Five trillion pieces of plastic were recorded in the ocean in 2019, much of it from cosmetics, and if this continues there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050, according to the WWF. But changes in the beauty industry are happening. REN Clean Skincare is one of the leading brands that is trying new recycled plastic alternatives; pledging to become zero waste by 2021.
Founded in 2000, the British skincare brand’s primary focus was originally ‘Clean to Skin’, with REN meaning ‘Clean’ in Swedish. But after growing awareness of plastic pollution, their ethos evolved to ‘Clean to Skin, Clean to Plant’.
This transition emerged in 2018 after REN announced its collaboration with the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to preserving oceans and beaches. REN proudly announced on Instagram in 2019 that 8.65 billion single-use plastic items were prevented from entering landfills and oceans.
REN has also worked with Plastic Patrol to organize beach cleanups in over 80 countries. Using this plastic in their packaging, they have created a continuous recycling loop, getting closer to their ultimate end goal of 100% recycled, recyclable and reusable packaging in all their products.
Launched two years ago, REN’s Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Range uses a recycled bottle made from ocean plastic. Although the bottle appears grey, REN sees this recycled plastic as the new luxury, declaring “grey is the new green”. Customers love the concept, making it REN’s most successful product.
REN recently released new packaging for its Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream using infinity recycling. “We’re proud to be the first luxury beauty brand to support this recycling technology to regenerate plastic waste and deliver certified recycled plastic identical to virgin,” reads REN’s website. It is groundbreaking and paves the way to a future where plastic will never lose its quality.
With the beauty industry as a whole using 120 billion units of packaging a year, REN is certainly setting a standard to which all cosmetic companies should aspire.
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