L'Oréal reinforces commitment to reducing virgin plastic use

L'Oréal reinforces commitment to reducing
virgin plastic use

Reducing the environmental footprint of our products is a major focus on which L’Oréal has been working for close to 20 years. Since 2007, we have a framework for designing more sustainable packaging.

Recognizing our planet's finite resources, L'Oréal is embracing a circular approach built on the “3 Rs”: Reduce, Replace, and Recycle.

A significant part of our strategy centers on minimizing virgin plastic use in our packaging.We're tackling this through several key actions:

• Reducing plastic use: this involves lightweighting, eliminating unnecessary packaging components, and optimizing product sizing. We also champion refill solutions, both at home and in-store, to move away from single-use plastics.
• Replacing virgin plastic: we prioritize using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content in our packaging. Where PCR isn't feasible, we explore renewable alternatives to virgin plastic.
• Recycling: we design our packaging to be recyclable, including our plastic packaging, supporting a circular economy where materials are reused and repurposed.

This transformation requires a pragmatic approach. While many promising innovations exist, widespread deployment requires further development. We're actively investing in these technologies while balancing our ambition with current supply chain realities and rigorous product safety testing. Our current target enables responsible implementation of sustainable solutions while driving future innovation.

By 2030, we aim to reduce by 50% in absolute the use of virgin plastic for product packaging compared to 2019.

Our packaging decisions are guided by environmental footprint assessments and collaborations with partners like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, ensuring robust and transparent choices.

Spotlight on Innovation

• Carbios: In 2021, L'Oréal partnered with Carbios, to create the first cosmetic bottle made entirely from enzymatically recycled plastic, a groundbreaking innovation in plastic recycling. . We aim to begin production using this disruptive innovation in 2025, starting with Biotherm's Waterlover sun mist.  This partnership is another step towards more sustainable packaging solutions and contributes in reducing virgin plastic reliance.