The sustainability trend affects all market segments: mass, masstige and prestige brands are all eager to find solutions for this challenge,” explains Muriel Lesbros, marketing consultant for Quadpack, one of Europe’s fastest growing, independent packaging groups supplying prestige packaging solutions to the cosmetics and beauty markets.

Nude skincare

To address sustainability challenges and bring satisfaction to a growing number of concerned consumers, Quadpack is exploring various solutions and already offers innovative Earth-friendly options.

“Post Industrial” recycled packages, for instance, were launched on the market last summer with Nude Skincare, a new range of eco-friendly, all natural face and body products. Quadpack worked with their strategic manufacturing partners based in Europe and Asia to develop the exciting range of packs. The collection of 7 packs comprises bespoke bottles and closures (30 and 200ml), personalized jars (10, 75 and 200ml) and sophisticated customized airless packs (15 and 40ml) for sensitive formulas. As a result Quadpack and Nude won the Gold Award for Best Cosmetics and Toiletry Design earlier this year at the Starpack Awards…. “These beautifully effective and minimal packs reflect the natural beauty product” and “a significant effort has been put in to delivering a unique look and feel including materials development and finishes”, commented the award’s judges. A result that was achieved while Quadpack and Nude have been working towards increasing the content of recycled raw materials in the products’ packaging.

After this great success, Quadpack has been working on various Recycled or Post Consumer Recycled packaging options which were presented at Cosmeeting and Luxepack this year, such as Yonwoo’s natural package collections in polypropylene and carton board, as well as various ways of using recyclable materials, and a new dual chamber pack made of polypropylene for easy recycling purposes, and packaging eligible to the Ecocert finished product certification.

Post Consumer Recycled (PCR)

Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) packaging is one of Quadpack’s main sustainability assets. PCR is an end product that has completed its cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste. Most PCR items are recyclables collected in commercial and residential recycling programs such as office paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, plastics and metals. Quadpack standard or custom PCR range originated from a self managed closed loop recycling operation is composed of various pack options: bottles and jars out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material from 10 to 100% PCR with functionally results comparable to virgin material, and cylindrical and oval tubes out of polyethylene (PE) with 30% PCR content and functionality results comparable to virgin material.

Green airless packaging

Other ways of reducing environmental impact include reducing pack weight, minimising leftovers of product in the pack and reducing the amount of preservative in the formula. Sustainability therefore concerns all products and packaging categories, including sophisticated airless packs, a segment where Quadpack can also offers green alternatives, thanks to its commercial partnership with Korea’s Yonwoo.