Credo's Packaging Playbook

In June 2020 Credo Beauty released its Sustainable Packaging Guidelines as part of its Clean Standard initiative, which defines clean beauty and offers brands a playbook on safety, sourcing, sustaina­bility and more. Key aspects of the guidelines include:

• Prohibition of single-use masks and wipes by June 2021
• Requirement that brands replace virgin petrochemical plastic with 50% or more recycled plastic, or another non-plastic material, by June 2023
• Disallows brands from implying packaging is compostable or recyclable if it is not; brands must provide clear, accurate disposal instructions for consumers in an effort to help improve the overtaxed, contaminated recycling stream; disposal instructions must be posted online in 2021 and on-package by 2023
• Emphasizes reusable packaging systems: durable containers the customer keeps and refills with new product, in packaging designed to be environm­entally preferable

In addition to its progressive material goals and deadlines, Credo is encouraging a more thoughtful approach to choosing packaging and designing new products, giving preference to components that can be reused and refilled, like durable shampoo bottles with refill options and makeup compacts the customer can keep for years, simply buying the replacement colors to drop into the compacts.

Compliant Suppliers

Credo has also developed a list of suppliers that offer at least some portion of Credo-compliant packaging among their wider product arrays. According to the retailer, these suppliers will produce even more Credo-compliant packaging soon. These include:

• Aptar Beauty + Home
• Asquan
• Crystal Claire
• Element
• FusionPKG
• Impress
• MaCher
• Nate Packaging
• PPC
• Pivot Materials
• Presto
• Roberts Beauty
• Verity Viva
• Wista Airless Systems (Westlake Packaging)

Suppliers have reportedly agreed to not show/offer/sell to Credo-bound brands any packaging that is non-compliant, which can simplify the product development and manufacturing process.

Supplier Database Solution

Credo is also partnering with chemicals database platform Novi, which already offers search filters for retailer-compliant ingredients, to develop a similar functionality for packaging.

The tool is expected to roll out by mid-2021 and will reportedly simplify the process of slecting packaging components that meet Credo's standards.

There will also be additional search features, to be disclosed at a later time, that will ease the process, particularly for independent brands.

Other retailers could potentially follow.