To better understand how the industry has been contributing to environmental waste, I asked Mia Davis, director of environmental and social responsibility at CredoAccording to Davis, more than 120 billion beauty packs are created every year, and only a fraction of these (less than 9%!) are recycled. Even less is refilled or reused. That means these materials, mostly plastic, are being buried, burned or trapped because of toxic pollution.
Good news? There is a positive change taking place in the beauty industry. Example: Credo launched Sustainable packaging principlesand their first major milestone in 2021 is getting rid of single-use items like masks, pads, and sample packs.
“We really hope that other retailers and brands will join us: Stop making things that should never be recycled or reused,” Davis said.
With pressure on brands to use more sustainable packaging, as consumers and individuals, we too can take steps to help reverse this environmental impact now. This month, I challenged myself to take a hard look at the makeup I use and see if I could find comparable sustainable and no-packaging alternatives.
Keep reading to see if zero-waste makeup products can really outperform my tried-and-true brands and whether I incorporate them into my beauty routine. long term or not.
