These Are The Next Big Sustainability Issues The Beauty Industry Should Address, According To Beauty Entrepreneurs

After the world celebrated the 53rd annual Earth Day last week, we decided it could be worthwhile to look forward to how the beauty industry might make future Earth Days better celebrations of progress. So, for the latest edition of our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty, we asked 34 beauty entrepreneurs the following questions: What’s the next big sustainability issue you think the beauty industry needs to address? Why, and how should it address the issue?

Conny Wittke Founder, Superzero

Microplastics and endocrine disruptors in plastics. There is emerging science about the harm of microplastics to ecosystems and to human health and the health impact of endocrine disruptors found in plastic even if it’s BPA-free. And microplastics are very prevalent in beauty.

First, from plastic bottles (also a potential endocrine disruptor concern) and in ingredients. As per a report of the Plastic Soup Foundation, nine out of every 10 cosmetics products also contain microplastics in their ingredients and 7 kilograms of plastics from cosmetics are flushed into the environment every minute just in Europe alone, not even counting the U.S.

Superzero is 100% plastic-free and microplastic-free following the very strict definition of microplastics by the Plastic Soup Foundation as polymers that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic and that are not readily biodegradable in all environmental departments. The Plastic Soup Foundation includes silicones that are frequently used in haircare products in their definition, none of which you will find in Superzero products.

Wonny Lee Founder and CEO, Elorea

In my opinion, the primary issue the beauty industry needs to address is overconsumption. The industry is continuously optimizing to increase consumption, which leads to the production of cheaper products at a more frequent pace and at lower price points. The environmental impact this causes contributes significantly to the depletion of natural resources.

This is going to be controversial, but regulating the production of fast fashion and beauty goods could be a solution to the problem of overconsumption and the negative environmental impact caused by these industries. Government policies, consumer education and industry self-regulation can go a long way to slow down over consumption.

This will undoubtedly lead to higher prices, but the results of limited runs of higher quality products could shift consumer behavior towards a more sustainable, responsible and thoughtful consumption culture.

However—and this is a very tough solve—any changes or regulations must be carefully balanced to avoid negative consequences for workers, particularly in developing countries where many of these goods are produced. It's important to ensure that regulations do not unfairly penalize those who are already vulnerable or exacerbate existing economic inequalities.

Rupa Wincell Founder, Krī

Should we be concerned that the growth in differing certifications and standards is fueling confusion and potential greenwashing? We can all agree that the beauty industry needs a clear, consistent and recognizable set of standards that are easy to communicate to consumers. Instead, the landscape is awash with increasing numbers of expensive and resource-intensive certifications that most consumers probably don't recognize.

Do we need so many different certifications? By fueling the growth of these certifications, there's a risk of doing the exact opposite of preventing greenwashing. It's becoming even more challenging for consumers to understand the myriad of logos on a brand's website, let alone for indie brands to navigate the various requirements and ROI of each certification.

At Krī, we pursued B Corp certification because it's the most concise ESG certificate that covers every aspect of business under one assessment. We've also become a member of the B Corp Beauty Coalition. The more brands that work together in coalitions, the better chance we have of raising standards and making a meaningful impact.

Ariane Noji Founder, Contemplation

When it comes to the word “sustainability,” there are two things that should come to mind, the planet and the people on it. I think the beauty industry focuses a lot on the packaging and the recyclability of it or lack thereof, but what we really need to be focusing on is how many products are out there and the entire life cycle of those products.

From the ingredient sourcing to the packaging used to the manufacturing procedures to the disposal of the product, we should be considering the impact that each one has on our environment. We have to consider that every product contributes to waste, pollution and depletion of natural resources in one way or another, so it’s really about focusing on creating products that have a minimal impact.

To get there, it’s going to take major changes from all sides of the industry. The suppliers, manufacturers, brands and retailers will all need to push for more sustainable and responsible sourcing methods, ethical working conditions and be more transparent about how products are made so the consumers can make conscious buying decisions.

The beauty industry is all about taking care of ourselves, but, in order to do that, we have to first take care of our planet and prioritize people over profit. I think in the next few years we’re going to see consumers demanding transparency from all angles to see how ethical and environmentally friendly a brand really is. Just having “recyclable” packaging or “clean” ingredients won’t be enough.

