🌎 Sephora + pact ♻️ 💄

[greeneyedgirl107]

Sephora + pact...finally recycling/repurposing for beauty items.

https://www.sephora.com/beauty/pact-collective-recycling-program

I must admit that I thought there'd be more fanfare over this.  And I'm disappointed by the 2x2 restriction.   But it's a start!

[Kati3d]

#sephora Please advertise this more!!!!  Share this information with every package that gets sent out and make it more visible on your website.  You're a major retailer...this is a great first step, now please use your influence to spread the word and help save the planet 

[eshoe]

@greeneyedgirl107 response from Pact:

 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@eshoe thanks for posting!

[eshoe]

I never would have known if you had not posted first, @greeneyedgirl107 😉

[Westcoasty]

Thanks for finding this out, @eshoe !

[eshoe]

You're welcome, @Westcoasty. This is an avenue I will continue to explore! 

[JoSometimes]

As a science teacher, I teach the value of each individual making a small change having a big impact on society as a whole. I also know the dark side to recycling, which is that not everything we pop into those bins actually gets recycled. Some of it doesn’t get picked up by the sorting machines because they’re too small and winds up in landfills anyway (that 2x2 restriction). Or it’s too complex in its construction and made of so many types of materials that it’s difficult to separate out into the correct recycling streams. 

As consumers, we can influence these big companies to go green by showing them there’s a demand for sustainable packaging. Something I can easily toss into my local recycling program and will actually get sorted properly or something I can toss in the compost bin to be broken down over time. For some people the response effort is too great to warrant a trip to the nearest Sephora to drop them off. 

What I’d really love to see is having products on tap, where I bring in my own really sturdy bottle or jar, and they pump in whatever moisture or serum I need. That would eliminate excess packaging altogether. Or something like Fenty, where I have the case and I just pop in a new bullet. 

[Westcoasty]

@JoSometimes   Near where my sister lives, in Calgary, there's a place that makes their own clean skincare, and for some of their products they offer that bulk refill service. I would definitely use that if it were an option out here, but I haven't come across anyone offering it yet.

[Westcoasty]

@greeneyedgirl107   I think this is a great idea on the face of it, but by the time I eliminate everything that can go in my local recycling bins, I'm left with tiny odds and sods that I'd have to drive 90 minutes round-trip to drop off at my closest Sephora. And that 90 minute drive would have its own environmental cost, not to mention time out of my life that I wouldn't otherwise spend that way.

So personally - not attempting to speak for others - I'm more impressed by companies that make their packaging almost entirely able to be recycled through regular methods. IIRC, the thing that has most improved public willingness to recycle is the removal of barriers to implementation. I think the PACT recycling is a start, but in a world where retail is increasingly moving online, there are components still to add to make it truly effective.

Now, if I could spend some of my points on postage-prepaid PACT recycling bags, where I get shipped a bag with the rest of my order, I'd go for that. I could put all my bits and pieces into it, then seal it and drop it in a mailbox when full. I bet they could develop mail-able compost-able bags, if they really wanted to go green. But even Sephora's current mailing bags would work, as they can be recycled. It's all about removing those barriers. 😊

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Westcoasty you make many good points!

[Westcoasty]

Thanks, @greeneyedgirl107 ! If only I ruled the world. LOL

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  When I first saw this, I thought “see, this is what Sephora should be pushing hard instead of ‘clean beauty’ which means nothing.” 😂 I’ve been recycling various cosmetic/skincare packaging via TerraCycle or taking things direct to specific brands for their own recycling programs (which are often run by either Pact or TerraCycle). Nice to see Sephora hop aboard a truly meaningful movement! 

[Westcoasty]

@WinglessOne  I very respectfully disagree, as I believe we need both. The issue of planet-wide pollution, combined with global warming, to me indicates that we need to do everything possible to clean up our biosphere. I believe that we're beginning to see a number of issues that we won't recognize for what they are for some time yet, though the research is beginning to appear.

I do think we need better recycling. We also need to require companies to come up with packaging that is 100% recyclable or compostable. And we need to start working on reducing the chemical loads that humanity (and everything living thing on the planet) is being forced to carry at present.

There's more, but I'm making myself stop here. BIC is meant to be a happy place! 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

[WinglessOne]

@Westcoasty  See, I don’t believe “clean beauty” has anything at all to do with environmental issues. “Clean” is all about preying on consumer fears of “dangerous” cosmetic ingredients. That’s completely different from ensuring products are created with sustainable ingredients and/or via sustainable methods. Some so-called “dirty” ingredients are sustainable, and some “clean” ingredients are not. Heck, licorice root, one of my skin’s favorite ingredients, is facing a sustainability crisis right now. 

