search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
SUSTAINABILITY 33


Leveraging sustainability for advantage


n Enrique Nuñez PhD - Green Specialty Ingredients, US


The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of ambitious objectives to mobilise efforts to end poverty, ensure peace and prosperity, and safeguard the planet and humanity. As an interwoven framework, these objectives have a bearing on diverse aspects of personal care industry operations. In this article, we will use the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework to spotlight environmental, economic and social dimensions for companies to consider at each life-cycle stage. We will demonstrate how activities can positively impact SDGs or at least minimise negative impacts, and examine how personal care companies are integrating sustainability into everyday operations and across functions. It is important to note that this is not a full LCA, as such examinations are typically conducted on individual products in a more comprehensive manner. However, we find the LCA a useful framework to explain how different life-cycle phases may impact sustainability, to show how actions can reverberate throughout the life-cycle, and to demonstrate that when efforts coalesce, sustainability can strengthen competitiveness, protect the environment, and lead to a better quality of life for all.


Design


Over the last 50 years, demand for water has grown exponentially to meet requirements. Concurrently, water pollution has become serious and poses a global threat to humans and the environment. Many industry products wind up in water systems, particularly those that rinse-off, such as shower gel and shampoo. Consequently, companies have embraced green chemistry and have worked to reformulate products, replacing toxic ingre - dients with less harmful and more biodegradable alternatives. As substitutes are developed, their environmental profile is assessed with regard to resource availability, biodegradability, bioaccumulation, and aquatic toxicity, with preference given to those materials meeting performance requirements and


April 2020


demonstrating promise with respect to sustainability. To address water conservation, companies have begun mapping water usage along product life- cycles. Some firms are creating water- efficient and water-free products, such as concentrated shampoos and 2-in-1 formulations that eliminate the need for separate products and reduce water usage. Consumer unease with the


environmental impact of packaging have changed how products and associated packaging are designed. In the search for sustainable alternatives, some firms have embraced the “no packaging is best” philosophy (e.g. shampoo bars do not require plastic bottles), but more have focused efforts on recycling, reuse, and reduction to decrease the amount of consumer waste sent to landfills. Some companies have focused on


resource efficiency by replacing virgin packaging materials with recycled post- consumer alternatives. Others have shifted to mono-material packaging to eliminate the multiple-materials hurdle to achieving


recyclability. Others embrace cradle-to- cradle design, whereby materials are considered biological nutrients that once disposed, decompose and provide sustenance for small life forms without disrupting the natural environment. Companies are utilising water-based coatings and vegetable-based inks. Compostable-packaging made from plant fibres, such as bamboo and straw for the creation of plant-based plastics is replacing petrochemical-based plastic, which does not biodegrade and has had a devastating effect on marine life. Others are investigating the potential for waste products to be used as feedstock for bio- based and biodegradable alternatives. Another tactic eliminates waste by designing refillable or multi-purpose options that extend package life. Companies are devising packaging as beautiful boxes for consumers to reuse, while others design packaging that requires less material to safeguard product quality. While no option is right for each company and each comes with a complex


PERSONAL CARE EUROPE


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196