Sustainable advancement in plastics

COSSMA: Plastics are unbeatable as packaging materials in many areas. Why do they play such an important role in the packaging of cosmetic products?

Maurizio Ficcadenti: The cosmetic product results from the constant evolution of new formulas; for this reason, it must be contained in a packaging – that guarantees maximum quality and simple and effective use. For this reason, plastic is today still one of the most used materials for creating cosmetic packaging.

Plastic is one of the lightest, most resistant, and malleable materials in its shape. Its weight characterises its good usability for all customers and men who also appreciate its aesthetics that can be perceived through a specific decoration depending on its positioning on the market and brand. Therefore, plastics play such an important role in the cosmetic and beauty industries.

What distinguishes these materials and why are they impossible or difficult to replace by others?

The main characteristic of plastics is versatility. You can, in fact, shape plastic to create ergonomic struc-tures or subtle components with a minimum thickness to acquire very light packaging options. Its strength is also remarkable, since it can resist shocks and falls, and thus it offers high durability. 

What was the decisive point for you in researching sustainable alternatives to “conventional” plastic? When did you start?

It starts from sustainability, which is one of the key elements of Baralan, who is daily committed to answer to the growing consumers’ ethical and environmental needs. When it comes to sustainability, the concreteness lies in proposing products made with sustainable materials which respect mandatory regulations and quality standards. Also, new items are designed to be accepted by the market, as valid substitutes or alternatives, in the idea of a circular economy that considers the quality of products, satisfying the needs between design and functionality, safeguarding and ensuring better conditions for products’ lifecycle.

In this context, Baralan has orientated towards selecting biopolymers derived from renewable sources and natural materials, not linked to the food chain, to produce alternative packaging to plastic, thus greatly reducing the environmental impact.

Your new packaging line is based on biopolymers made from renewable raw materials. Which raw materials do you use here and why? 

The biopolymer is made by combining natural fibres and waste from a specific manufacturing process, ensuring full recyclability. All the products in Baralan’s new biobased series reduces synthetic components and increase the reuse of materials derived from industrial waste and production processes to ease the product recycling process.

How does production differ from the production of synthetic polymers? What are the challenges with that?

The difference lies in using renewable sources and natural materials not linked to the food chain to produce bio-based polymers. Synthetic plastic production involves resources that are difficult to dispose of and recycle. In contrast, using bio-based polymers means to have a lower environmental impact than the traditional ones.

Since Baralan can use existing tooling and moulds with the bio-based polymer, there is no difference in the production process. At the same time, it is not necessary to use extra energy to build new tools. As a result, Baralan can produce certain standard items with injection moulding technology by combining the processing capabilities of thermoplastic materials with the properties of renewable resources and natural elements. 

What differs, therefore, is the raw material. The challenge was, in fact, to find a correct bio-based raw material that did not impact new investments for production. 

What differences does the consumer see?

A few aesthetic differences occur  because the raw materials are diverse and have distinct aesthetic properties. The main distinction is that with neutral bio-based raw material, the products have natural colour with no added pigments. Another difference is the perception of users and their awareness of using a product that respects the planet. This is very important these days since consumers are increasingly interested in sustainability and are more likely to use eco-friendly and green products.

How can the bio-based packaging be disposed of or recycled?

Bio-based packaging can be recycled and disposed of by established recycling streams. Moreover, it can be disposed of with current synthetics plastic items. This is a big advantage as there is the possibility to use the current recycling plants.

Let’s try to have a look into the future: What role could bio-based polymers play in five or ten years ? How will that affect environmental protection aspects?

Besides designing beautiful and functional packaging for customers, our commitment is to push the market towards a more sustainable behaviour. The biggest challenge is that this switch requires bigger investments by all players in the value chain and probably will not become a reality in the short term. Still, maybe they will in the long term, especially if industry and regulations commit to supporting these initiatives.