Ericka Rodriguez Founder, Axiology

As a brand owner, I am torn about the refill movement when it comes to cosmetics. While I think that refillables are amazing for basic necessities like hand soap, shampoo and conditioner, and cleaning supplies, I am unsure if the refill market actually works for color.

It’s estimated that a “refillable” package needs to be reused 50 to 100 times in order to be less wasteful than a traditional product. While that sounds too crazy to be true, the reason is that “refillable” components need to be made of heavier, sturdier, less-environmentally-friendly packaging in order to serve as an external package.

But, realistically, we don’t use the same product from the same brand over and over again due to constant new brand launches, wanting to try new shades, new colors, etc. etc. So, I guess, while everyone is wanting to jump in the refill market, we should pause and really consider whether this will work and if it is "better" for the environment.

Aubri Thompson Founder, The Rebrand

Sustainable beauty has focused heavily on ingredients and packaging, and we've been able to find some interesting solutions, including refillables, compostable pods, and biosynthetic ingredients. One thing we've failed to address, however, is the sheer number of beauty products that are created and produced annually.

Even if we use the most sustainable ingredients and the most sustainable packaging, the beauty industry will still have an enormous environmental impact at our current rate of consumption.

Obviously, this is going to be much more difficult to address. Instead of switching out an extract for the organic version or moving to PCR plastic, brands are going to have to reevaluate their entire reason for being. We're going to need to rethink how we do product development and how we communicate with our consumers.

We can no longer justify developing any and every product that becomes a TikTok trend. We can no longer justify flash sales that encourage overconsumption. It's time to slow down.

Frances Shoemack Founder, Abel Odor

As an industry we really need to be looking at the full lifecycle of our ingredients, whether they come from renewable resources and whether they are readily biodegradable in the environment.

"Forever chemicals" from petrochemical and nonrenewable resources should have no place in today's beauty (and fragrance) industry, certainly not in any formula that claims to be "clean.”

Unfortunately, a lack of transparency and regulation is our worst enemy when it comes to progress in this area. As with most innovation, however, its private companies pushing the boundaries.

Specifically, advancement in biotech ingredients utilizing renewable and biodegradable plant sugars (and yeasts, fungi, bacteria) means there are more and more options available to sustainability-minded, innovative brands. I believe this advancement in biotech will be key to the future of clean and sustainable formulas.

Melodie Reynolds Founder, Elate Cosmetics

The big issue for the beauty industry continues to be overproduction and overconsumption. Sustainability is such a broad term, with many brands describing it differently. This makes it difficult for customers to make informed decisions and also can lead brands to produce more than they need.

By focusing on responsible operational practices, brands can ensure they are not left with stockpiles of products destined for the landfill or the discount rack. While discounts drive sales, they are also partly to blame for our customers purchasing products they don't need that ultimately end in the landfill.

We need to promote conscious production, inventory and operational practices while moving our customers away from being beauty consumers towards being beauty citizens. Education is the key to bridging the divide between customer action and sustainable practices. Transparent communication about internal practices empowers customers to make informed choices and reduce their impact.

Jenn Harper Founder and CEO, Cheekbone Beauty

The next big sustainability issue I feel needs to be addressed is the vilification of certain packaging and ingredients in the beauty industry. Vilifying packaging and ingredients to consumers leads to misconceptions about what products are safe and/or effective to use.

There is a misconception that certain natural ingredients are “better,” but this is not always the case. It is important to consider the life cycle of these ingredients from their sourcing to end of life to make accurate decisions throughout the product development process.

While it's important to identify and avoid certain ingredients and materials that are proven or suspected to be detrimental to the environment or human health, blanket statements can create distrust and fear. Anxiety at a consumer level promotes the spread of misinformation and uninformed judgement. It is important to take precaution with both new and existing technologies as more information emerges on the potential impacts of both ingredients and packaging.

I think that the focus should be on educating consumers and promoting transparency so that consumers can make informed decisions about what products to use. Brands must take responsibility in communicating and educating their practices to consumers and a harmonized approach must be taken within the industry. Communicating information in a digestible and easily understood format is essential to growth of knowledge within industry.

Hana Holecko Co-Founder and CEO, Veriant

We're seeing great momentum in the advent of new plastic-alternative materials and responsible packaging, but a big challenge when it comes to truly sustainable life cycles is the inconsistency of waste management across the nation. There is huge variance state by state, county by county, and even city by city in regard to what forms of disposal are offered curbside (i.e., trash, recycling, and composting), as well as which materials are accepted.

