L’Oreal’s personal care brand Garnier is taking steps to reduce the amount of landfill waste generated by its products by partnering with TerraCycle to recycle packaging into playgrounds. Personal care and beauty products account for one-third of all landfill waste.
Garnier aims to divert a significant portion of its product packaging waste through the sponsorship of worldwide "Personal Care and Beauty Brigades"--individuals or groups who sign up to participate. For every piece of waste collected, Garnier will contribute two cents to the charity of the individual or group's choice.
These groups will collect and ship waste packaging to a TerraCycle facility, where it will be recycled into materials for playgrounds that will be built across the US.
In addition to the TerraCycle program, Garnier said its environmental targets also include renewable, bio-derived plastics; cardboard packaging sourced from sustainably managed forests; and the use of more naturally-derived ingredients.
This year Garnier is beginning a two-year roll-out of new, greener products.
The first is Garnier Fructis Pure Clean--a 94 percent biodegradable shampoo and 92 percent biodegradable conditioner. Garnier says the products are non-ecotoxic and contain no silicone, paraben or dye. The shampoo and conditioner bottles are also made of PET, the most widely recycled plastic, and include 50 percent post consumer recycled plastics.
Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is the world's leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with over thirty major brands in the US (and in a growing number of other countries) to collect used packaging and products (chip bags, candy wrappers, juice pouches, pens, toothbrushes, etc.) that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new eco-friendly materials and products that are available online and through major retailers.
Photo by Garnier
Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Life Media