Rising up within the Netherlands, System Botanica CEO and podcast host Lorraine Dallmeier discovered the worth of recycling plastic from an early age. Nonetheless, the prevailing tradition of single-use plastics she skilled in international locations like the UK and america was in stark distinction to the practices within the Netherlands.

With a profession background as a Chartered Environmentalist and a biologist, Lorraine is finely tuned to any cosmetics corporations’ claims about sustainable packaging, plastic-free options and different inexperienced credentials. Whereas many large gamers are transferring in the direction of extra accountable packaging programs, a urgent query stays: what actually occurs to our recycled plastics? Is the labeling of sure plastic beauty packaging as recyclable, blindsiding us and akin to greenwashing?

In final week’s podcast, Lorraine interviewed Dr Suvi Haimi, Co-Founder and CEO of Sulapac, who dropped at gentle the parable of plastic recyclability, revealing that some plastics can solely be recycled as soon as. In right now’s Inexperienced Magnificence Opinions, Lorraine explores this important difficulty.

“Even when all of us get rid of our plastics pondering they’ll be recycled, what truly occurs to them? We have to problem the parable of plastic recyclability.”

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Key takeaways from this episode on plastic recycling:

• The truth of plastic recycling: regardless of efforts, the recycling charges globally are removed from splendid. For example, solely 5% of plastic waste was recycled within the US in 2021.
• The restrictions of recycling plastics: in contrast to aluminium or glass, recycling plastic degrades its high quality, usually resulting in “down-cycling” somewhat than the creation of latest, comparable merchandise.
• The reality about PCR plastics: post-consumer recycled plastics utilized by some beauty manufacturers aren’t infinitely recyclable. Manufacturers utilizing PCR plastics usually make sustainability claims that don’t necessitate client recycling or composting after use.
• A name to scrutinise beauty packaging: perceive the supplies utilized in your beauty packaging and think about this in your future magnificence product selections.
• Shifting past appearances: prioritise sustainability not simply in product look but in addition in packaging.

 
In case you loved this episode on beauty packaging and options to plastic in magnificence, do delve again into the podcast archives. Go and pay attention to those associated episodes and matters:

Episode 143: The model creating mascara tubes to final 2,500 years.
Episode 117: Ought to magnificence go plastic free?
Episode 118: Plastic just isn’t the enemy – we’re.
Episode 115: The microplastics hiding in your cosmetics.
Episode 112: The soiled enterprise of magnificence waste.
Episode 93: Modern magnificence packaging with mushroom and seeds.

 
Thanks for becoming a member of us for this episode of the System Botanica Inexperienced Magnificence Conversations podcast. In case you loved listening, please share, subscribe and assessment this episode on iTunes, Spotify or Youtube in order that extra individuals can benefit from the present. Don’t neglect to comply with and join with us on Fb, Twitter and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of System Botanica, the award-winning on-line natural beauty science faculty. Learn extra about Lorraine and the System Botanica Group.