French brand L'Occitane has worked with Albéa Tubes to reinvent the packaging of its iconic 30 ml hand cream range, starting with the shea butter version. The switch from a laminated tube (ABL) to a Greenleaf tube incorporating the OctoTop opening system now enables recyclability while reducing the total weight of the tube by 23 % compared with the current tube.
L'Occitane and Albéa Tubes have taken a new step in their cooperation by relaunching the best-selling 30 ml shea butter hand cream. The APR-certified Greenleaf solution, made entirely of laminated plastic with a multi-layer HDPE skirt, replaces the old laminated aluminum tube. The new solution reduces the number of materials from 5 to 2, and components from 3 to 2.
For the cap, L'Occitane has opted for Albéa's EcoTop technology with OctoTop, a 2-in-1 flip-top closure system featuring L'Occitane's emblematic octagonal shape. The closure system is made of HDPE, making the entire tube recyclable through existing PE recycling channels in France, Europe and the United States.
This ambitious project required two years of co-development, and is based on a certified LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) which evaluates the reduction in environmental impact of the new solution in several categories compared with the current solution.
"In our CSR strategy, reducing the carbon impact of our products is one of our main commitments, and we want to respond with innovations that make a real difference.explains David Bayard, R&D Packaging Director at L'Occitane. Weight reduction and recyclability were therefore at the heart of this project, and led us to simplify the tube as much as possible without compromising aesthetics and functionality. On the contrary, OctoTop enhances the tube's functionality for our customers."
"L'Occitane has not hesitated to rethink and redesign its most iconic packaging to advance circularity, and we are very proud of this new step in our partnership."adds Isabelle Sery, Sales Manager at Albéa Tubes.
The tubes are produced for L'Occitane at Albéa Argonne and will be available on the market in early 2024.
Photo credits:
- L'Occitane_Octotop: DR
