FOR PLANET, BY PEOPLE

THE ROLE OF NEXT GEN MATERIALS FOR A SUSTAINABLE PAPER PACKAGING OF BRANDS.

- Nicole Rycroft

In the clean beauty space, where natural ingredients and sustainable practices are highly valued, packaging has become the next frontier in the quest for true environmental responsibility. While much of the focus has been on eliminating plastics, what is generally overlooked is that paper packaging — often considered a “greener” alternative — also carries a significant environmental cost.

Every year, an estimated 3.1 billion trees are logged for paper packaging. Many of these trees come from climate-critical and biodiversity-rich ecosystems, including Ancient and Endangered Forests. The beauty industry, with its eye-catching boxes and intricate paper components, has a pivotal role to play in turning this around.

As brands move to adopt cleaner, more sustainable products and take steps to reduce supply chain volatility and risk, reliance on forest-derived paper packaging must be re-examined. Innovative alternatives, including Next Gen materials often derived from things wasted or burned such as agricultural residues, are ready to scale and be embraced by the market.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF PAPER PACKAGING

The demand for paper products has skyrocketed in recent years, driven in part by the global push to move away from plastic and the surge in e-commerce. This shift has put unprecedented pressure on the world’s forests and planetary systems. More than 40% of industrial forest harvest globally goes toward making paper products, including packaging. While some of this wood comes from managed plantations, a significant portion comes from high-carbon and biodiverse forests.