Cosmetic Companies with Recycling Incentives

Happy BCB Eco-Friday everybody!  I want to wish you all a wonderful weekend and a blessed start to this Fall season.  Today I wanted to discuss some concerns regarding the cosmetic industry and how these companies are contributing to saving the environment.

As you will see in many department stores and drugstores, there is a huge increase in natural and organic products.  This is great news for us here at BCB!  However, many of these companies, organic or not, are not making a conscious effort to help save our environment. Today I wanted to talk about the recycling programs that these companies are, or aren’t, implementing.

Several companies have taken a step towards using more recyclable packaging for their cosmetics.  However, the actual process of recycling cosmetics is much more difficult than just tossing it into your recycling bin.  Every day consumer product packaging accounts for approximately 1/3 of all landfill waste.  And most community recyclers only take items made from materials that are easily recognized.  The materials used to make cosmetic containers are not easily recognizable and therefore require specific processing.  This can really turn into a hassle for most consumers who are simply just trying to do a good thing.  This is why developing a recycling incentive program is so important.

Two of my favorite beauty companies have made a huge commitment to the environment and have made a conscious effort to get consumers to participate as well:

• Origins- I have mentioned several times on BCB that Origins has a Recycling Program where you can bring your empty cosmetic tubes, bottles and jars –regardless of brand- to your nearest Origins retail store or counter nationwide.  All returned packaging will be sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy recovery.  To thank you for your efforts, Origins will treat you to a FREE sample of your choice of one of Origins high-performance skincare products.  With this program, Origins was the first to set an example for other cosmetic companies to take action.  Their commitment to the environment will hopefully encourage others to take on Recycling Programs as well.
• M.A.C.- Not only does M.A.C. take back their original packaging and recycle them, they also offer a very generous incentive program.  Their Back to M.A.C. program encourages consumers to return six empty containers in exchange for their pick of one lipstick, lip gloss, or in some cases eye shadow.  That is a deal that is so simple and anybody can take advantage of it!  I can honestly say that it also makes me happy when the sales representatives remind you of this great program at check out as well.  It’s a wonderful thing to promote.

Now you would think that most cosmetic companies would WANT to participate in something so globally beneficial.  But it’s very disappointing to know that most companies have not taken that step.  There have been some efforts being made to make cosmetic packaging more recyclable, but giving consumers easier access to do so is quite difficult.  Most cosmetic packaging contains both recyclable and non-recyclable pieces making it very tedious for consumers and recycling centers to process.  If cosmetic companies would take the necessary steps to make their packaging entirely recyclable, or simply just implement their own recycling programs, we could reduce the amount of plastics occupying our landfills.  And in turn, keep our planet beautiful and healthy.

If you’d like to encourage cosmetic companies to start using recycled products, or implement recycling programs, please visit http://www.gopetition.com/online/29827.html and sign the petition.

Until next time everybody…  xoxo