The use of plastic as a packaging material is common but harmful
The cosmetics industry produces 120 billion pieces of cosmetics packaging* every year, most of which ends up in landfills because they are made of a mixture of materials (e.g. plastic and glass, or glass and metal) and cannot be recycled. Even plastic packaging that could be recycled often ends up in incineration or in the nature.
Plastics are widely used in packaging because they are cheap, have good properties and are widely available. However, plastic is problematic because it is often made from unsustainable materials such as crude oil and carbon. Plastics are also considered problematic because plastic packaging takes a long time to degrade and can therefore also harm nature and wildlife. Some plastics can be recycled, but recycling rates can be quite low and plastics end up in the environment.
Did you know that Finland is the worst country in Europe when it comes to recycling plastics**? Finland has the lowest recycling rate for plastic packaging, at only 26% in 2018. The average recycling rate for plastic packaging in EU countries is 42% (2018). Were you surprised?
Packaging is a tricky subject, but there is hope! In the EU, for example, plastic production has decreased slightly from 61.8 million tonnes in 2018 to 57.9 million tonnes in 2019, with biomaterials expected to grow rapidly**. We can't wait!
HAVU's packaging is made from biodegradable materials and all natural or renewable sources
The black inner packaging is biodegradable PLA and the outer surface is wood. This allows HAVU lipsticks to be recycled entirely as bio-waste. PLA, or polylactide, is an industrially biodegradable and bio-based polymer. It is made from corn starch.
The darker side of HAVU's wooden packaging is alder and the lighter side is aspen. The containers are not coated and the colour comes from the wood itself. Depending on availability and season, the wood comes from Finland or Estonia.
HAVU's lip care packaging is made of Sulapac Premium, a biodegradable packaging material made of wood and plant-based binders. The packaging degrades in industrial composts and leaves no microplastics behind.
*(Source: Forbes, 2019)
**(Source: Plastics Europe, 2020)