Rexam Breaking New Ground to Serve Cosmetics Customers Committed to Environmental Protection

Rexam will be unveiling its new make-up compacts injected with biodegradable and recyclable corn-based resin and two new make-up lines from Natura.

31/10/06 To support customers who have a commitment to environmental protection, Rexam today features three major lines of product innovation for its make-up packaging business:

1) the injection of corn-based resin
2) the injection of wood-based resin
3) the design and manufacture of refillable packagings
 
At Luxe Pack 2006, Rexam will be unveiling its new make-up compacts injected with biodegradable and recyclable corn-based resin and two new make-up lines from Natura, the Brazilian cosmetics market leader, one produced using resin made from wood chips and the other with a fully functional refillable feature.
 
1) Biodegradable and recyclable make-up compacts using corn-based resin

Rexam is presenting the first products of its new injection technology using corn-based resin. With these first compacts, Rexam today is ready to produce a new answer to support the environmental policies of cosmetics companies. At its US site, a facility specializing in the manufacture of compacts, Rexam has effectively developed technology for injecting based on PLA (Polylactic Acid), a resin produced from corn. These are similar to conventional compacts in every way and at the customer's request may be decorated and produced in any choice of colours. The cost, too, is similar to that of a make-up compact made from traditional resin.

This is injection technology expertly harnessed by Rexam and a process that can be developed with every other kind of make-up packaging (lipsticks, mascaras, jars, etc.).

Approved by the Food & Drug Administration in the United States, the product is biodegradable and recyclable. It also meets the requirements of standards ASTM D6400 in terms of biodegradability.

2) Aquarela and Diversa, two environment-friendly make-up lines for the Brazilian brand Natura

Natura is well known for its active commitment to sustainable development. In 2004, it was the first customer to assign Rexam with the development of its lipstick for the Aquarela make-up line, designed to produce reduced impact on the environment. In 2006, an extension to the Aquarela line appeared on the market (including a lip gloss, a mascara and  compact), as well as a new refillable make-up line Diversa.

a) The Aquarela make-up line with an innovative resin using wood chips
 
Natura wanted to create a make-up line that looked like wood but produced a lesser impact on the environment. The line designed by Rexam in Brazil includes a lipstick, a lip gloss, a mascara and compact. It creates a natural-looking stylish appearance and reflects Natura's involvement in environmental protection in that it uses, firstly, less plastic in its composition, and secondly a natural material which degrades more quickly than plastic, thereby reducing the empty product's life cycle in the environment after usage.
 
The Rexam innovation: know-how in the skill of WPC injection

Rexam used an innovative resin called WPC (Wood Plastic Composite). In the past the material had been used exclusively in extrusion processes (in furniture for example) but it was difficult to inject. Rexam developed special technology to make the material injectable while respecting the strict specifications laid down by Natura.

- WPC is a mixture of wood fibers (40-60%) and PP (Polypropylene).
- The wood used for the whole line is certified wood (i.e. grown exclusively for this one specific end-use).

Rexam know-how:

Rexam had to meet a number of significant manufacturing requirements:

- It firstly eliminated the phenomenon of "pipes" or warping that tends to appear during the injection process for products of different thicknesses.
- In this new process, Rexam controls the size of wood particles so that they are large enough to be visible,  and small enough to be injectable.

b) The Diversa refillable make-up line

The Diversa line developed by Rexam for Natura includes a refillable lipstick and compact (in addition to a foundation, lip gloss and concealer). The refills now available (one refill for the lipstick and three refills for the compact -blush, mono eye shadow and duo eye shadow - are based on a principle of common sense and are a major asset for environmental protection in that they reduce the amount of plastic that needs to be used. The packaging is kept by consumers, who buy only the content which they insert themselves.