Packages and closures for packaging

Polypropylene airless bottles. Today we produce the packaging that we’ll use to make packaging tomorrow

The eco-design and recyclability classification are the terms that have entered the cosmetic manufacturers’ glossary for good.
Starting a new project, most companies work, in parallel, on the cosmetic’s formulation and its environmentally friendly packaging.
Both items have plenty of roles to play.
Not only should a cosmetic work effectively, but it should also have the right consistency, a pleasant fragrance or lack thereof, and a suitable shelf life. On the other hand, the packaging must protect the cosmetic, provide convenient and safe application, contain all the information about the composition, use, carry a marketing message and... What's new in recent years...
Be designed in the “eco-design” spirit.

Owners of cosmetic brands follow, on an ongoing basis, trends in fashion, beauty, new developments regarding raw materials, results of tests on stronger concentrations or cross combinations.
They are now focused on regulations concerning the environment protection, Trying to respond with their products to clients’ needs, they should be updated about trends, and attempting to comply with the restrictions imposed by the legislator, they have to follow legal regulations.

In our texts, we often discuss environmental issues, and provide guidelines on how to navigate the intricacies of law, safety and trends.

Today, we’re presenting polypropylene airless bottles containing a small addition of HDPE or LDPE (depending on the model) and a spring made of stainless steel.
We talk about its composition in such a detail, as determining the product’s recyclability requires its analysis in terms of the plastics it contains.
This knowledge, combined with the information on the accepted and inadvisable combinations of plastics in the recycling, allows us to come to conclusions on which product will be able to be efficiently processed and put back into the circulation.

Generally available knowledge indicates that a combination of polypropylene and low- or high-density polyethylene can be put into a single recycling stream, provided that 'the percentage of one of these polymers is low'. As little polyethylene and polypropylene as possible.
The percentage of polyethylene in our polypropylene airless bottles is just 8%, the steel spring is 1.6%. Consequently, polypropylene makes about 90% of the whole thing.
The steel spring can be removed in two ways – it floats – sinks, or by means of a magnet that pulls it out of the polypropylene waste stream, it depends on the technique used at a particular sorting plant.
Such a material combination classifies the product for combined recycling as:  “possible”. A change to regranulate’s properties depends on the percentage share of the additional material”- that’s the official definition used by recyclers.

Reduction and limitation of packaging and, consequently, waste, as well as introducing new plastics to the market is the basis of the operation of all of us – both producers, and consumers. However, if we can’t resign from a product in packaging, we have to choose it in a precise way, in order to be able to give the second life to it.
Often, we don’t have, as producers or consumers, any influence on what is actually recycled in a given region.
Although PET is the most popular plastic recycled in Poland, we can hope that soon there will be recycling stations able to process other waste as well.
The demand should lead to supply, which will grow, given the vision of restrictive EU regulations. They will require the share of recyclate in new packaging put on the market from 2030 on to be – 30% for PET and 10% for other plastics.

Launching on the market packaging that will become valuable recyclate that can later find its way back into our packaging protects our own interests as well as consumer's safety.
Today, we produce the packaging that we’ll use to make packaging tomorrow. However, this vision is connected with the entry into force of regulations governing the origin, processing and safe re-use of the PCR in food and cosmetic packaging.
It seems all too simple, but that's what it should be, provided that the whole circular economy machine works properly – from selective collection, to sorting plants, recyclers, packaging producers and consumers.
Each of these links bears a huge responsibility for the success of the entire undertaking, and if any of them fails, the whole idea may fail.

30% of regranulate in standard

In certain products, we use regranulate obtained in internal recycling.
Not only is this approach justified from the economic and environmental point of view, but it's also the safest of the available solutions which close the circulation of plastics.
Processing post-production waste, we have a guarantee that it comes from the granulate that has been allowed to have contact with food. The ongoing absence of regulations in allowing recycled plastics on the market has motivated us to find a solution combining two things – environment protection and safety.
The 30% content in our closures and packaging gives you an idea of how much plastic becomes waste as early as at the production stage, and how much we can do by turning it back for reuse.
We don’t wait for regulations that will oblige us to take green activities. As early as now we’re trying to introduce solutions and improvements that are the most sensible in our opinion.
We believe that each of us should take responsibility towards the planet for our actions, irrespective of the stage at which we deal with the product. We’re at the gate of a revolution in the field of plastics, packaging and waste. However, before we face it, let's try to evolve to be greener.  

If every producer, processor and consumer completes this task, it may turn out to be a huge, courageous action!

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