Environmentally compatible packaging
Not only the performance of our beauty products is important to us, but also their packaging. We want the products to be delivered intact and in the best quality possible.
When the make-up is empty, it is extremely important to us that the packaging is disposed of correctly. After all, waste is a valuable raw material, just in the wrong place. If the material remains in the recycling cycle and can be reused as a so-called recyclate, this saves CO₂ emissions.
Less packaging = less raw materials
When developing new products, we always think about which parts and materials we really need from the very beginning. After all, the most effective way of conserving raw materials is to avoid using them in the first place.
Design determines the recyclability
In order for old packaging to become new packaging, it must be recyclable. There is much more to take into account than you might think: for example, the individual components of plastic packaging should, if possible, consist of only one type of plastic that can also be included in the recycling stream in Germany.
We are working at full speed on strategies to make our packaging even easier to recycle. Because without the "Design for Recycling," there is also no material for recyclates.
Recyclates whenever possible
Recyclates are processed plastics that have already had at least one life behind them – in other words, they are the result of a recycling process. In principle, multiple use and recycling improve the sustainability of every reusable material. That is why we use recycled materials wherever possible. By using recyclates, we can save up to 80% energy and 60% greenhouse gases in the long-term.
Since 2020, the product packaging of our bestselling CATRICE Glam & Doll Mascara is made of 80 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).
> cosnova launches mascara packaging made of recyclates
Since Spring 2021, we have been the first cosmetic company that uses post-consumer recyclates (PCR) from the “Gelbe Sack”/ yellow waste disposal bin in the packaging for our products.
With this switch in the respective product packaging we have saved 83 metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2020.
Here’s how you can help us
We can only preserve valuable raw materials by working together. Please empty everything completely and separate all components into the respective bins. You can see exactly how to do this in our waste disposal guide.
Together, we can close the cycles
We, together with all the other players in our industry, still have a few more challenges to overcome to achieve better recycling. In addition, there are still too few recycled materials of good quality to meet the demand, and we need legal requirements regarding which plastics we can use for what purpose. To address this challenge, we have joined the cross-sector dm recyclate forum, among other initiatives.
Plastics For Change
We are committed to greater recycling, and not only here in Germany. Many countries don't have the necessary infrastructure yet to keep recyclable materials in circulation.
Cosnova therefore supports the Plastics For Change initiative, which is setting up two collection centers for plastic waste in Mangalore, India, since the beginning of 2020.
The aim of the cooperation is to recycle carelessly disposed of but still usable plastic and to reuse it as a so-called recyclate. The collaboration with Plastics For Change is particularly close to cosnova's heart, as the cooperation not only makes an important contribution to environmental protection, but also offers Indian workers a fairly paid job and a sustainable livelihood.
