2008 Editors’ Choice Award Winner: Sustainable Packaging
Origins Organics
by The Estée Lauder Companies
Origins Organics’ skin and body care collection represents a full-circle approach to sustainability. There is even a plan for what will happen to the packaging once it’s been used. The Estée Lauder Companies has taken on the massive responsibility of collecting back these packages for recycling.
The bottles in the line are made from glass, PET, or polypropylene outer shells with polyethylene inner layers. “Certain bottles are made with multiple materials to help protect the formulations,” says Lynn Mazzella, vice president, global product development, Origins. “It might be too difficult for most consumers to properly take apart and recycle the different types of materials on their own, which is why we created the recycling program.”
Consumers can bring the packages back to the store, where they are separated by material. When enough packages are collected, they are sent to a recycling facility. There, the plastic bottles are ground into flakes and reused as a source of postconsumer recyclate (PCR). “We hope to be able to stockpile enough PCR material from this return program to reuse it to make new Origins packages,” says Mazzella.
CPC Packaging’s awards panelists all agree that this program is a smart idea.
“I believe that a lot of consumers are using this type of criteria now when deciding which products to purchase, and this is a compelling enough reason to switch brands,” says awards panelist Corey Gelman, owner of fragrance brand Chic Baby.
Many of the packages in the line are dispensers that utilize an airless bag system supplied by Lablabo. “We chose this type of airless system because it prevents air from reentering the package after the product has been dispensed,” explains awards panelist Alan Bodker, who is also executive director of global packaging for Origins.
Panelist Steve Corsi, director of design development for Markwins International, adds, “Other benefits of using airless bag systems, compared with the more commonly chosen piston system, is that they typically have a much higher restitution rate. On a functional level, I find them to be much more reliable.”
It was extremely important that the airless bottles function correctly because the packages also support the innovative preservation system formulated by Estée Lauder’s R&D team. Using mainly organic essential oils and a handful of other certified-organic natural ingredients, the team managed to create a well-preserved product with an appealing scent—a huge accomplishment. “Organic ingredients presented us with a unique challenge in regards to preservation. This issue required us to review and enhance our testing procedures,” says Mazzella.
The products all display the official USDA certified-organic seal on their packaging. “Everything from where an ingredient is grown to the manufacturing facility where the product is made and packaged must be certified by a USDA-approved agency according to its strict standards,” says Mazzella.
The outer cartons used in this line are made with 80% PCR and 20% Forest Stewardship Council–certified paperboard in a factory that runs on wind power.
Awards panelist Nicole Smith, environmental director for Design & Source Productions Inc., applauds the brand. “Everything that Origins does is amazing, and other companies could learn a lot from them. The take-back program is crucial, and it’s really great that Origins has taken this step.”