L 'Occitane 100% Transparent r-PET Bottle

French biochemical company CARBIOS, in collaboration with global cosmetics brand L 'Occitane and cosmetic and personal care packaging manufacturer Pinard Beauty Pack, has developed a transparent, recycled polyethylene terephthalate bottle (r-PET bottle) made entirely from an enzymatic depolymerization process.

 

 

 

This move marks another step forward on L 'Occitane's path to achieving its 2027 goal of packaging made from 100% post-consumer recycled r-PET.

 

 

 

According to Carbios, the industrial demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, France, is responsible for the collection and treatment of difficult-to-recycle waste, such as coloured bottles, multi-layer pallets and mechanically recycled residues, which are collected, sorted, prepared and depolymerized using Carbios's biorecycling technology. This innovative process complements mechanical recycling technology, as it can process coloured, multilayer and textile waste that cannot be recycled using traditional methods, resulting in the original monomers PTA and MEG. These monomers are repolymerized into new PET resins in the European supply chain. Pinard Beauty Pack uses these repolymerized PET resins to produce food-safe PET packaging of the same quality as petroleum plastics. Particles are blown into bottles according to L 'Occitane's packaging specifications, and L 'Occitane fills the bottles with bath oil.

 

 

 

Since the collection and treatment from the source, recycling and recycling, and then the production of packaging products are all completed in the local area, the transportation time and production time are greatly reduced, which can greatly reduce carbon emissions. Compared to the original plastic production, the enzymatic depolymerization process can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 57% and avoid 1.3 tons of oil per ton of recycled r-PET produced.

 

 

 

David Bayard, R&D Packaging Director at L 'Occitane, said: "We are proud to be part of this forward-thinking industry. Today, more than 50% of our PET comes from recycled materials. Thanks to CARBIOS and decopolymerization, we are able to reduce our reliance on fossil plastics and provide a viable alternative with the same quality and transparency that is important for our products."

 

 

 

Paolo Coelho, plant director at Pinard Beauty Pack, added: "The parameters of this bottle blow molding are consistent with either native PET or mechanically recycled r-PET, which is a considerable advantage for Carbios's innovative technology. We are seeing a strong demand for high-quality recycled PET."