This creates friction between each stakeholder: the manufacturer, the brand, the customer and the waste management providers, and undermines or undervalues what are still genuinely good solutions to the plastic problem, even in imperfect waste management circumstances. I think open discussions and education are needed for all these stakeholders to understand these new materials (i.e., compostable packaging components) and how to manage them in any of these circumstances.

Ultimately, our government needs to create consistency in waste management and develop regulations for these new materials like the onset of resin codes for plastics in the late 1980s so that all stakeholders can easily give these components the most sustainable end to their lifecycles.

Brianne West Founder, Ethique

Overconsumption and promotion of constant purchasing—it ties to literally all issues and is a key sustainability issue. Addressing it is simple to say, but hard to do: market consciously, reduce the reliance on short-term discounting to drive sales and swap promotions that encourage bulk purchasing for those that reward long-term loyalty.

Lindsey McCoy Co-Founder and CEO, Plaine Products

The waste created by single-use consumption is a global issue. It intersects with plastic pollution, climate change and health concerns. As a big contributor to single-use waste (nearly 8 billion plastic personal care items are created every year!), the beauty industry has a huge opportunity to be a leader in making change.

The beauty industry has more flexibility than other industries to test creative packaging options to reduce waste, and its engaged user base is more open to experimentation. New products generate excitement!

The beauty industry should lean into reuse and refill. Those that do so early will be rewarded in the long run. They will have a head start as consumers look for more sustainable alternatives and government regulation moves in that direction.

Emma Lewisham Founder, Emma Lewisham

The biggest sustainability issue the beauty industry currently faces is moving towards a circular model of business. Currently, the global cosmetics industry produces an estimated 120 billion units of packaging every year, most of which end up in landfill, oceans or are burnt due to the lack of demand to recycle these types of plastics. In reality, almost all of them are filtered out of recycling bins and sent straight to landfill.

So, unless brands have take-back programs in place where they are getting empty packaging back from customers and paying a specialized recycling partner such as Terracycle to help them recycle their packaging, simply having “recyclable” packaging should not be considered a sustainable, let alone circular, solution.

We believe that in, order to play our part in mitigating the climate crisis, simply sustaining the world's current state is not enough. We need to be actively helping to regenerate it. The facts are that a circular model will reduce carbon emissions by 70%. Packaging is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the beauty industry.

Emma Lewisham was certified as the world’s first carbon-positive beauty brand at a product level by Toitu Envurocare. Our carbon-positive certification means that, as a business, we have gone beyond just neutralizing our carbon emissions, instead positively offsetting them in order to have a positive environmental impact.

In order to become carbon-positive, we measured our total emissions both at a business and product level in order to understand and identify the areas we could make reductions. After reducing each product's inherent emissions as much as possible, we then offset our remaining emissions by 125% through an independent certification agency, Toitu Envirocare, to become certified Carbon Positive under their Climate Positive Programme. Our pioneering sustainability achievement garnered us a personal endorsement by Dr. Jane Goodall.

Kate Assaraf Founder, Dip

The next big sustainability issue is admitting that sustainability means nothing if the product disappoints the consumer. If the sustainable version of a beauty product doesn't meet consumer standards for performance or experience or if you are creating a refillable product that is unlikely to get replenished, then it is actually doing the exact opposite, creating more waste.

Consumers are smarter than sustainable marketers give them credit for. They won't be fooled twice and can smell a cash grab from a mile away. I personally think that "sustainability" should detach itself from the "all-natural” narrative and explore how to make more effective, longer lasting products with less packaging.

Kiku Chaudhuri Co-Founder, Shaz & Kiks

A few things need to be focused on or continued to be focused on regarding sustainability in the beauty industry. First, packaging materials. It went from not having many eco-friendly options which were super pricey to now having a lot more accessible options.

Reducing virgin plastic use has become easier and more accessible and needs to become table stakes. The technology needs to continue to push innovation around repurposing and more sustainable material, and companies need to incorporate them as the norm.

Second, more focus on really understanding where and how you're sourcing your raw materials. Not just the ingredients themselves, but the people and planet footprint of creating/growing/harvesting them. Third, which is counterintuitive for me as a beauty company founder, it's trying to reduce the number of things we create and put out there in the world to be consumed.

