L'Oreal, Avery Dennison partner for green labels

L'OREAL Americas (OR:EN Paris) and Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY) are working together for sustainable labels. 

 

The collaboration hopes to identify and reduce the effects on the environment of packaging labels throughout their entire life cycle. One of its early outcomes is a comprehensive assessment based on the Avery Dennison Greenprint screening life cycle tool, which is the first of its kind in the label industry. 

 

The assessment shows how thinner label materials can reduce damage to the environment. Using the Greenprint method allows L’Oreal to assess the effects of its label materials, raw material extraction, manufacturing, and even the label’s end-of-life. The company can identify areas or elements that have the biggest environmental impact, which then enables it to devise mitigation strategies accordingly.

 

L’Oreal used the Greenprint method in deciding to switch the labels for some of its leading products from Avery Dennison’s Global Co-Ex film to Global MDO. The latter substrate is designed to yield significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and waste generated in disposal. It allowed L’Oreal to achieve a 19% drop in environmental impact from the previous 7% across different categories such as fossil material, water use, energy use, GHG emissions, and solid waste.

 

The company reinforced its strategy to meet tomorrow’s sustainability challenges, Sharing Beauty with All, with several sustainability targets. These include continued improvement of the environmental profile of its packaging labels, which requires a comprehensive evaluation of packaging that comprises labels and their precise environmental impact.

 

David Wolbach, assistant vice president for Packaging Hair, L’Oreal Americas, emphasized that the company’s belief in a sustainable supply chain is ingrained in its business practices. “However, to achieve the ultimate goal of reduced-impact materials, we cannot work alone. It is essential that all facets of the value chain--material suppliers, printers, consumers, and recyclers--collaborate together to establish a clear and transparent low-impact product stream globally,” Mr. Wolbach further stated.

 

Mr. Wolbach added that it is equally important to have all the information needed to understand the environmental impact of materials as this helps in the selection process.  

 

According to Rosalyn Bandy, Avery Dennison Sustainability manager, North America, “Improvements in sustainability require collaboration across the value chain, including converters recommending the right material to brands. L’Oreal’s leadership in improving the environmental profile of packaging is driving the value chain to work closer together.”