Business Beat
Don’t Mix Bio-Based and Petroleum-Based Plastics, Says Recycling Expert
Avoid packages that contain a mixture of bioplastic and petroleum-based plastic, says a recycling expert. Blending these two types of resins renders a package nonrecyclable, according to Eric Lombardi, president of the national zero-waste advocacy organization GrassRoots Recycling Network and the executive director of Eco-Cycle Inc., the largest nonprofit recycler in the United States.
“When you blend bioplastics and petroleum-based resins by producing a package that is half and half, that package can’t be recycled or composted,” says Lombardi. “A package should be made from either all bioplastic or all petroleum-based plastic.”
Even if brands take care to use packages that are 100% recyclable or compostable, such as the 100% compostable corn-based PLA resin, limitations in the current recycling system can prevent some packages from being recycled or composted. The problem lies in how materials are collected and sorted, says Lombardi.
Most municipalities in the United States, such as New York City, don’t yet have a system in place to collect and reuse bioplastic materials. Additionally, “Consumers need to know that they can put a package into either a recycling or a composting bin. Otherwise, these types of packages end up in a landfill or an incinerator and have no environmental benefits,” says Lombardi.
He adds, “If the world just separated all of its discards into three categories—recyclable, compostable, and ‘whatever’s left’—then we could recycle 90% of everything that is thrown away. The single, mixed-waste trash can must go.”
For more information about which materials can be recycled or composted as well as links to Web sites offering tips on green packaging, visit the Grassroots Recycling Network Web site at www.grrn.org or the Eco-Cycle Web site at www.ecocycle.org.
Lombardi also offers tips on using postconsumer resins (PCR). Current U.S. regulations prohibit PCR resin from coming into contact with a beauty product. Instead, only virgin plastic can directly house a product. “Layering is the answer in this situation,” says Lombardi. “That’s how the food industry does it. Only the inner layer of a package that comes into contact with a cosmetic product needs to be made from virgin material.” Thanks to this layering concept, in 2003 Aveda was able to create a lipstick case made from 90% PCR for its Uruku lipstick.
Double-Digit Growth for Natural, Organic Personal Care Products
2007 growth rates for natural, organic personal care products. Data provided by Nutrition Business Journal.The natural and organic personal care market is seeing double-digit growth rates, said Darrin Duber-Smith, president of Green Marketing consulting firm. Duber-Smith provided a state-of-the industry update at the Natural Products Expo West trade show held in Anaheim, CA, in March.
Overall demand for natural and organic personal care products is growing at 16.7% annually, Duber-Smith estimated, according to numbers provided by the Nutrition Business Journal. In 2007, it was a $7.3 billion market and accounted for 15% of the overall health and beauty market. Double-digit growth is happening across all personal care product categories.
“These numbers indicate a trend, not a fad,” said Duber-Smith. “Green is the new luxury. You don’t see this kind of growth in any other industry.”
Growth for these products is especially high in the mass market, he said, as major retailers seek to offer more natural and organic products to consumers. Also, some of the major players in the industry have recently been purchased by large corporations. For instance, Burt’s Bee’s was acquired last year by Clorox. Tom’s of Maine was purchased by Colgate-Palmolive.
The rising demand for natural and organic products will go hand in hand with rising demand for green packaging, added Duber-Smith. “Marketing a natural product doesn’t mean making a natural product and then putting it into a nonrecyclable carton,” he said.
California to Ban Toxic Metals from Packaging
Brands selling products in the state of California should prepare to eliminate all toxic metals in packaging by the year 2010. In January, a new law passed stating that labels applied to glass or ceramic packaging may not contain lead levels higher than 600 parts per million. Inks used to decorate glass or ceramic packages, including beauty packages, often contain lead. By 2010, all toxic metals, including lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium, will be banned.
In addition, the new law seeks to eliminate exemptions that were previously allowed. California law currently allows other types of packages to contain certain levels of toxic metal up to 100 parts per million by weight. Under this law, some vitrified labels, which are applied using a heat-infusing process, were allowed if the labels passed a leaching test. By the year 2010, all such exemptions will expire, and all toxic metals must be eliminated from packaging.
The legislation affects all manufacturers and distributors that sell or distribute packaging products or components in the state of California, regardless of where the items were produced.
The law is meant to help the environment, says Sherri Lehman of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). “When there is shiny hot stamping on a cosmetic bottle, the decoration usually contains lead, which can’t be removed because it is baked into the glass. If the glass is thrown away, these toxic metals end up in the earth.” Lehman is chief of DTSC’s regulatory and technical development division.
Lehman says that the DTSC advises brands to ask packaging suppliers for a certificate of compliance that certifies that banned metals were not intentionally added to packages or components during manufacturing. The certificate should also specify that the sum of incidental concentration of these metals is below 100 parts per million. For more tips and information on this law, visit www.dtsc.ca.gov/toxicsinpackaging.
Rexam Establishes New Personal Care Division
Rexam Plastic Packaging (Suresnes, France) has been reorganized into three divisions: personal care, healthcare, and closures. The personal care division encompasses Rexam’s dispensing systems, makeup, and home and personal care units. It is led by Robert Brands, divisional managing director, personal care.