It is a Sustainable Wrap for your Beauty Products
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Applying shrink film over beauty products has always been the consensual option for both consumers and cosmetics brands now that the glossy film wrapping can improve the appearance and thus differentiate themselves when being displayed on the shelf.
A report by the University of Connecticut once reveals that beauty packaging would produce 120 billion units of packaging each year which implicate an incredible amount of packaging waste after these products are tampered with.
Credit: Stephi Lareine – “The ‘Wraps’ for Beauty Products”
While film wrapping is a secondary packaging that seems not essential for all products, it is impractical to suggest giving up such packaging now that both companies and consumers within the beauty and cosmetics industry would see it as a must for reasons of branding and marketing.
The problem here is… how can we keep using plastics while ensuring the packaging still complies with the virtue of sustainability?
What are the Options for Film Packaging for Beauty Products?
People who are consumers of beauty products are going after fashion, so as it is for beauty products they should go after sleek and glossy packaging to pass that sense. After all, the majority of beauty products are with high added value to meet the consumer’s expectation of self-esteem. They are luxury in price and so should they be superior in appearance.
The popular plastic film packaging for beauty and cosmetics products are basically the two follows:
- Shrink-Wrapping
Shrink wrapping is a packaging process that involves wrapping a product in plastic film and then shrinking the film to fit tightly around the product using heat. The plastic film used for shrink wrapping is typically made of polyethylene or PVC. The process of shrink wrapping starts by covering the product with a piece of film, then cutting with heat the film to form a bag-ish packaging, the whole packaging then goes through a shrink tunnel to get exposure to the heat and will shrink tightly and uniformly over the product.
- Overwrapping
Overwrapping is similar to shrink wrapping in the sense that it also wraps a piece of film tightly over a product.
In terms of application: the difference is that overwrapping involves tucking and folding the film that covers the product’s two ends and overwrapping is only available for cubed or cubic products. While in terms of packaging materials, overwrapping is more flexible given the way it is sealed – it is also available for paper packaging and sealed with adhesive.
What are the Film Materials Used for Beauty Product Packaging?
With the mindset of plastic replacement, both overwrapping and shrink wrapping would be considered as packaging that does not comply with sustainability since both of them would generate plastic packaging waste which would take considerable landfills and last for hundreds of years to get degraded. There are numbers of factors to consider regarding the materials to be used.
Credit: Data from European Commission – Elaborated by ELITER
- Polyethylene (PE): In the case of shrink wrapping, it is alleged that Polyethylene (PE) – the most common material used for this packaging, could be recyclable and has limited environmental impact. However, the processing of recycled PE is complex and if not properly disposed of, would contribute still to plastic waste and pollution. That is to say, the sustainability of PE depends on how it is produced, used, and disposed of.
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): PVC is already a given-up material for shrink wrapping or overwrapping in consideration of the toxic emission such as phthalates and dioxins it will generate when being shrunk by heat.
- Polypropylene Polymers (PP): PP could have been considered as a sustainable packaging alternative to PE or PVC given its feature of being a thermoplastic polymer that can be recycled and reused multiple times without losing its quality or strength. However, PP is not a biodegradable plastic that if not properly reused and recycled would persist in the environment for hundreds of years.
What is the Latest Sustainable Packaging to Wrap Beauty Products?
Plastic replacement is the trend all over the world but it is reasonable to indiscriminately ban or give up plastic packaging completely all at once.
Life Cycle of BOPLA Film – Credit: BiONLY
One of the prospective sustainable plastic is Biaxially Oriented Polylactic Acid (BOPLA) – a type of plastic material made from polylactic acid (PLA), which is a biodegradable and compostable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester. PLA is derived from renewable resources such as corn starch, sugarcane, or other agricultural products.
In terms of the sustainability and packaging function, SINOLONG – a Chines company of plastic material, once conducted a research and figured out the follow advantages of BOPLA:
- Less carbon footprint during its life cycle: BOPLA generates almost only 1/3 of the GHGs of PET film.
- Biodegradable: The fact that BOPLA is made from natural substances allows this plastic to be biodegraded
- Tensile strength: BOPLA is featured with the parallel level in terms of tensile strenght to BOPP
- Stability: the research involves the test of its strength before and after the shipping from China to Belgium and found that there was only a slight decline in its strength.
What are the Benefits of Adopt Sustainable Packaging for Beauty Products?
Using sustainable packaging is a social commitment and corporate social respoonsbility that can bring a lot of benefits to companies not only in the industry of beauty, cosmetics, or personal care but as well as in others.
For beauty products brands, adopting sustainable packaging is a good option to reduce their environmental impact and enhance their brand reputation.
- Reduced Environmental Impact
One of the primary benefits of adopting sustainable packaging is a reduced environmental impact. Traditional packaging materials such as plastic and non-recyclable materials can take hundreds of years to break down, leading to significant environmental damage. Sustainable packaging materials, on the other hand, are made from renewable resources and can be recycled or biodegraded. This reduces the amount of waste generated by cosmetics products and minimizes the carbon footprint of the production process.
- Enhanced Brand Reputation
Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environment, and brands that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability are more likely to attract and retain customers. By adopting sustainable packaging, cosmetics brands can show their customers that they care about the environment and are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact. This can enhance brand reputation and help to build customer loyalty.
- Cost Savings
While sustainable packaging may have a higher upfront cost than traditional packaging, it can lead to long-term cost savings. Sustainable packaging materials are often made from renewable resources, which are generally less expensive than non-renewable resources. Additionally, sustainable packaging can reduce waste and lower transportation costs, which can also result in cost savings.
- Innovation and Differentiation
Sustainable packaging offers cosmetics brands an opportunity to differentiate themselves from competitors and demonstrate their commitment to innovation. Brands that adopt sustainable packaging can create unique and eye-catching designs that stand out on store shelves. This can help to increase brand recognition and drive sales.
- Regulatory Compliance
Many countries around the world are introducing regulations to reduce the use of non-sustainable packaging materials. By adopting sustainable packaging, cosmetics brands can ensure that they are in compliance with these regulations and avoid potential fines or penalties.
How Can I Automate My “Sustainable Wraps”?
The overwrapping machine by ELITER Packaging Machinery is a high-end option that can even sell to Europe and is of unmatched quality and efficiency that none of the rest made in China can ever compare to.
We would say if you are already tired and fed up with those cheap and inferior piles of steel that other companies in China make that only sold at a price of some CNY 30,000 and are of inferior quality and reliability, this one is what you have within your mind and what will go beyond your expectation.
Our overwrapping machines are with the following features:
- Unmatched high-speed up to 110 wraps per minute
- Independent enclosure
- Emergency buttons available at all corner
- Light stacks
- Sensaguard
- Multi-axis servos
To request more information, please send your inquiry to: info@eliter-packaging.com
