Graphic outlines of various packaging on grass paper
Graphic outlines of various packaging on grass paper
We get to work:

How we make our packaging more sustainable

You know how it is: you stand in front of the shelf in the supermarket and ask yourself "Which is more sustainable?" Is it the organic tomatoes, albeit packaged in foil, or the unpackaged non-organic tomatoes from the region? Sustainable decisions can be complicated - and we are sometimes no different. We weigh up various aspects for every packaging project - so that you don't have to.


We are convinced of one thing when it comes to designing more sustainable packaging: plastic based on fossil raw materials is not a packaging solution with a future in the long term. That's why we are working on eliminating petroleum-based plastic and packaging our products in alternative ways.

What speaks against plastic?
What we have already achieved

What speaks against plastic?

Plastic, as we have known it for decades, has many advantages: It is light, stable and hygienic. However, it also has a significant impact on the environment. Conventional plastic is made from fossil raw materials such as crude oil. Even the extraction of these fossil raw materials causes irrevocable damage to our natural habitats and their biodiversity. And even at the end of its life cycle, plastic still ends up far too often as waste in the environment worldwide and thus ultimately as microplastics in the ecosystem and the food chain.

Plastic waste on a conveyor belt in a waste recycling plant

What few people know is that even if petroleum-based plastic packaging is recycled, fresh plastic must always be added, as otherwise the quality deteriorates and the material becomes too brittle. The recycling process therefore only works as long as the recycling stream, for example through the Yellow Bag, also contains packaging made from virgin plastic.


In addition, the existing recycling infrastructure does not yet function optimally, even in the EU, and the situation is no better worldwide. For example, only around 35% of the yellow garbage can is actually recycled. The rest ends up in what is known as thermal recycling - in other words, valuable resources are incinerated.¹

And what is the solution?

Unfortunately, there is no single optimal solution (yet). That is why we have decided to pursue different paths in parallel and actively shape both developments in the circular economy and the establishment of new materials.


Our central aim is to drive forward the transformation process until we can do without petroleum-based plastic in our packaging. To this end, we use glass, cork, silphia and grass paper as well as new, innovative materials made from renewable raw materials.

Our goal:

We want to completely eliminate petroleum-based plastic from our cosmetics packaging by 2030.

We are also working on the recyclability of our packaging, bottle by bottle, lid by lid. Around three quarters of all packaging types in our product portfolio are therefore already recyclable - or (in the case of materials made from renewable raw materials) potentially industrially compostable. As always, the last few meters to the 100 percent mark are the most difficult, but we'll keep at it!

The Red Dot Award logo next to the award-winning products: Almond blossom face creams and foot butter
The packaging concept of the almond blossom face creams and the foot butter with a lid made from renewable raw materials was honored with the Red Dot Award.

Where do we stand today? What have we already achieved?

We have been working on making our packaging more sustainable for several years now. Since then, we have launched a number of innovations for which we have even received awards. At the same time, we realize that the challenge is immense. Interested in finding out more? Here you can find out more about our path to more sustainable packaging - including the challenges and hurdles we have encountered:

Background story: On the way to more sustainable packaging

On the way to plastic-free cosmetics packaging

We are working consistently to eliminate petroleum-based plastic from our cosmetics packaging. As a result, we have already reduced the amount of plastic in our packaging by around a quarter compared to 2018. However, we cannot do without packaging altogether. In addition to using familiar materials such as glass, we therefore also use innovative alternative materials:

Our lip care packaging

One of the materials we use for the packaging of our lip care is the innovative material Paper Blend. It has all the advantages that make plastic packaging so practical - stable, protects against moisture, hygienic - but it is completely free of petroleum and therefore conserves valuable natural resources and habitats. 

Kneipp lip care is symbolically placed on pieces of paper

Cap made from Paper Blend

Paper Blend consists of bio-based, renewable raw materials. To be more precise: 99% from raw materials that we know from normal paper - i.e. mainly from cellulose and mineral additives - and 1% from PLA of natural origin.

When Paper Blend packaging is released into the environment, it decomposes into biomass in the long term - in the end, all that remains is CO₂ and water. This is why Paper Blend has been awarded the OK Compost certificate in accordance with EN13432.

Bark of the cork oak

Cork sleeve

Whether offcuts from wine cork production, gin lids or the manufacture of cork flooring - our cork was once waste. So-called post-industrial waste. Far too good for the garbage can. The special thing about cork: the cork oak regenerates its bark so that it can be harvested again and again without harming the tree.

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Our cream jars

For our almond blossom face creams and Kneipp foot butter, we use packaging components that are completely free of petroleum-based plastic: The lid is made of what is known as forewood and is therefore made entirely from renewable raw materials. Bioplastics such as these are free from crude oil and therefore conserve valuable resources. However, they still present us with challenges:

Background story: on the way to more sustainable packaging
Woman holds the lid with wood fibers in her hand

Lids made from forewood

For the lids, we use PEFC-certified wood fibers from southern German forests that are a by-product of the wood-processing industry (e.g. classic sawdust) as well as binding agents made from plant starch. This means that the material is based 100 percent on renewable raw materials.

Coffee capsules made from wood fibers run over a conveyor belt

Successful partnership

Perhaps you already knew forewood from the Rezemo coffee capsules made from wood fibers? We have developed a solution with the start-up to use the same material, known as forewood material, for parts of our packaging.

Close-up of cream jar

Made from more sustainable materials all round

The jar is made from 35-40 percent recycled glass. Glass is one of the materials for which good recycling rates are already achieved in Europe. The label is made of FSC-certified paper with an easily washable adhesive, and the inner sealing disk is made entirely of plant-based polyethylene (so-called bio-PE).

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Our tubes with paper

In order to find the right materials for our sustainability goals, we are always venturing into new territory. One example is our hand creams. In a limited edition, we tested tubes that are partly made of cardboard. 

Woman holding hand cream tube with paper content

Plastic-saving tubes

We now use tubes with FSC-certified paper for our hand cream portfolio. We also use smaller closures. In total, we are saving 41 percent plastic compared to the previous packaging. That's 9 tons of plastic per year (based on the annual volume in 2022).

You always need a plan B: using recycled plastic

We are working on completely eliminating petroleum-based plastic from our packaging. However, we are constantly coming up against hurdles. Alternative materials are not yet available for all types of packaging - even though technical progress in this area is constantly advancing. This is why we are currently still switching to packaging made from recycled plastic in order to gradually reduce our need for “fresh” plastic.

Bath salt jar with open lid

Our bath salt packaging is recycled

The tins of our bath salts are made from 99% recycled plastic, or rPET to be precise. The label itself is also made from recycled material. We worked a little longer on the lids, but now we've done it! They are now made from 97% rPP.

Deep relaxation bubble bath with sponge

The lids are just the beginning

The lids of our aroma foam baths are made from recycled plastic. We are currently working on the bottles.

Bath essence lies on an orange background, label is in focus

We use recycling labels

They adorn almost the entire product range: recycled labels. Half of the material consists of post-consumer waste and the other half of post-industrial waste. Never heard of it? Post Consumer Waste mainly comprises packaging waste from us consumers, traditionally from the Yellow Bag. Post-industrial waste, on the other hand, is generated during the manufacture of other products. For example, plastic shavings from the milling of plastic objects.

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Sources:

1. ZDF heute, 30.07.2023: What are the real benefits of recycling?

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