For our company, our goal is fewer but better. The pressures of continuously launching products need to change, and this pressure comes from various places (retail, consumers, investors and internally within the company). Social media and constantly seeing and feeling pressured to buy is a larger topic, but is a big factor in how we can live more sustainably when it comes to creating and consuming beauty.

Yolanda Cooper Founder, We Are Paradoxx, Mini Humans and Supernova

Our belief is that there is no such thing as good plastic when only 9% gets recycled, so the biggest sustainability issue in our mind is the growing adoption of PCR plastic. Whilst it is certainly better than using virgin plastic, it is not a truly circular approach when it in turn is mostly not being recycled.

There are also a number of key concerns about its environmental impact such as greenhouse gas emissions during the process of collecting, cleaning and processing as well as water use and pollution during the recycling process, which can be a concern in areas where water is scarce and can generate wastewater that may contain contaminants such as chemicals or micro plastics.

It is also has a limited lifespan. These are the reasons we use materials such as aluminum, which is infinitely recyclable, at We are Paradoxx.

Belinda Lau Founder and CEO, Elims

Too much non-sustainable packaging! I understand this is the beauty industry so things need to look cute and appealing, but a lot of the packaging in the industry is made of virgin plastic (that is fossil fuels) and mixed materials (not recyclable). We must find a way to package our products in packaging that is less harmful to the planet.

The beauty industry is at the forefront of innovation in CPG. If we put our money in more sustainable options, this will drive down the price and increase eco-friendly options for the entire CPG industry. That is where we will have the most impact.

Tiila Abbitt Founder, Athr Beauty

A sustainability issue that will be trending next is palm oil. Palm oil-free will be a trending term that brands will start using. It's the next mica-free or U.S.-based mica ingredient since palm oil is incredibly destructive to forests, wildlife and our climate.

Greenpeace has constantly reported that RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) and “certified sustainable” palm oil are a con. This is the year the beauty industry finally starts to address this issue instead of constantly using the RSPO palm oil term as an excuse to keep using palm oil since it's cheap.

Brands will start looking for alternatives to this majorly used ingredient. Geno is a company in San Diego Unilever is investing in to address the palm oil alternative issue.

Catherine Cu Co-Founder, Cocofloss

At Cocofloss, we’ve taken part in a positive beauty-industry trend by transitioning from virgin to recycled plastics. We’re quite proud of these first big strides toward reducing our footprint. Our floss is made of 85% food-grade recycled polyester, safely woven from post-consumer PET water bottles; and our toothbrush handle is made of around 98% certified, recycled ocean-bound plastic.

Compared with virgin plastics, the production of recycled plastics emits less carbon and consumes less energy and water. But a big opportunity still lies ahead: Reducing overall plastic waste, a large and increasingly visible problem afflicting our seas.

To help in a small way with this huge problem, we’ve partnered with Oceanworks to source the plastic for our toothbrush handle. Since most of the plastic in our ocean enters via rivers, Oceanworks collects plastic waste from towns near coastal rivers.

We sort, wash and transform these plastics into our food-grade Cocobrush handles, giving discarded plastics a new life. Plus, for every toothbrush purchased, we pledge to work with Oceanworks to remove an additional 10 toothbrushes’ worth of plastic trash from coastal areas.

By recycling this ocean-bound plastic, not only are we cutting down our use of natural resources, we’re also picking up plastic waste that would have most likely ended up floating in our seas.
While incorporating recycled plastics has been a big step in the right direction, we recognize that our products still don’t have a great end-of-life story.

Most cosmetics packages are too small to be adequately sorted and cleaned at industrial recycling facilities, which also lack the capacity to recycle many types of plastic. Sadly, less than 10% of plastic actually gets repurposed.

I am hopeful that recycling will work much better in the future as there has been a lot of investment and interesting innovation in the space. I’ve been particularly excited to read about breakthroughs in chemical recycling, processes where plastic waste of all types can be broken down into basic building blocks, which can then be turned into new products or chemicals, creating a more circular economy for plastics. We get past all the sorting and contamination challenges that make traditional recycling so challenging and expensive.

Simultaneously, I think it’s important for brands to continue to explore alternatives to virgin plastics altogether as, even in the best-case scenario, it will take a long while for our infrastructure to catch up.

My sister, Chrystle, and I are always on the hunt for better materials. We’ve chatted with some exciting startups doing innovation around naturally occurring biopolymers like PHA. Unlike so many bioplastics that don’t biodegrade, these materials would decompose in a backyard compost facility within weeks with no toxic residue.

