Life cycle assessment of recyclable, reusable and dematerialised plastic cosmetic packages

Abstract

Design for Recycling and Design for Reuse are two different approaches which can be employed separately or concurrently. When designed for reuse, products are typically more robust in order to increase their probability to be used more than once. If reuse is not possible, it is essential that dematerialisation and recycling are applied. This study assessed the environmental impacts resulting from reusable, recyclable and dematerialised plastic cosmetic packages. Life cycle assessments of different versions were conducted, to identify what features are responsible for such impacts. Findings showed that removing components which are made from resourceful materials, and which render the package to be reusable, resulted in a 74% reduction in environmental impacts only when the packaging materials are fully recycled. Hence this study concludes that in such cases, reuse should be given prominence, as recycling would only depend on the user and the infrastructure in place.