In a world increasingly aware of its environmental footprint, L’Oréal is leading by example with its bold, global sustainability drive and the latest highlight is the growing impact of its “Let’s Recycle in Beauty” initiative. Originally launched in France in 2018, the campaign now spans multiple European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, Romania, and Russia, reflecting L’Oréal’s commitment to empowering consumers to make eco-conscious choices.
At its core, the initiative is designed to demystify recycling for beauty consumers, offering clear guidance on how to sort and dispose of cosmetic product packaging. It’s more than a recycling campaign it’s a call to action, urging beauty lovers to become everyday changemakers for the planet.
Why It Matters : Waste Less, Recycle More
As raw materials become scarcer, recycling packaging efficiently is no longer optional it’s a necessity. L’Oréal's campaign educates consumers about how proper sorting enhances recycling quality, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves natural resources, and creates jobs. The message is clear: small daily actions, like sorting cosmetic packaging correctly, have a big collective impact.
“Once our products are in your hands, you too can make a difference,” says L’Oréal. “Simple habits can change everything, and it all starts with sorting.”
L’Oréal’s Broader Sustainability Vision
The campaign is just one piece of L’Oréal’s broader environmental transformation strategy. Since 2007, the Group has been reimagining packaging through:
- Eco-design that reduces size, weight, and overall waste
- Use of recycled or less impactful materials in 2020 alone, L’Oréal used over 57,000 tons of recycled materials, including 28,000+ tons in primary and secondary packaging
- Sourcing paper and cardboard from sustainably managed forests
With its ambitious “L’Oréal for the Future” roadmap, the company is pushing further:
- By 2025, all plastic packaging will be recyclable, reusable, refillable, or compostable
- By 2030, 100% of plastic used will be recycled or biobased
- A 20% reduction in packaging intensity per product will be achieved by 2030 (compared to 2019)
Inclusive Sourcing: Beauty with Social Impact
Sustainability for L’Oréal is also social. Its Inclusive Sourcing program, active in nearly 70 countries, is creating job opportunities for disadvantaged communities around the world. The company aims to help 100,000 people access employment by 2030.
- In Brazil, the ISDS project has connected over 536 people from favela communities to stable jobs in L’Oréal’s supply chain and manufacturing ecosystem, in partnership with local NGOs and academia.
- In rural France, L’Oréal’s long-term collaboration with packaging supplier Albéa has helped support 116 full-time jobs in economically vulnerable zones, preserving regional employment while maintaining sustainable sourcing practices.
Beauty That Moves the World
From reducing plastic waste to uplifting rural and underserved communities, L’Oréal is proving that beauty can be a powerful force for environmental and social good. Through initiatives like “Let’s Recycle in Beauty,” the company not only transforms its own practices but also empowers consumers and suppliers to be part of a circular, inclusive beauty economy.
Because in L’Oréal’s world, beauty isn’t just about how we look it’s about how we impact the world around us.