For More Sustainable Packaging

Since 2007, L’Oréal has implemented a responsible packaging policy based on three pillars, known as the “three Rs”: Respect, Reduce and Replace. The Group uses a global, systematic eco-design process, ahead of product design, for the packaging of finished products and also for packaging used during transport. L’Oréal extended this process to include point-of- sale (POS) advertising materials in 2015. It systematically analyses the environmental profile of its packaging in order to identify opportunities for improvement.

Respecting the environment

For its paper, cardboard and wood-fibre based packaging, the Group has set itself a target of using only materials from responsibly managed forests where biodiversity is protected. 

In 2021, 100% of the paper used for product leaflets and 99.9% of the cardboard used for folding boxes for finished goods were certified as coming from sustainably managed forests.

Since 1st January 2018, the Group has not used any PVC-based material in the production of its finished products.

Reducing and optimising resources

Designing packaging of an optimal size and weight with fewer resources, including large sizes and refillable formats, represents another major opportunity to drive improvement. In this way, in 2019, the Group reduced the weight of Garnier’s 300ml shampoo bottles by 8% in Europe, representing a saving of 30 tonnes of PET plastic.

Replacing materials with more sustainable alternatives

L’Oréal replaces conventional materials with alternatives from recycled or renewable sources (recycled or biosourced materials) at every possible opportunity. 21% of the plastic used in our packaging comes either from recycled or biobased sources. 73,707 tonnes of recycled materials, including 43,373 tonnes in primary and secondary packaging, saved the equivalent amount of virgin materials in 2021. 

With a strong commitment to developing innovative solutions for plastics recycling, L’Oréal also signed an agreement with Carbios in 2017 to co-create a consortium to industrialise the bio-recycling technology designed and developed by Carbios.

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