Sephora, the largest prestige beauty omni-retailer in the U.S. and Canada, is working to lead industry-wide collaboration and change to support product circularity in partnership with Pact Collective, a nonprofit collective on a mission to reduce beauty and wellness packaging waste. Today, the retailer announced the roll out of Beauty (Re)Purposed – Sephora’s first North American empties collection program, hitting more than 600 stores across the U.S. and Canada in May 2023. The purpose of this program is to make the process of reducing hard-to-recycle material waste more approachable and accessible for consumers. Currently, the majority of the beauty and wellness industry’s hard-to-recycle packaging ends up in landfills because it is either too small, too flexible, or made of too many materials to be traditionally recycled and the rules for recycling regionally differ or are complex.
“The launch of the Beauty (Re)Purposed program is an exciting step forward in Sephora’s commitment to leading the industry and offering more sustainable solutions for the communities we serve. And the reality is that discarding beauty packaging can be complex for many consumers.” said Desta Raines, Director of Sustainability at Sephora. “It was important for Sephora to find a partner like Pact who shares our values and, in collaboration, can help to educate our customers and the broader industry in making the process more accessible for all.”
Today, almost 80 percent of all plastic ends up in landfills or as pollution, and 8 million tons of plastic endsup in our oceans every single year. Together, the beauty and wellness industries generate 120 billion packages every year, most of which aren’t accepted in curbside recycling programs.
“We are thrilled to announce the partnership between Sephora and Pact Collective, and to see Beauty (Re)Purposed collection bins in all Sephora doors. Partnering with a major player like Sephora is a critical step in scaling our collection program and making it more widely available to beauty shoppers. Together, we’re excited to take responsibility for beauty’s packaging problem and encourage more sustainable packaging decisions to drive industry-wide change,” said Carly Snider, Pact Program Director.
This new program that will engage consumers is an exciting next step as part of Sephora’s longstanding commitment to its people and the planet. For more than a decade, Sephora has partnered with g2 revolution, a specialty recycling solutions company, to divert 23.7 million pounds of returned, damaged or expired cosmetic product waste from landfills. g2 will now provide support to Beauty (Re)Repurposed with Pact. With a sustainability-centric consumer base, the retailer is looking forward to working with the communities it serves to make an even bigger impact in diverting waste.
To help reduce the amount of packaging ending up in landfills and oceans, Beauty (Re)Purposed allows consumers to drop-off their empty beauty packaging at any Sephora retail store, no matter the brand, and give their beauty products a second life. Once enough volume has been collected, Pact will sell the collected materials to a partner where they’ll be turned into something else – like carpet, pallets, asphalt, new packaging, or energy.**
Beauty (Re)Purposed aims to simplify the process and provide consumers with clear directions on how they can help divert beauty packaging from landfills. Here’s how it works:
- Clean it out: At home, make sure the packaging is clean, unbagged, and free of liquid or product.
- Drop it off: Visit any U.S. or CanadianSephora store*and drop your empties that meet Pact’s collection guidelines in the dedicated collection bin. To find a participating location, please visit www.pactcollective.org/locations.
- Close the loop: All done! Instead of being thrown away, the beauty empties could become something else.
While the broader recycling system is complex and the beauty industry presents a unique set of challenges, Sephora believes this is the best solution for current packaging waste and will continue to learn and adapt as the program is scaled. Sephora’s partnership with Pact represents another critical piece in driving change – designing packaging for end-of-life realities from the start. Bringing awareness to beauty’s packaging problem will help the industry create smarter packaging in the future while empowering consumers to dispose of their empties properly. Beauty (Re)Purposed will be an ongoing initiative for Sephora and the hope is that all beauty consumers will now consider leveraging Sephora as a destination for their empties and partner for good.
For more information, please contact:
Su Patel, DeVries Global
spatel@devriesglobal.com
*Sephora at Kohl’s is not a part of the Beauty (Re)Purposed program
**Depending on volumes and contamination of empties collected for each eligible material
FAQs
The Beauty (Re)Purposed program allows consumers to make more sustainable choices and give their beauty products a second life. The empties collection program aims to help reduce hard-to-recycle packaging waste in the beauty and wellness industry and is available at all North American locations.
Does Sephora have an empties program? ›
Sephora's program, Beauty (Re)Purposed, is a recycling program that allows customers to simply drop off empty make up containers in store.
