shrinkage. What’s more, they are offered with a special additive to enable a matt finish without lacquering. 

Star within all four categories is Eco-warrior, a brand-new fragrance pack that pushes sustainability to its limits. With a bottle made of lightweight glass, information can be engraved directly on the surface, exempting the need for paper or ink decoration.

Designed to be refillable, it can be easily disassembled and recycled or reused. A PP pump screw neck is effortless to detach. The cap comes in cork or sustainably-sourced wood, both of which are biodegradable. 

Processes: Adopting sustainable practices

The four categories of Repack cover the most important areas of sustainable product development. As mentioned before, however, the issue goes beyond product and must include processes. Like anyone involved in the beauty value chain, packagers need to adopt sustainable practices in all areas of their business.

Every effort is made to ensure the lowest possible carbon footprint along our global supply chain and our own factories, ultimately seeking to manufacture in the region, for the region. 

In Europe, our company is working hard to minimise the environmental impact of our manufacturing plants. A number of initiatives have already been undertaken. At the Kierspe factory, a ventilation system has been installed at the injection department as part of a controlled energy management programme. The state-of-the-art system is very efficient and requires less energy to complete more work. 

The heat produced by the injection machinery is utilised to warm the office areas. Conversely, it takes advantage of the low local temperatures outside to cool the machinery and production areas.

All scrap material is sorted and recycled and thermoformed trays are collected to be reused over and over again. 

New trays are produced using recycled and or recyclable material, so that the chain is complete. We are working to increase the number of customers that are involved in this system. Our company’s Spanish manufacturing division and head office run entirely on renewable energy, saving more than 1,400 tons of CO2 over the last year. 

Quadpack Plastics is developing a process to repurpose waste by-product into new packaging material. At Quadpack Wood, a bespoke emissions control system ensures its facilities exceed environmental regulations now and in the future. 

All production waste is recycled into animal bedding, chipboard and biofuel, while an executive project has been completed that will see sawdust waste converted to energy for heating and cooling. 

The possibility of powering all production at the factory with solar energy is also being studied at the moment.

As a company which partners with others in a hybrid manufacturing/sourcing model, we engage with our suppliers, as well as customers, to encourage sustainability. 

Supplier conferences and roadshows are just some of the touchpoints where we share our knowledge and exchanges ideas and best practice.

A sustainable future

These initiatives are all integral to our work towards our chosen sustainable development goals, as part of our commitment to the UN Global Compact, which we joined in March 2018. As a result of these combined efforts, our company holds a silver medal from sustainability platform EcoVadis.

Easing the path to sustainability

Our aim is to increase our positive impact on society, while reducing our negative impact on the environment. By offering stakeholders a clear set of guidelines, backed by responsible practices, we aim to ease the path towards sustainability – for ourselves, for the industry and for the planet we call home.