Concerns over climate change and pollution are pushing cosmetics producers to become more eco-friendly, and indie brands are well positioned to pivot towards biodegradable ingredients and packaging, says the co-founder of Indie Beauty Expo.
Sustainable beauty packaging options are in high demand and short supply. But Ezonyx, a biotech and IP licensing company, hopes to add to that supply with its new degradable bioplastic.
Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute have developed a method to carry out large-scale manufacturing of objects using a fully degradable bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells.
US-based Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC) has formed Natur-Tec India, a majority-owned venture that will be based in Chennai, with the aim of targeting India and other South Asian markets.
Rising oil costs and growing economies of scale in production will see plant-based plastics becoming more cost effective in future, according to market researcher Mintel, and this is expected to lead to greater uptake of these materials as a result.
The biodegradable plastic packaging market is expected to reach $1.85bn by the end of the year driven by increased consumer concerns for the environment and diminishing fossil reserves.
Bioplastics are increasingly seen as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based resins; but, as with many materials, questions surround their environmental footprint. CosmeticsDesign.com USA spoke to Steve Davies of Natureworks to get some of the facts...
Natureworks, manufacturer of Ingeo bioplastics, has announced that it has introduced additional equipment to facilitate an increase in its supply from 70 to 140 metric tons.
![Independent beauty brands are moving fast to innovate sustainably and are well placed to use biodegradable ingredients in formulations and packaging [Getty Images]](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign.com/article/2021/10/20/zero-waste-beauty-and-biodegradable-innovation-advancing-among-indie-beauty-players/12943673-1-eng-GB/Zero-waste-beauty-and-biodegradable-innovation-advancing-among-Indie-beauty-players.jpg)
