Frequently asked questions

 

General questions

  • Pact is a nonprofit organization uniting the beauty industry to take responsibility for our packaging waste and to work collaboratively toward circular packaging solutions.

    We’re closing the loop on our industry’s hard-to-recycle beauty packaging through our collection programs, and using the findings to help make beauty and wellness packaging more sustainable from the beginning of the design process.

  • Pact was founded by cosmetic brand MOB Beauty and Clean Beauty Retailer Credo to drive pre-competitive collaboration.

  • To take responsibility for the beauty industry’s packaging problem, to ultimately end beauty packaging waste. We do this by:

    1. Offering the most credible, transparent solution to close the loop on beauty's hard-to-recycle packaging via our collection programs.

    2. Using the findings from our collected packaging material to serve as a knowledge hub to empower our industry to design more sustainable packaging and produce less waste.

    The result will be a more sustainable and circular industry.

  • It’s complicated.

    The beauty and wellness industry generates over 120 billion packages each year. The ugly truth is that most of this packaging is too small to be caught by Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Plastic smaller than a fist, flexible packaging like squeezable tubes, and packages made of mixed materials are highly unlikely to be recycled through traditional systems — MRFs can’t capture them, so they are deemed trash. That means most beauty packages end up in landfills and our oceans.

    That being said, people should definitely use curbside recycling for the packages that can be recycled through MRFs. Our Packaging Drop-Off Guide will help you determine what goes to Pact and what goes to curbside recycling.

  • According to a recent report, the cosmetic packaging market was valued at $26.29 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $32.86 billion by 2025.

    An estimated 120 billion beauty packages are made each year. Unfortunately, most are made of virgin plastic, and most of them will end up in landfill because they’re not recyclable at municipal recovery facilities.

  • Pact collects hard-to-recycle beauty packaging through our consumer facing programs (in-store and mail-back options). We also collect material directly from beauty companies who are Pact members.

    We work with collection partners who adhere to our protocols and help us find the highest and best use for the material we collect.

  • Give us your empties: For beauty customers, bring your clean Pact-accepted empties to a drop-off location or send to us through a mail-back program. We handle the rest, it’s that easy.

    Become a member: For beauty industry stakeholders and companies, join the collective by becoming a Pact member.

    Donate: You can donate to our nonprofit here. Your contribution provides us with the resources to expand our collective and create more sustainable systems. Thank you for your support!

  • Education is essential to our mission. Many people don’t know that a lot of the beauty packages currently produced are not easily recycled. We aim to tackle misinformation and greenwashing (intentional and accidental). We push for transparency so that together, we can close the loop on hard-to-recycle beauty packaging.

  • We don’t let our financial bottom line steer our decision-making. We work hard to keep costs down to ensure all beauty and wellness stakeholders can participate.

  • No! Pact's collection programs are just one tool in our toolbox. On their own, they will not change our industry's packaging problem but will help close the loop on our industry's hardest-to-recycle packaging. To create systemic change, we must consider end-of-life of our packaging when making decisions on their design. We can do this by using the information gathered from our recyclers to source and design better packaging at the beginning of the supply chain (AKA circularity!). Just because Pact can collect and recycle these materials doesn't mean we should continue to design packaging the way we have been.

Membership questions

  • Membership cost varies on company size, specifically the number of full-time employees (FTE) and company type. Visit our organizations page to learn more. Membership dues do not include the costs associated with hosting collection programs.

  • We want every beauty stakeholder to be a Pact member. Brand, retailers, suppliers, media — big or small, we hope you’ll join us.

  • No, we are not a packaging certification or standard. However, you’re welcome to use it anywhere else in your marketing if you're currently a member.

  • Join us and walk the talk! Pact membership allows you to showcase your commitment to and leadership in sustainable packaging. Becoming a member empowers you to take responsibility for your impact. Using our educational resources to improve your packaging and enrolling in our collection programs are all exclusive perks to Pact membership that help close the loop on your hard-to-recycle packaging.

  • The cost of the program varies based on company size. If you’re a member and ready to launch a collection program, email hello@pactcollective.org.

  • If you are a beauty and wellness stakeholder, yes! We want our collective to be made up of all industry stakeholders. We create change when we work together.

  • Just because Pact can collect and (hopefully) recycle specific packaging does not mean we should continue to design this way. Refillable components are best, followed by high PCR and curbside recyclable packaging. Pact takes the hard-to-recycle stuff. Ideally, we’re creating less of that.

    We need to start designing for end-of-life by using the information gathered from our recyclers to source and design better starting at the beginning of the supply chain. Learn more here.

Collection program questions

  • Collection program costs are separate from membership dues. You must become a Pact member to launch a collection program. The cost varies based on company size and program type. As a mission-based nonprofit organization, we work really hard to keep costs down and make our programs attainable for companies of all sizes.

    Learn more about collection programs here.

