L'Occitane, Loop Industries Agree to Transition to 100% Sustainable PET Plastic

The L'Occitane Group, a global manufacturer and retailer of natural cosmetics and wellbeing products, and Loop Industries, a technology innovator in sustainable plastic, announced the signing of a multiyear supply agreement for Loop-branded 100 percent sustainable PET plastic.

The agreement will see the L'Occitane en Provence brand start to incorporate Loop PET plastic into its product packaging as of 2022, enabling it to increase from its current 30 percent recycled plastic to reach 100 percent in its bottles by 2025 and place the Loop logo on all packaging containing Loop PET plastic.

As the demand for sustainable packaging solutions continues to grow, Loop Industries has emerged with upcycling technology that allows use of plastic bottles and packaging, carpet and polyester textile of any color, transparency or condition and even ocean plastics that have been degraded by the sun and salt to provide brand owners a sustainable plastic product that helps solve the plastic pollution problem and meets FDA requirements for use in food-grade packaging. Therefore, when the Loop logo appears on a package, it is a confirmation for consumers that the plastic is sustainable.

“Helping companies leverage their packaging as a symbol of their commitment to sustainability rather than a symbol of waste is one of our primary missions. We are so pleased to work with the L'Occitane Group, a leading premium retail brand, to do just that,” said Daniel Solomita, founder and CEO of Loop Industries, in a statement. “We are convinced that companies that make this transition, use sustainable packaging and encourage recycling will help restore our environment and create greater economic value.”

The L'Occitane Group said it has always been conscious of the impact of packaging and the fundamental importance of eco-design and recycling. The company first introduced eco-refills in 2008 and currently proposes 15 L'Occitane en Provence eco-refill products. These not only use up to 90 percent less packaging than the original containers (representing a saving of 121 tons in 2018) but also lower carbon dioxide emissions thanks to the reduced product transport. The group is working with specialized suppliers to design lighter packaging that prioritizes recycled materials and aims to increase its current 84 percent technically recyclable plastic to 100 percent by 2025.

Both Loop and L'Occitane know how important it is to keep plastic in the economy and out of the shared environment. This agreement supercharges L'Occitane’s ability to close the loop on its plastic bottles. L'Occitane is going even further and is providing in-store recycling facilities to encourage its customers to participate as well. Since 2014, L'Occitane has been working with TerraCycle to provide in-store recycling facilities for empty cosmetics containers and now offers in-store recycling at 30 percent of its owned stores across the world, aiming to reach 100 percent by 2025.

“Our brand is inspired by nature, people and culture, and we have been using natural plant-derived ingredients and eco-friendly manufacturing for more than 40 years,” said Adrien Geiger, global brand director at L'Occitane en Provence, in a statement. “We are therefore very conscious of the importance of eco-design and sustainable packaging. We have been launching eco-refill products, in-store recycling and bottles made out of 100 percent recycled plastic for more than 10 years and are continuing to progress on this. The innovative technology that Loop provides is a game-changer that can help us fundamentally contribute to solving the growing global concern about plastic pollution. We are excited to sign with Loop, representing a significant shift in our approach to plastic.”

The L'Occitane Group is using the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to proactively address its environmental challenges and contribute toward the global effort to reduce plastic pollution. As part of this, L'Occitane en Provence has signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an initiative that is driving action with businesses and governments to work on solutions that address the root and causes of plastic waste and pollution.