You just need to take a short look at your bathroom shelf to see the plastic trash produced by the beauty industry—bottles of shampoo, body and face wash, and lotions. A 2018 study by Zero Waste Week (a global campaign based in the UK that raises awareness of the environmental effects of waste generation) found that cosmetic companies produce 12,000 crore packaging units annually, the majority of which is not recyclable. Furthermore, this waste is going nowhere because plastic can take more than 500 years to naturally decompose.

Several cosmetic companies are attempting to find a solution to this terrible man-made problem as our landfills grow to capacity. Kevin Murphy, a haircare company, employs square bottles since they take 40% less plastic to make than round ones and don’t require additional packing materials for shipping. The companies Aveda and Love Beauty & Planet are introducing new post-consumer resin, or recycled plastic bottle, product lines. Procter & Gamble, which makes the well-known deodorants Secret and Old Spice, is experimenting paper packaging as part of its commitment to minimise its environmental effect.

While brands are in charge of enacting radical change, we must also do our part. When you next restock your beauty shelf, keep an eye out for the following:

Watch for signs

Checking to see if your goods can be recycled is the first step in decreasing your plastic waste. Most bottles feature the Möbius loop, which signifies recyclable material. The symbol on plastic will be accompanied by a number that denotes the type of resin used; among the seven variations, numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 are the best candidates for recycling. Reusable solutions do help cut down on the demand for new plastic, even though they can only be recycled three times. But when it comes to transparency and awareness about their recycling efforts, the beauty industry still has a ways to go. The green dot on packaging indicates that the company has made a financial contribution to a packaging recovery organization, not that the container is biodegradable, according to Victoria Fu and Gloria Wu, a husband-and-wife team of cosmetic chemists who frequently debunk skincare myths on their Instagram account (@chemistconfessions).

Even biodegradable plastic is not the magic bullet it is frequently promoted as being. For it to degrade, certain circumstances must exist, such as temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius and the ideal ratio of air, moisture, and bacteria. The inventor of the ayurvedic beauty line SoulTree, Vishal Bhandari, claims that even in commercial composting facilities, the packaging takes 90 to 180 days to degrade. In landfills, these plastics won’t degrade; instead, they’ll just sit there and add to the debris.

DISTRIBUTE AND DIVIDE

India produces 62 million tonnes of rubbish annually, and sorting it requires a significant amount of time and money. Check the rules for your recycling unit to ensure recycling is efficient. Glass jars, metal lids, some plastics, and cardboard packaging can all be recycled, but it can be difficult to recycle plastic pumps, perfume tubes, and products made of multiple materials (like eyeshadow palettes and lipstick tubes). These items must be separated from other waste. Join EcoWise (Ecowise.net.in), a waste management organisation that provides recycling and beauty empties pick-up services in 15 cities.

PARTICIPATE IN THE #SHOPMYSTASH MOVEMENT

#ShopMyStash, an Instagram trend launched by industry watchdog Estée Laundry, adheres to a straightforward rule to reduce the waste produced by partially used products: Less usage. Purchase less and utilise what you currently have by using your personal beauty supply. Similar trending hashtags like #NoBuy and #LowBuy, which ask you to reassess needs the next time you want to buy your seventh nude lipstick, have been started by a number of other beauty bloggers like Serein Wu and Kelly Gooch.

CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC SHOPPING According to Pawan Maheshwari, founder of Bengaluru-based Packmile, a sustainable packaging design firm that collaborates with e-commerce giants like Amazon, “Our systems aren’t designed to handle the single-use plastic waste [read: bubble wrap] generated from online orders.” Combining your shopping list, submitting your order all at once, and phoning customer service to request minimal packaging will reduce waste. Earth Rhythm, a personal care company, gladly complies with this request and even sells their soap bars without the exterior tin box.

DONATE TO GAMECHANGERS

Choose companies that are making an effort to be environmentally friendly. Inspire by the well-known MAC Cosmetics “Back to MAC” campaign, Indian firms have developed incentive programmes to encourage recycling. According to Megha Asher, the founder of Juicy Chemistry, “using our Recycle and Reward programme, customers can send back five full-size empties to gain a discount [on their next purchase]”. Mehul Manjeshwar, the marketing director of zero-waste personal care company Bare Necessities, thinks that product refills help businesses build closer bonds with their customers. Customers can come to us and fill their own glass jars with their preferred product using our replenishment stations.

SEEK OUT OPTIONS

Because eco-friendly packaging is 50% more expensive than plastic, firms are strongly discouraged from using it. Mikail Pardiwala, the creator of eco-friendly fashion company TreeWear, claims that packaging makers frequently lack motivation to innovate because businesses initially place smaller orders. According to Manjeshwar, more innovation will result from individuals thinking more about recycling, reducing, and reusing their plastic trash. There are a few trend-setters who are ahead of the curve, which is good news. Molpack produces recyclable packaging items to cut down on waste.