  • All of the below is Pact-accepted packaging, as long as it’s clean and empty*:

    • Plastic bottles + jars smaller than a than a fist

    • Plastic + aluminum squeezable tubes

    • Ceramic + porcelain containers

    • Colored glass bottles and jars

    • Caps + closures

    • Pumps + dispensers

    • Droppers + applicators

    • Compacts + palettes

    • Lipstick / lip gloss tubes + applicators

    • Mascara tubes + wands

    • Plastic pencil components for eye/lip liner + brow pencils

    • Toothpaste tubes + dental floss containers

    • Silicone containers

    • Pouches

    • Supplement bottles

    Our collection guidelines will continue to evolve as we gain more insight from our community and recycling partners into local recycling capabilities. It is always ideal to check with your local recycling centers for the most accurate information on curbside recyclable items in your area.

  • We aim to find the highest and best use for every material type we collect. Our recycling hierarchy is below, best possible outcomes first, least favorable processes last.

    • Upcycled: mechanically recycled into another product of equal or greater value e.g. new packaging

    • Downcycled: mechanically recycled into another product of lesser value e.g. warehouse pallets, flowerpots

    • Molecularly recycled: e.g reduced to a state material that can then be used to build something else.

    • Waste-to-energy: packaging that cannot be used in any other way is incinerated.

    Learn more here.

  • We work with specialty hard-to-recycle partners who adhere to Pact’s protocols and align with our mission. Our collected material is sorted at these facilities, and we then work with them to ensure that the end market is based on the material’s highest and best use. We aim to get this material back into new packaging but this can be difficult!

  • We have established a transparent auditing system, so we have visibility into our sorting partners’ operations. We have full visibility into the volume of packaging we’re collecting and when we’ve reached the quantities needed to sell the material to end-buyers for each material’s highest and best use.

    Packaging that cannot be turned into something else will go to molecular recycling or waste-to-energy (incinerated). While this is better than packaging going to landfills or ocean pollution, we work hard to keep these numbers as low as possible.

  • As long as it meets our collection guidelines, yes! All of Pact’s collection programs are brand-agnostic, meaning consumers can discard any of their favorite beauty product empties – regardless of brand – in any Pact bin or through any mail-back program. This is intentional and important, and we do this for a few reasons:

    • It helps us collect as much material as possible. Higher volumes increase our ability to recycle and turn material into recycled content for upcycling.

    • It creates a unified solution that looks and operates using the language and requirements.

    • It allows our members to share program costs and allows customer flexibility, meaning costs stay as low as possible this way.

    We have to look at our waste issue as industry-wide rather than brand by brand, since this is how we will have the biggest impact and is at the core of why we consider Pact a collective (all industry stakeholders play a role and, as a result, benefit).

Beauty
consumer questions

    1. Clean it out: When you’ve finished your favorite products, dump any unused goop, rinse & clean the package. Make sure it’s truly clean and empty — packages with product left inside get incinerated because they can’t be recycled! Follow our cleaning guide to make sure it’s truly empty.

    2. Discard it properly: Check out Pact’s Collection Guidelines to find out where your finished beauty and wellness packaging goes — either to Pact, to curbside recycling, or in the trash. Once you know what’s going to Pact, you can either find a bin near you or mail back your Pact-accepted clean empties.

    3. Give it new life: We handle it from here. Once full, Pact bins are shipped to our sorting facility, where packages are separated by material. We aim to find the highest and best use for all material types and, when possible, turn them into new consumer packaging or durable goods.

  • A lot of packaging can and should be recycled at home. Cardboard, metal, most glass, and plastic larger than a fist (if they’re labeled, numbers #1, 2, and 5). Unfortunately, municipal recycling facilities can’t recycle small packagings like compacts, lipsticks, travel-size, squeezable tubes and other components common in the beauty and wellness industries. Pact works directly with independent recycling facilities that sort by hand and process hard-to-recycle packaging so it can be diverted from landfills.

  • All locations with Pact Collection Bins can be found on our location map.

  • If there’s no drop-off location near you, don’t worry! You can send us your empties through our mail-back program.

  • All mail-back programs can be found on our current members page.

  • Follow our Packaging Drop Off Guide for a step-by-step process to determine what goes in the bin and what to do with your packaging that doesn’t.

  • Nope! All of Pact’s collection programs are brand-agnostic, meaning consumers can discard any of their favorite beauty product empties – regardless of brand – in any Pact bin or through any mail-back program. This is intentional and important, and we do this for a few reasons:

    • It helps us collect as much material as possible. Higher volumes increase our ability to recycle and turn material into recycled content for upcycling.

    • It creates a unified solution that looks and operates using the language and requirements.

    • It allows our members to share program costs and allows customer flexibility, meaning costs stay as low as possible this way.

    We have to look at our waste issue as industry-wide rather than brand by brand, since this is how we will have the biggest impact and is at the core of why we consider Pact a collective (all industry stakeholders play a role and, as a result, benefit).