Aptar launches mono-material pump, making beauty packaging recycling more possible

02-Jun-2021 - Last updated on 02-Jun-2021 at 14:44 GMT

photo courtesy of APTAR

The beauty dispensing solutions company debuted its new ecommerce-friendly, mono-material pump at the ChangeNOW 2021 Global Summit late last month.

One of the many obstacles to recycling beauty packaging is that any given container can be made up of several different materials, metals, plastics with various resin identification codes (RIC) etc. Mono-material solutions, as the name suggests, are made up of a single material: one type of metal or one type of resin.

Aptar’s new Future pumps are made of either PC (polycarbonates) or PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic. And since many cosmetics and personal care product bottles are made of these same materials, the entire package in that case (once clean and empty) would be all the more recyclable.

“Our ultimate goal was to have the final consumer be able to take their body lotion, shampoo or shower gel and easily put the empty packaging in their recycling bin,” explains Sabine Bouillet-Lubot, Global Strategic Marketing Director for Aptar Beauty and Home, in press materials shared with Cosmetics Design. “This way,” she says, “it enters a circular life cycle and can be turned into another product.”

APTAR designs Amazon-ready sustainable beauty packaging

The demand for environmentally friendly packaging drives innovation today but so do the nuances of ecommerce. And this is why APTAR’s new line of Future pumps are designed with an on-off locking ring that clicks twice as it’s turned in to the fully open or fully closed position.

This design element means that the Future pumps comply with ecommerce giant Amazon’s ISTA 6 protocol. “Designed for e-commerce, Future’s ISTA 6 compliance ensures that the pump withstands the risks associated with transport and distribution network pressures as well as necessitates less protective carton and paper packaging,” notes APTAR.

Retailers have a remarkable impact on cosmetics and personal care packaging

Retailers like Whole Foods (now owned by Amazon) and Credo have had a very real influence over beauty ingredient and product formulation in recent yearsw as the standards they set for brands began a chain reaction back through the industry supply chain.

Now protocols like the ones set by Amazon for ecommerce shipping and those set by Credo for sustainable beauty packaging are driving change in the beauty industry too. This influence is not lost on the team at APTAR.

Late last year, the beauty packaging maker worked closely with Credo to become the first supplier to offer packaging components that are pre-approved to meet the clean beauty retailer’s sustainability guidelines.

“As a leader in the packaging industry our mission is to help brand partners on their sustainability journey while working towards our own circular economy goals,” Philippe Erhart, President of APTAR Beauty and Home here in North America, commented at the time. And he went on to explain that, “by pre-qualifying our sustainable products…with Credo’s guidelines, we hope to facilitate easier sourcing and provide clear guidance on our products’ environmental impacts.”