Herbal Essences is joining the eco-friendly movement, where the hair care company is cutting back on waste with its packaging. Herbal Essences' Beach Plastic collection uses bottles made with 25 percent recycled plastic cleaned up from beaches. Not only are the bottles made from a percentage of recycled materials, but the bottles directly use the trash that is polluting coastlines.
Eight million tons of plastic waste ends up in rivers, lakes and oceans each year. This waste is often times unable to be recycled, thanks to its exposure to nature. That means that the plastic that's recovered off of sandy beaches and streams is thrown directly into landfills, contributing to the buildup of waste.
In honor of World Water Day, which falls on March 22, Herbal Essences has teamed up with TerraCycle to find a solution to eliminate non-recyclable plastic waste and to bring awareness to plastic pollution. TerraCycle is a recycling company that has made it its specialty to reuse hard-to-recycle materials. The organization collects non-recyclable waste that is a product of pre-consumer and post-consumer debris, and partners with corporations to turn it into raw materials to be used in new products.
“Plastic floating in our oceans and rivers has been a recent topic for discussion and unless people work to find solutions, it stays just that — a discussion,” says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO, in a statement. “By incorporating beach plastic into their bottles, Herbal Essences is showing that they are committed to doing something and leading by example. I look forward to our continued work together to raise awareness and make a bigger difference.”
According to Allure, Herbal Essences estimates that it will save an estimated three tons of beach plastic from ending up in the trash.
Seeing how Herbal Essences delivers its products in plastic bottles, creating a line of shampoos and conditioners in recycled plastic helps to cut down the brand's carbon footprint. The eco-friendly collection also makes shoppers more aware of their role in responsible consumption. While there is a growing number of indie hair care brands that use cardboard boxes that are made from recycled materials to deliver their products, not many mainstream brands have made the switch yet. Herbal Essences switching to bottles that use non-recyclable waste is an innovative alternative to committing to paper packaging.
The Beach Plastic bottles are limited-edition, and will be available from March to June 2019. That doesn't mean that Herbal Essences will end its commitment to becoming more eco-friendly.
"This is a step towards our long-term vision of using 100 percent renewable and recycled materials in our products and packaging," says Ilaria Resta, North America General Manager of P&G Hair Care, in a statement.
As for the actual line, Herbal Essences is re-bottling three collections from the brand's Bio:Renew range, which is free of colorants, parabens and gluten. You will find White Grapefruit & Mosa Mint, Argan Oil, and Coconut Milk in these new recycled bottles. These three repackaged collections will make up the Beach Plastic range.
If you want your beauty routine to become more eco-conscious, using brands that are committed to lowering non-recyclable materials is a great first step.