It’ll take thousands of brands working together—and the millions of consumers behind them—to get these new technologies to the production scale needed to compete with virgin plastics on cost. I’m hoping that beauty industry leaders will continue to invest in more sustainable, innovative solutions for products and packaging. Only by joining forces will we be able to create the necessary change to truly take good care of our planet while caring for ourselves.

Brianna Arps Founder and CEO, Moodeaux

The conversation around reducing waste with easily reusable products and programs to encourage/support recycling is growing—and for good reason! It's no longer enough to slap a few symbols on packaging and hope that people take head.

In order to really clean up our mess, the beauty industry needs to find equitable ways to gamify "sustainability" and showcase the lasting impact of taking action now versus later.

Mackenzie Jorns Founder and CEO, Protea

The beauty industry is slowly starting to get more transparent (think brands like Dieux and Isla.) Our next step will be to consistently show up authentically as brands by owning our mistakes and becoming living, breathing organisms and not just product producers.

Some brands do this by using little or no touching up on their images, but I believe we can and should do more. We're in the middle of a societal crisis where we are constantly seeing ourselves mirrored back on social media and, as an industry, we have the power to help offset that through leading by authentic example.

Sophie Cooper Founder and CEO, Anihana

The big sustainability issue the beauty industry needs to address is what hasn’t been properly addressed to this day. Sustainability is not a trend, but a necessary lens to be applied at all times and to all areas of operations. At Anihana, we believe it is a brand's responsibility to go on a genuine pursuit of what is best for the planet and its people. This involves taking brave steps and carving new pathways.

As brands, we have the power to recognize our negative environmental impact and from there take the necessary steps to create legitimate change. Think things like a percentage of plastic being reduced from a pack. Why don’t we go further and remove the reliance on fossil fuels?

We should pursue exclusively using sustainable, traceable and local resources that don’t cause harm to the ecosystems we rely on as a community. There are bigger changes waiting to be made, and we have the opportunity to bring them to life rather than repeating the last 10 years of attempted change.

Let's bring our customers along with us as we create innovative beauty products that, most importantly, respect our environment and allow it to flourish for years to come.

Mia Chae Reddy Founder, Dehiya

The next big sustainability issue the beauty industry needs to address is one that has not yet been properly addressed—recycling. Education on how, what and where to recycle are integral to minimizing environmental pollution and climate change.

Have you ever heard of “wish cycling”? It’s the practice of putting items in a recycling bin in the hopes that they’ll be recycled, even if they are not actually recyclable items. It’s a mix of good intentions and “hoping for the best” vibes, but really does more harm than good in the recycling system. And, as a result of environmental racism, it affects Black and brown communities at a much higher rate than our white counterparts.

Mixing non-recyclable (think mixed metal and plastic serum pumps) with recyclable materials (think glass and aluminum bottles) contaminates our recycling stream, making it harder and more expensive to sort and process them. Sadly, way too many of the contaminated recyclables end up in landfills or incinerated, completely negating any environmental benefit of recycling in the first place.

It is amazing to see so many companies making strides towards more sustainable ingredients, materials and packaging. However, I believe many brands are guilty of wish cycling as well.

As a Black-owned, sustainable beauty brand, Dehiya prioritizes creating low-waste, multiuse products in packaging made to be refilled and used again and again. But we can’t stop with housing our products in eco-friendly packaging, we need to be invested in the full life cycle of our products and educating our clients on how to dispose of them when they’ve reached the end. Mandatory recycling 101 for everyone, y’all!

Alisha Gallagher Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, MOB Beauty

Systemic change is needed, which is why collaboration is the “issue” we should be focused on. We must find a way to influence better consumer behavior and work together to shift the narrative around beauty routines from consumption to packaging end of life.

A great example of what can be accomplished when we come together as an industry is the Pact Collective, a nonprofit MOB Beauty co-founded with Credo that offers education and resources empowering brands and consumers to make smarter choices.

Sustainability is not a competition. We got in this together, and no single supplier, brand, media outlet or retailer can make the necessary changes alone.

Emma Peters Founder, Aleph

The biggest issue now and going forward is true sustainability and circularity of packaging and the ability to take everything into consideration to achieve the best outcome.

Packaging innovation is key going forward if we still want to have consumable products available to us. Brands and consumers need to both be responsible for the life cycle of products and packaging.

