In a bid to reduce the amount of plastic used in its packaging, Albéa has teamed up with L'Oréal to develop a paper-based tube for cosmetics.
The material is a type of laminate: one layer of paper is covered in two fine layers of polyethylene on each side. The plastic is needed to ensure compatibility with the cosmetic formula inside the tube and on the outer layer due to the technical operations involved in gluing the tube and protecting the printing on the surface.
From an industrial standpoint, Albéa will invest in new lines integrating specific tooling initially in its plant in Poland and potentially also in France.
The technology is exclusive to L’Oréal on a temporary basis and the group plans to launch its first cosmetics products with this new generation tube in the second half of 2020.
This alternative solution will allow it to improve its packaging’s environmental footprint. The approach is in accordance with the Ellen McArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment charter, which both L'Oréal and Albéa have signed. The new tube has been designed to be processed in existing recycling streams, an issue that remains complex both politically and socially.
