New online tool helps beauty makers develop sustainable packaging

22-Sep-2020 - Last updated on 22-Sep-2020 at 20:22 GMT

Today the Sustainable Packaging Initiative for Cosmetics (SPICE) announced a new publicly available tool to assess more than 15 environmental indicators of packaging production and life-cycle.

SPICE was founded in 2018 by L’Oréal and Quantis and now has a membership of companies and institutions spanning the likes of Avon, Coty, The Estée Lauder Companies, Mary Kay, LVMH, and Shiseido as well as Aptar, Schwan Cosmetics, and cosmetics and personal care organizations such as Cosmetic Valley, FEBEA, and the PCPC.

SPICE functions as a pre-competitive venture, a collaborative that has conventionally competitive businesses working together to solve one or more problems with the understanding that no single business will emerge with a market advantage.

The industry stands behind the new SPICE Tool approach to packaging sustainability

As mentioned above, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is a part of SPICE and as such is sharing news of the new online tool with the council’s membership. In doing so Lisa Powers, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at the PCPC tells the press, “We are delighted to promote the SPICE Tool, a science-based, data-driven approach to measuring the environmental footprint of cosmetic packaging, to PCPC’s membership and the broader industry.”

“We applaud the companies and organizations that are working in precompetitive collaborations to develop tools and processes to ensure the responsible management of impacts that our industry creates,” adds Powers.

The SPICE Tool platform for sustainable cosmetics packaging is publicly available

There are 2 versions of the SPICE Tool available: a FREE Demo version and a Pro version available by license. The tool gives packaging designers access to environmental data on various materials as well as design insights.

Using some 16 metrics, the platform assesses the environmental impact of any given cosmetics, fragrance, or personal care product packaging. The assessment covers impact from production to end-of-life, according to today’s media release about the SPICE Tool platform.

And the indicators considered include water use, biodiversity, resource depletion, and contribution to climate change. Find more info and a link access to SPICE Tool for sustainable beauty packaging online here.