REN debut ocean-friendly skincare packaging

British company REN Clean Skincare has become one of the first prestige skincare brands to package a product in a 100% recycled bottle containing reclaimed ocean plastic. The move comes as part of the skincare brand's Clean to Planet initiative, with the aim of REN becoming a Zero Waste company by 2021.

Arnaud Meysselle, Chief Executive Officer at REN Clean Skincare, explains:

“The beauty industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the over-use of packaging, and an alarming percentage of it is non-recyclable. Plastic packaging that ends up in landfills and waterways – as opposed to the recycling stream – remains there for decades, and even centuries, causing toxicity to our land, oceans, rivers, lakes and beaches. REN Clean Skincare participates in beach clean-ups to educate consumers on these issues and designs its packs to minimize waste. We call upon the beauty industry to take all necessary actions to reduce packaging waste for the health of our planet.”

From late summer 2018, REN's Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Body Wash will feature a new hybrid 100% recycled plastic, 20% of which will be plastic collected by global NGO's from oceans, beaches, rivers, lakes and the banks of those waterways.

To further reduce the environmental impact of the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium bottles, the current pump, which contains a metal spring, will be replaced with a metal-free pump.

Additional products in the range, which include hand and body lotions, will be phased in in the new hybrid recycled/ocean plastic packaging across REN Clean Skincare's full global distribution by early 2019.

The new packaging has been created in partnership with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, ranging from ocean plastic to used cigarette butts to coffee capsules.

Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO and Founder, says:

“The problem of plastic in our oceans and on our shores is a monumental one and we are happy that REN Clean Skincare has chosen to partner with TerraCycle to create a bottle from 100% recycled plastic - including reclaimed ocean plastic.

“In addition to being 100% recycled, the new packaging will be easily recyclable on the backend reinforcing REN Clean Skincare's commitment to their goal of becoming a Zero Waste brand.”