One of the major movements being seen across the packaging board and not just within the beauty industry is that of sustainability. As a well-known global beauty packaging supplier, and one of the top 20 European beauty solution suppliers, Quadpack takes sustainability very seriously.

What is Quadpack doing to address sustainability?

At Quadpack, we take sustainability very seriously. Since incorporating Technotraf into the group in 2013, Quadpack Wood has been heavily promoting the benefits of using sustainably-sourced wood for both primary and secondary packaging. Certified by the FSC and the PEFC, its products help reflect a brand’s environmental credentials through its packaging.

Quadpack has worked with top-level brands such as Giorgio Armani, Lalique and Guerlain in the production of elegant, wooden fragrance caps. We also offer a whole range of make-up packs in our YouWood range, from lipsticks to compacts, as well as a popular bespoke service.

Our CSR strategy touches all areas of our business, and supports and guides initiatives in this area. Our Design and Advanced Technologies department is investigating alternative materials, manufacturing techniques, decoration and finishing from a sustainability point of view. Our Sourcing and Supply department is looking at ways to bring down carbon footprint and encourage the concept of sustainability among our partners in Asia.

What is Quadpack's involvement with the Packaging Cluster?

The 'green debate' is something that Quadpack is actively pursuing in conjunction with its clients and suppliers. As part of the Packaging Cluster in Spain, we participate in sustainability workshops with other suppliers.

Quadpack has also just hosted its first Sustainability Conference at Mintel House in London. The event included speakers from Mintel, Terracycle, Sulapac, Neal's Yard, Oohoo and Quadpack, each presenting their own perspective on the subject. Representatives from 25 brands and contract fillers from the beauty industry attended and took part in a lively question and answer session. This gives us valuable insights that help direct our efforts into finding solutions.

There will be lots of news in this area over the coming year, so watch this space!

'Green' packaging solutions have been available for some time. Why has there been a sudden surge in interest?

Green used to be the opposite of luxury, yet had a higher price tag involved. These barriers are slowly disappearing, as new techniques and materials are developed. Consumers are also demanding that the products they buy are ethical and planet-friendly and expect the brands to do the work.

In the UK media, plastic has almost become a bad word. The manufacturer, the beauty brand and the consumer all have their role to play to become part of the solution. For example, manufacturers need to be more active in finding alternative materials and make packs easy to dismantle for recycling. Brands need to consider refillable or re-usable packaging and having those refills available, and the consumer needs to be prepared to actually buy refills, recycle the pack and perhaps pay a little more. Local government also has to play an active part in making recycling easy.

Consider a fragrance bottle. All the component parts need to be separated to be recycled. How do you know where and how to recycle those parts? We all need to work together to find solutions. Everyone supports recycling when it is easy, but not so much it requires extra effort. There is no simple answer but, as a packaging provider, we need to be part of this chain and help to educate everyone within it.

At Cosmoprof Asia, we celebrated how far we have come since we started 15 years ago. As we look to the future, we look forward to dreaming up new planet-friendly solutions, offering new trends, new ideas and new ways of working in this dynamic, ever-evolving market.

Find out more about Quadpack's CSR mission.