Guide: Sustainability-conscious beauty shopping guide
The beauty industry has a waste problem. While 120 billion beauty packaging units are produced annually, a large portion cannot be curbside recycled; packaging is often too small, too flexible, or is made using too many materials.
Pact Collective strives to fill that gap in recycling infrastructure, offering collective programs that provide an avenue for beauty consumers to return beauty packaging that can’t be recycled through traditional curbside programs. However, our collection programs are only one tool in the toolbox. Creating a more sustainable beauty industry starts with our purchasing power!
Here are our go-to tips when it comes to adding sustainability to your beauty routine.
Before you buy it
Purchase mindfully. Being intentional about what you’re purchasing in the first place can help you avoid unnecessary consumption and ensure that you’re able to make the most out of all your products before they expire.
Look out for brands that are prioritizing sustainability in the design and manufacturing of their products. It can be hard to sift through the noise of online claims about environmental impact; here are some qualities to keep an eye out for:
Use of post consumer recycled (PCR) material in products: some brands are helping champion recycling by integrating recycled material into the products from the beginning. According to the US Plastics Pact, manufacturing products with PCR reduces energy consumption by at least 79% and reduces GHG emissions by at least 67%. Look out specifically for high-content usage of PCR (as a percentage of the total packaging).
Curbside recyclable packaging: While not all beauty packaging can be recycled curbside, some materials - like paper packaging and larger plastic packaging (e.g. bottles larger than a fist, etc.) - can be sent to your local recycling program. Seeking out this kind of packaging where possible (e.g. opting for bulk sizes) can help avoid the smaller, harder-to-recycle components in the first place. Unsure about what’s curbside recyclable vs. what’s hard-to-recycle? Check Pact’s collection guidelines, as well as your local regulations.
Reusable/refillable packaging: Prioritizing reusable packaging (eg. a refill pouch) for products you use time and again can help encourage a paradigm shift away from a make-take-waste world. One caveat: in order to reap the environmental benefits of this option, be sure that you’re picking reusables for products you actually plan to repurchase and use consistently, rather than treating it as another single-use product.
Skip the samples, travel sizes, and single-use items. Certain products are hard-to-recycle by nature - too small or too flexible for traditional recycling infrastructure. Avoiding these where possible (e.g. refill travel size containers rather than buying new travel-size products each time, skip a sample you’re unlikely to use, etc.) can help reduce waste.
Get familiar with beauty certifications. There are a plethora of sustainability certifications; doing some research and deciding which align with your personal values and priorities can help you make more informed purchases. Some certifications to know:
B-Corp: designation that recognizes a company for their social and environmental impact.
1% For the Planet: indicates that a company has committed to donating 1% of their sales to environmental organizations. Pact is a 1% environmental partner
Rainforest Alliance: certifies that a product meets certain supply chain sustainability requirements, such as mitigating deforestation and climate change
FSC: ensures that paper products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits
Cradle to Cradle Certification: evaluates products for environmental and social performance across categories like material health, circularity, clean air and climate protection, water stewardship, and social fairness.
Be aware of the chasing arrow symbol as its use isn’t monitored or regulated except in California!
Once it’s yours
Find homes for unused products. Swapping products you might not love or aren’t likely to use with a friend can help avoid that product going in the trash. Even returning products can create waste, since beauty proructs can’t be resold when they’re returned!
Drain every last drop. Get the most life out of your product before disposal. Cutting open a tube, using a squeezer key, etc. can ensure you’re not throwing out any excess product that could otherwise be put to use. Contamination from products can also prevent packaging from being recycled; the cleaner the packaging, the better.
Once you’re done
Clean out your makeup bags and cabinets. Once you finish a product, take inventory of your products and empty out any expired products. Then, clean any hard-to-recycle packaging and drop it in one of Pact’s drop-off bins. No bin close to you? Mail it back to us!