Ready to Buy-In On Sustainability

There is light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel—and it’s not a train. Yes, at press time coronavirus cases are surging in the US and Europe and even re-emerging in some spots, and new strains have been identified, too. But vaccines are available; in fact, just two days after Pfizer received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, I know of several health care professionals who had been vaccinated—sans microchip. Word is that by Summer 2021, nearly everyone in the US who wants it will have an opportunity to get the shots. Here in New Jersey, officials are planning to open six coronavirus vaccination mega-sites across the state, with an aim to vaccinate 70% of its adult residents within six months.

Pandemics come and go, but environmental issues are forever. It may seem trite, but the fact is, the health of Earth’s inhabitants improves faster than the health of the planet itself. But here, too, help is on the way. Even as COVID-19 cases soared, household and personal product manufacturers and their suppliers were announcing new initiatives to reduce waste, reduce packaging and reduce energy consumption. For example, last month, Beiersdorf announced plans to use renewable plastics in cosmetics packaging and Henkel reached a recycled plastics milestone for its laundry and home care products.

But more, much more, needs to be done.

“We cannot purchase our way into a sustainable future,” insisted TerraCycle and Loop Founder Tom Szaky. “We still design products using a virgin mentality. We must shift our mentality toward a circular economy.”

Szaky was a keynote speaker at the recent virtual annual meeting of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, but his message was for anyone and everyone, including laundry detergent makers.

Of course, Szaky has an ulterior motive; he runs recycling and reusability operations. But here, too, he’s pragmatic, noting that in order to find long-term success, there must be more value than cost to fund sustainability projects.

Regardless of cost, however—as Szaky rightly notes—every environmental issue is linked to buying.

“Why do we buy so much?” he asked. “There must be a reduction, we cannot purchase our way into a sustainable future.”

Forward-thinking formulators, packaging companies and their suppliers must be willing to buy into the idea that a sustainable future means a secure future for every consumer.

Tom Branna
Editorial Director
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com