On 8 March 2024, ELIPSO (the trade association representing manufacturers of plastic and flexible packaging) and FEBEA (the trade association for manufacturers of cosmetic products) published Guidelines for incorporating recycled plastics into cosmetic packaging in Europe. A tool to secure this increasingly sought-after practice.
The integration of recycled plastics is part of the eco-design approach.
In the context of the circular economy and the European Green Deal, the incorporation of recycled materials is increasing and, states the preamble to this Guide, could become mandatory for plastic packaging components in Europe, as part of the revision of the Packaging Directive No.94/62/EC.
A framework to be defined
Annex I of the Cosmetics Regulation details the information which must be taken into account in the cosmetic product safety report, including, with regard to the packaging material, the purity of substances and mixtures, evidence that the possible presence of prohibited substances as trace is technically unavoidable, and the relevant characteristics of the packaging material, in particular its purity and stability.
In the absence of detailed regulatory provisions, a number of industry associations representing the cosmetic packaging value chain have developed a common framework regarding appropriate and relevant information on packaging materials to be communicated to the cosmetics safety assessor. The advisory document describing this approach was published by Cosmetics Europe in June 20191. It is applicable to all materials but does not address the particular case of packaging materials (resins) derived from the recycling of household and industrial …
