Sustainable Design Strategy of Cosmetic Packaging in China Based on Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Consumptions of cosmetics present a steady growth trend from 2018 to 2021 in China. While environmental impact generated are becoming prominent issues. Numbers of research on the sustainability of cosmetics are focusing on ingredient choices and production; however, the packaging generates more impact than the ingredient extraction in some specific scenarios, and it should be paid more attention to. The role of packaging deserves deep consideration under the background of a circular economy. This research aims to: (i) figure out the impact hotspot through life cycle assessment (LCA) of representative cosmetic packaging in the Chinese market, (ii) conduct a series of sensitivity analyses to figure out to what extent these potential scenarios influence the environmental performance of the packaging, (iii) obtain the significance of these variables to the sustainable design of the packaging. Finally, a set of sustainable design strategies for cosmetic packaging are proposed for the designer from the aspect of facilitating user reuse and recycling behaviour, material selection, and others.

Sustainable Circular Packaging Design: A Systematic Literature Review on Strategies and Applications in the Cosmetics Industry

“…Design has the potential to influence purchase and consumption and can promote use behaviour, reuse and recycling. The design phase is crucial for each life cycle phase of cosmetics, as it defines the whole system (Ren et al, 2022). Different LCA conducted on cosmetics packaging show that there are different results when it comes to determining which phase has the greatest impact.…”

“…Different LCA conducted on cosmetics packaging show that there are different results when it comes to determining which phase has the greatest impact. The LCA conducted by Ren et al for glass and PET cosmetic bottles found that the end of life has the most consequential environmental impact at over 50 %, with landfilling of waste being the most severe, followed shortly by manufacturing, transport and use (Ren et al, 2022). Jaccarini & Refalo's (2017) LCA showed that in the case of a transportable cosmetic box with powder and mirror, the raw material extraction phase is the largest contributor of all life cycle phases when only life cycle energy consumption is considered.…”

“…Graphic elements and information should be used primarily to illustrate all important features, which can be very extensive (Lofthouse et al, 2017). Information on improved use and disposal on the label has a major impact on purchase and use and should be provided as graphic guidance for better recognition (Aguiar et al, 2022;Ren et al, 2022). At the same time, brand identity must continue to be considered in the aesthetic design.…”

“…Differentiation within the product family and from the competition is influenced by colours, similar to mood and attention. Materials that are difficult to separate, such as laminates and composites, should be avoided and instead little to a single material should be used in the product to ensure recyclability and reduce material need (Ren et al, 2022;Willskytt, 2021). There are significantly fewer design guidelines for food and cosmetic packaging than there are for medical devices (Willskytt, 2021).…”

Life cycle assessment of multiple dispensing systems used for cosmetic product packaging

“…Gatt and Refalo 16 evaluated the environmental impacts of reusable, recyclable and dematerialized cosmetic packages and found that the environmental impact was reduced by 74% when fully recyclable packaging materials were reused. Recently, Ren et al 17 conducted an LCA of cosmetic packaging samples made of glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) in China to determine their environmental impacts. The study's results show that the glass bottle had the greatest impact, with sanitary landfill sharing the largest impact on the life cycles of all three bottles.…”