Cosmetics giant L’Oréal partnered with LanzaTech and TotalEnergies to create a high-density polyethylene packaging (HDPE), made from carbon waste from emissions. L’Oréal has been taking several big steps to accomplish their L’Oréal for the Future 2030 sustainability commitments. The prototype has been in the works since 2016.
L’Oréal’s partnership with LanzaTech and TotalEnergies marks a world first in the form of a plastic bottle made from industrial carbon emissions.
Brice Andre, Global Director Sustainable Packaging and Development for the company said, “To achieve the objectives of the L’Oréal for the Future program in terms of sustainable packaging, L’Oréal is working with a number of strategic partners, giving it access to the best technologies.”
It’s not only about achieving their sustainability goals. Andre also said that the consumer’s ease of use and the quality remains just as important. “Our teams first conduct active worldwide scouting of new or improved rising technologies that allow us to find alternatives to virgin plastics or reduce its use. Our packaging and design departments then analyze these options for quality, robustness, and consumer experience,” he explained.
LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart™ process works by capturing carbon waste and converting it into new products through the gas fermentation. Freya Burton, Chief Sustainability and People Officer for LanzaTech explained, “If you think about traditional fermentation, you use sugars and yeast to make alcohol. We actually do the same thing, but instead of using sugars, we take waste carbon in a gaseous form, like carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, for example, and then, instead of yeast, we have a clever bacteria that converts the carbon in the gas into ethanol.”