I see a good way forward being a recycling industry that works together with the beauty industry to ensure all components are valuable enough and able to be recycled.

We're thrilled that Pact Collective is leading the way on this front, and we're hopeful that the recycling industry continues to grow.

Cary Lin Co-Founder, Common Heir

The biggest challenge to me has always been consumer education at scale, and that's also to me the biggest opportunity for the entire industry. I think sustainability comprises so many values and ideas that, as a casual consumer, it's hard to know what you're buying.

I think there's an opportunity for the industry to make sure that sustainability doesn't go the way of greenwashing in the sense that it becomes impossible to differentiate one brand's efforts from another's.

No one brand is perfect, so addressing efforts like packaging or shipping with honesty I think would be appreciated. And consumers are smart. I can certainly think of a recent celebrity launch around so-called "refillable" or "reusable" packaging getting called out.

I think TikTok or YouTube are great channels to spotlight the sustainable design choices that go on behind the scenes, and so many brands have seen success by just being transparent and honest through social media.

I think the industry should welcome the increasing sophistication of consumers! I personally appreciate the level of engagement we get from ours at Common Heir around our own efforts.

Brook Harvey-Taylor Founder and CEO, Pacifica

The biggest issue we face right now as humans is climate change. Climate change affects women disproportionately to men. According to the UN, gender inequality coupled with the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Climate change threatens the livelihoods, health, safety and security for women and girls around the world.

Research has shown that domestic and sexual violence against women rose 60% in areas that experience extreme weather events, and women and girls are 14 times more likely to be harmed during a climate disaster. As an industry whose largest consumer is women, I think this should be top of mind always.

As brands, we need to reframe the conversation and talk about this in terms of accountability.  Let's be honest: Being a brand isn’t sustainable, and there is not one magical thing we can do to change this. But we can take measurable accountability along a chain of actions, from our supply chains to supporting the communities we serve.

We need to be more fearless in using our voices to stand up for the communities we serve as well as finding ways to "tax" ourselves for our footprint. And it is also imperative that we collaborate as brands. We have a lot more power when we combine our efforts.

In our effort to address gender inequality, we have chosen to support (and frankly learn a ton from) the Sexual Violence Prevention Association. They work to prevent sexual violence systemically by revolutionizing policy, research and institutions. We use our social media to share information about how our customers can get involved as well as to provide education and funding.

Another step we are taking is working with the Plastic Collective by paying to remove the same amount of plastic from the environment that we use, including our PCR. These are just small examples of taking accountability, and one tiny slice of what we do. We need to remember that everything is connected, that our actions, positive or negative, have a chain reaction.

Adria Marshall Founder and CEO, Ecoslay

I think the most important beauty issue that needs to be addressed is single-use plastic packaging. Brands should be putting refillables and compostable packaging on their road maps. Although Ecoslay has (and loves) our recycling program, since the majority of items intended for recycling don't actually get recycled for various reasons, it's best to just not produce plastic in the first place.

Next up, beauty brands should be working with chemists and manufacturers to prioritize the development of effective and cost-effective carbomer alternatives. Since most carbomers are microplastics, finding alternatives for these cheap and effective thickeners in many hair gels, body washes, shampoos and other beauty products is an important next step.

Alexandra Keating Founder, Uni

[The next big sustainability issue the beauty industry needs to address is] extended producer responsibility (EPR), where the burdensome responsibility of end of life for the product and its packaging are redirected as the responsibility of the companies, its partners/supply chains instead of the consumers themselves.

Refocusing on the supply chain and where it breaks down must be at the forefront of the industry’s strategy to revise environmental costs associated with product life. Rather than customers closing the gap, instead redirect upstream toward companies to instigate better, more environmentally conscious, products and overall production.

One-third of single-use plastic in our landfills and oceans comes from the personal care industry. Adding stakes throughout the supply chain creates extended growth, motivation and thereafter change. By forcing companies to be responsible for the end use of a product and its packaging, we can put an end to single-use plastic.

Veronica Pedersen Co-Founder and CEO, Timeless Skin Care

An ongoing sustainability issue in the beauty industry continues to be ethical disposal and recycling of product packaging. An overwhelming amount of beauty products are packaged with plastics that contribute far too much to CO2 emissions. Not only is the production of the plastic harming the environment, but users are often not given the incentive or opportunity to dispose of the packaging properly, perpetuating the cycle of harm.