Does Sephora have sustainable packaging? ›
Summary of Sephora's Goals
Sephora has no general sustainable packaging goals for the brands it stocks. Instead, it has established a Clean + Planet Positive seal, given to brands who meet strict guidelines across four areas: climate commitment, sustainable sourcing, responsible packaging, and environmental giving.
What is the sustainability effort of Sephora? ›
CARING FOR THE CLIMATE
We're proud to say that we're on track to reduce the carbon footprint of our stores, headquarters, and distribution centers by 50% by 2026. We've implemented energy-saving solutions, such as more efficient lighting in stores and other facilities across the globe.
What is the environmental policy of Sephora? ›
Must reduce, recycle, and reimagine the way they package. That means: no single-use items, designing for recyclability, and more. Cruelty-free, using only sustainably harvested palm oil and mica, no microplastics, and up to Sephora's CBD standards.
How do I get free stuff from Sephora? ›
Free Samples
With every online merchandise order you can select two samples free. You can view the samples available by visiting the Pick Your Free Samples section of the Beauty Offers page or by clicking the link to select your samples in Basket.
Does Sephora not do free makeovers anymore? ›
Effective January 1, 2021, Rouge members no longer receive complimentary Makeup Deluxe: The Full-Face Makeover services. Please see Beauty Insider Terms & Conditions for the most up-to-date overview of benefits.
What is the most sustainable packaging for cosmetics? ›
Metal: Metal packaging, such as aluminum or steel, is durable and recyclable. Aluminum, in particular, has a high recycling rate and is energy-efficient to recycle. Metal packaging can be a sustainable choice for certain cosmetics.
What is sustainable cosmetic packaging? ›
Sustainable packaging uses biodegradable and recyclable materials instead of traditional non-sustainable materials. Sustainable packaging for cosmetic products helps conserve natural resources such as energy and water.
Is sustainable packaging actually sustainable? ›
Eco-friendly packaging uses raw materials and then restores them to their origins, minimizing waste of precious resources – like water and energy – necessary for their production. This is the only way to continue to support healthy globalization and maintain the wellbeing and integrity of our planet.
A leader in prestige omni-retail, our mission at Sephora is to create a welcoming beauty shopping experience for all and inspire fearlessness in our community. We operate over 2,700 stores in 35 countries worldwide, with an expanding base of over 500 stores across the Americas, and a world-class ecommerce site.
Is Sephora an ethical brand? ›
Are Sephora Collection products cruelty-free? No, Sephora Collection products are not cruelty-free. Although Sephora as a brand does not test its finished products on animals, they nevertheless pay others to test its products on animals “where required by law.” This means that Sephora is not cruelty-free.
What are sustainable beauty products? ›
Simply put, the sustainable beauty industry focuses on products that are good for the planet and consumer health. They're sustainable because the ingredients are safe and non-toxic, and they don't include overexploited resources.
What are some threats to Sephora? ›
Threats. High competition: Big players in the market give tough competition to Sephora. Brands like Estee Lauder, Calvin Klein, MAC, Versace, Ales Group, Clarins, and Parfuma Lubin are the biggest competitors for Sephora.
What is the ESG score of Sephora? ›
alva's ESG ranking saw Kao take top spot with 66 points, followed by P&G Beauty (64 points), Estée Lauder (63 points), Beiersdorf (63 points), Unilever (63 points), Sephora (41 points), L'Occitane (33 points), Natura (31 points), Clarins (29 points), Revlon (20 points), Coty (18 points), L'Oréal (17 points), Shiseido ( ...
What does green at Sephora mean? ›
'” According to Sephora, when products meet this criteria, they are promoted with the green “Clean At Sephora” seal (complete with a green checkmark and leaf symbol) in Sephora stores and online, which means that “consumers … can be assured that the product is formulated without specific ingredients that are known or ...
What does Sephora do with expired products? ›
For more than a decade, Sephora has partnered with g2 revolution, a specialty recycling solutions company, to divert 23.7 million pounds of returned, damaged or expired cosmetic product waste from landfills.
How do you empty a Sephora basket? ›
If you're using the Sephora app, please click "Remove" located just below the photo of the item. If you don't see this button, I recommend closing out the app and relaunching it, or signing out and signing back in. If you're using the desktop website, please click "Remove" located just below the price of the item.
Does the Ordinary take back empty bottles? ›
In-Store
We accept all post-use skincare and cosmetics packaging that typically don't have a home in most curbside recycling programs.