Even if I look at it from an environmental chemical load perspective, I need scientific evidence that so-called “clean” ingredients are truly better for the environment than “dirty” ingredients. Zinc oxide is often touted as “clean” vs. supposedly dangerous chemical/organic UV filters, but zinc oxide has environmental issues and chemical UV filters haven’t been shown to be environmentally dangerous in real-life scenarios. 🤷‍♀️ 

“Clean” =/= environmentally friendly, at least not by today’s largely recognized definition. I know Sephora’s trying to hitch the 2 topics together but that makes no sense to me. [ EDIT: my tablet autocorrected “=/=“ as “=“  ]

I do think more companies (cosmetic and otherwise) should continue toward recyclable and/or sustainable packaging. Too much of the recycling responsibility is placed on consumers. I mean we should still recycle what we can of course, but we need more accountability at the source of all this packaging. 

And hey, it’s fine to politely disagree on things. 🙂 BIC is a happy place, but that doesn’t mean no one can raise a concern or voice a disagreement. Otherwise this (and any other) community cannot thrive. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne I totally agree the the clean beauty trend is often misconstrued to be environmentally friendly...and that companies are happy to let people think that.  When I first heard of clean beauty,  I really thought that was what it meant. 

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  I wish the “clean beauty” crowd had focused on environmental impact instead of human health. There still would’ve been some misinformation generated by that (just look at the “reef safe” sunscreen mess), but maybe less of it. If “clean” = environmentally friendly/safe, then the whole movement could’ve partnered with environmentalists and scientists who’ve been actively studying the topic for decades and perhaps made truly meaningful change in the beauty industry. But nope, instead we have… well, you know. And brands/companies have instead begun to work on their own—regardless of “clean beauty” involvement—toward recyclable and/or sustainable packaging, more sustainable ingredients, and lower carbon emissions. “Clean beauty” coulda really meant something, man. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne Very well put!  You articulated things so perfectly!

[Westcoasty]

@WinglessOne  Okay, I see where you're coming from. While I grant that "clean" ingredients may not be sustainable, and they ought to be if we want them to be truly clean, there is research to indicate that some ingredients in personal care products cause issues for the fish, for instance, in streams where "treated" waste water runs. That's because treated water only tests for certain items, like bacteria, and doesn't remove things like residual chemicals and hormones. My hope is that "clean beauty" will help reduce some of these issues. But I concede that I haven't checked the research to verify.

Clean beauty isn't a silver bullet. Neither is recycling. I expect you and I agree that this is a multi-faceted problem that needs multi-faceted solutions. I see both clean beauty (setting aside the issue of sustainability) and recycling both as harm reduction, not harm elimination. We're not removing the sources of the disease, just treating a few symptoms.

Fixing these issues requires a fundamental shift in society itself, IMHO. But I'll stop here before I get into the really depressing stuff. LOL

[WinglessOne]

@Westcoasty  I don’t even see “clean beauty” as harm reduction. To me, it increases harm when it comes to human health—which is ironic since it’s supposedly meant to prevent “dangerous” ingredients from harming people, if you believe the marketing spin. But I’m sure BICers have seen my rant(s) about “clean beauty” more than enough times by now. 😂 I’ll just say I am firmly Team Dirty Beauty. 

One simple way people can reduce the environmental and wildlife impact of cosmetics is to reduce the amount of cosmetics we buy and use, regardless of those products’ INCI lists. I’m sure Sephora and other retailers don’t really want us buying less stuff. But if enough consumers buy fewer of Product X, then perhaps Product X’s brand will manufacture less of it per simple supply and demand. All of that reduces runoff/waste created by whatever’s in Product X. It may not fully solve the problem (scientific study would be needed to identify the issue and suggest solutions) but it helps. So does recycling offered by retailers. 

[Westcoasty]

@WinglessOne  Well, I think you and I reached the "agree to disagree" stage regarding clean beauty once before. LOL. However, I'm always interested in updating my knowledge, since I know I don't have all the answers. Do you have any materials you can point me to?

Also, I suppose I differentiate between 'better for individual humans' and 'better for the planet' when it comes to clean beauty. I'll start looking up some of the ingredients and see if I can remain confident that it's better for my health to choose clean products.

And yes, I acknowledge that as a consumer of beauty products, I'm part of the problem. I'm also a consumer of harsh cleaning products at times, and I use a ton of paper tissues instead of handkerchiefs because I have allergies and I'd need a stack of hankies three feet high to get through the week. I use clean water to flush my toilet instead of composting my "humanure". I drive my car instead of attempting to use our terrible transit system. I usually buy new clothes and shoes instead of thrifted ones because it's so hard to find my size. I try to buy organic veggies and free-range eggs, but I can't afford pastured meat.

I guess I often feel like everything I try to do is basically a spit in the ocean. First world countries do almost nothing to help eliminate pollution and climate change, not compared to what needs to be done. Capitalism and convenience win, over and over. Maybe me buying clean beauty and recycling and composting won't make a lick of difference, but I do the small things that I can that I believe to be helpful. What else is there to do?