At Timeless Skin Care, we are striving to cut CO2 emissions and celebrate the planet by not only encouraging consumers to reuse and upcycle our containers, but by partnering with TerraCycle, which gives consumers the opportunity to easily and efficiently recycle their empty containers. TerraCycle takes the returned containers and uses the material to create pieces that benefit the community like park benches, playgrounds, etc.

Together with TerraCycle, we incentivize our consumers to take advantage of this opportunity by offering points for every product they send to TerraCycle, which translates to money they can donate to charities of their choice!

We have also partnered with One Tree Planted to plant 10,000 trees this year. Since 2014, the brand has planted over 92.7 million trees in more than 90 countries across the globe. Sustainability in beauty is possible, but it requires commitment to the planet and each other. We can't do it alone.

Carly Mabli Social Media Coordinator, John Masters Organics

One major sustainability issue that the beauty industry needs to address is the issue of plastic waste. The beauty industry is a significant contributor to plastic waste, with millions of tons of plastic packaging produced each year.

The problem is compounded by the fact that much of this plastic is not recycled and ends up polluting the environment, including our oceans and waterways.

To address this issue, we need to focus on reducing the amount of plastic packaging and increase the use of sustainable materials such as PCR (post-consumer recycled) materials, glass and aluminum.

At John Masters Organics, we're constantly striving to improve our packaging practices and reduce waste. We use glass, aluminum and recycled paper for 25% of our products and, by 2023, all of our tubes will be packaged with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content and sugarcane bio-resin.

We are also committed to reducing plastic waste in our oceans. For every plastic product purchased on our website, we rescue two ocean-bound plastic bottles, preventing them from polluting our oceans and harming marine life.

Lena Chao Founder and CEO, Clean Circle

So many brands have done a great job at offsetting their carbon footprint, sourcing PCR packaging and improving package recyclability. As better packaging options become the norm, there's vast potential to actually reduce waste, whether that's more multifunctional products, waterless products or improved paper packaging.

Aviva Jansen Perea Founder, Day Rate Beauty

Packaging! We’re always chasing the newest, most innovative formulas, trying to find the best and the cleanest for our daily beauty routines. We need to be mindful about the physical packaging these items arrive in, and those contributions to landfills.

It’s important to think about the final resting place of our empties, where packaging ends up after we’ve gone through the product. I’m always refining my consumption habits, trying to make an effort to not mindlessly bring products into my home. The beauty industry feels behind in the packaging department, but I’m hoping more companies learn to be mindful of their contributions to landfills.

We have to vote with our wallets! We need to find products and brands that are incorporating sustainable practices into their packaging design. An increasing number of brands are offering refillable packaging and recyclable materials, creating a real reduction in landfill bound plastics.

As commendable as these efforts are, most brands are still nowhere near where we need to be. A quick Google search will reveal just how many e-commerce sites and retailers pride themselves on their eco-friendly packaging practices.

I love seeing more organizations/nonprofits popping up to collect consumers' empties, discarding them in a more mindful way. Nordstrom has a program called Beautycycle, which takes back empties and processes them appropriately. Beautycycle’s goal is to help customers have a zero-waste beauty routine by 2025.

Credo Beauty is another amazing retailer whose whole mission is to incorporate brands that are clean and sustainable. They have co-founded Pact, which offers its members education, sustainability tools, and a hard-to-recycle program via Pact Collection Bins.

I highly recommend visiting Credo’s website. They offer a detailed education on the best ways for consumers to prepare their empties to ensure the best, most eco-friendly processing.

Ajish Morris COO, Invity

It has been suggested that the beauty industry is over dependent on natural ingredients, resulting in an industrial scale activity to pull these ingredients out of earth. This puts pressure on natural resources and contributes to carbon footprint due to the use of land, water and energy resources in farming and transformation processes.

Reports have revealed that the demand for beauty products that have some natural ingredients has led to more significant deforestation and pressure on supply chains.

The alternative to this is biotech beauty, where ingredients are produced in a biotechnology laboratory. Not only are these naturally identical, but are also sustainable and safe for consumption.

We work with a number of world leading biotech laboratories to incorporate naturally identical ingredients in our supply chain.

If you have a question you’d like Beauty Independent to ask beauty entrepreneurs, please send it to editor@beautyindependent.com.