LVMH’s perfume and cosmetics division is teaming up with materials science company Dow to accelerate its use of sustainable packaging.
The collaboration will enable LVMH Beauty to integrate both bio-based and circular plastics into its product applications without compromising on packaging functionality or quality.
Dow said plastics made from bio-based and plastic waste feedstocks, respectively, will be used to make its sustainable Surlyn ionomers, which are used to manufacture premium perfume caps and cosmetic cream jars.
By the end of 2023, a portion of the Parfums Christian Dior and Guerlain-owner’s perfume packaging will include both bio-based Surlyn and circular Surlyn.
The materials are said to deliver the same crystalline transparency and freedom of design offered by the rest of Dow’s Surlyn range at a low carbon footprint.
Feedstocks for the production of bio-based Surlyn include raw materials, such as used cooking oil.
As only waste residues or by-products from an alternative production process are used, these raw feedstock materials do not consume extra land resources or compete with the food chain.
For the plastic waste version, hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste is transformed into circular Surlyn through advanced recycling technologies, which break down waste plastics into their basic chemical elements using heat and pressure.
“At LVMH, with our Life 360 programme, we made the decision that our packaging will contain zero plastic from virgin fossil resources in a near future,” said Claude Martinez, Executive President and Managing Director of LVMH Beauty.
“Collaborating with Dow in developing sustainable Surlyn is key, as this material is used in some of our iconic perfumes, starting with Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire.
“It is helping LVMH achieve our sustainability targets without any compromise on quality.”
“Creating a circular economy takes every player in the value chain to commit to ambitious goals and challenge the status quo,” added Karen S Carter, President of Packaging & Specialty Plastics at Dow.
“Dow looks forward to supporting the sustainability journey of a leading global luxury brand.”