Beauty industry broadens plastic recycling initiatives

[Courtesy of Amorepacific]

The beauty industry in South Korea is ramping up its eco-friendly efforts right from the start of the new year. Companies within the sector are diversifying their endeavors beyond eco-friendly packaging to include the collection and recycling of empty containers.

On Tuesday, Amorepacific announced its ‘AMORE:CYCLE’ campaign, launching an online and offline container collection service as part of its initiative to reduce plastic usage. Expanding the offline container collection efforts initiated in 2009, customers can now request container collection through Amorepacific’s official mall, Amore Store.

When customers place a minimum of 10 containers labeled ‘Amore Store Container Collection’ outside their doors, the company will collect them for recycling, free of charge. To encourage customers to participate in the campaign, the company will also reward new participants with 5,000 Beauty Points.

The campaign also broadens the range of items eligible for collection to increase the actual recycling percentage of plastics. Beyond plastics and glass containers that were traditionally collected, the campaign now includes containers for various lifestyle items such as hair, body, and hand care products, as well as cushion, compact, and fragrance products.

Collected containers undergo a two-step sorting process—first by Amorepacific and then by recycling facilities—before physical recycling begins.

Amorepacific has focused on its 4R (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Return) strategy since declaring its unending responsibility in 1993. The company aims to reduce unnecessary plastic usage, enhance recyclability, promote container reuse, and facilitate recycling to construct a plastic circulation system.

Since the start of its campaign to collect plastic and glass cosmetic containers in 2009, Amorepacific has collected a cumulative 2,473 tons of empty containers up until 2022.

French natural beauty brand L’Occitane is showing its true colors in 2024 with the launch of ‘RETHINK BEAUTY,’ which is designed to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and empowerment. As part of this commitment, L’Occitane plans to collect not only its own containers but also those of other brands throughout the month of January at its stores nationwide. During the campaign, the brand will collect empty bottles of L’Occitane products and other brands’ skincare (skin, lotion, nutrition, moisturizer, and fragrance) products. The collected containers will make their way back to L’Occitane customers in the form of tumblers, eco-bags, and soap dishes. The brand will also practice resource circulation by recycling household items and display furniture within their premises.