Circular Economy in the Cosmetics Industry

Circular Economy and Recovery Concepts in the Cosmetics Industry Due to rapid population growth and constantly changing consumption habits, we are depleting the resources available to us with each passing day. The world's known raw material reserves and natural resources today are insufficient to meet the exponentially increasing global demand. As long as necessary measures are not taken, the raw material shortage crisis will make itself felt worldwide. Global population is estimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. In the face of this situation, the amount of natural resources required for humanity to maintain current lifestyles is approximately equivalent to three times our planet compared to today [1].

So how should we change our perspective in the face of these inevitable problems and how should we protect the ecosystem we are part of?

Today, in a system dominated by linear economics, the final stage of products being produced is designed around their conversion to waste. This, together with the growing waste problem, leads to raw material shortage risks and the depletion of natural resources. At this point, new methods must be developed to ensure and promote sustainability. Circular economy aims to preserve the value of materials and resources for as long as possible by returning them to the product cycle at the end of their use while minimizing waste generation [2]. As a result of excessive consumption and the resulting increase in waste quantities, the concepts of zero waste, minimalism and recovery should gain priority on our agenda in order to ensure that today's resources are spent more carefully and passed on to future generations. Recovery models supporting sustainability and circular economy are classified according to the value and intended use of the new product into which the waste will be converted; recycling, upcycling and downcycling. Upcycling is explained as the concept of recovering products that have reached the end of their useful life and are classified as waste in a manner other than their original purpose and in a different form [3]. For qualified sustainability to be achieved at optimal effectiveness, waste that has been properly collected and separated with no contamination is required. If waste is separated cleanly, it can be directly processed to meet secondary raw material standards and in this way through upcycling, it can be converted into qualified products at the relevant facilities. The use of upcycled raw materials can provide energy savings because unprocessed raw materials require more energy during their process. Additionally, by reducing the consumption of raw materials and energy sources, the concept of waste is eliminated. Each year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food rots in garbage bins or spoils during transport and harvesting [1]. Food waste refers to the difference between the quantity of food produced and consumed and occurs due to food not being consumed or being discarded. This situation, in addition to the waste of valuable resources such as water, soil and energy, increases the amount of greenhouse gases causing climate change. To reduce food waste, re-evaluation and recycling efforts should be carried out. Food components have long been frequently used in the cosmetics sector as moisturizers or active ingredients in skin care and hair care formulations. The inclusion of recovered orange peel as a source of essence or vitamins is an example of upcycling. Recycling means the reprocessing of waste materials to reduce waste and their reuse and re-production [4]. For products to be reused in the production process of those being recycled, they must first be shredded at a facility, and this process requires energy. Non-natural origin, technical materials, such as plastics, cannot be returned to the circular economy in any way other than recycling. A packaging made of polyethylene must be completely melted for reuse. In fact, if it contains polyester components, these must first be separated for high-quality recycling. In the cosmetics industry, tons of plastic are discarded as waste annually. To produce cosmetic products that contribute to zero waste, sustainability and circular economy, every component of the products must be considered separately. Downcycling, on the other hand, refers to converting a material or product that has become waste into another product of lower value. The end products obtained from plastic recycling are examples of downcycling because they are relatively lower quality. Each recovery model is very important for achieving circular economy. In this way, raw material demand, energy consumption can be reduced and limited resources and nature can be protected. When implemented, the provision of economic gains at both company and country scales can be counted as another important benefit. To ensure resource efficiency, which is of vital importance for the sustainability of our planet, supporting the projects of enterprises with grant and incentive packages while taking into account the needs of the sector operating in this direction will be an important driving force for qualified recovery and transition to circular economy. Particularly, strengthening the necessary process change investments and R&D work to enable waste to be reused as raw materials should be considered important steps. References 1.United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2022- 12 Responsible Consumption and Production Report https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/ 2.Önder, H. (2018). Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Anlayışında Yeni Bir Kavram: Döngüsel Ekonomi. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/dpusbe/issue/38899/416907 3.Sung, K. (2017). Sustainable production and consumption by upcycling: understanding and scaling-up niche environmentally significant behaviour. Doctoral dissertation, Nottingham Trent University. 4.United States Enviromental Protection Agency- National Recycling Strategy Report, https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/us-recycling-system. MSc. Gizem Demir Tunçbaş R&D Category Engineer (Personal Care) Evyap Sabun Yağ Gliserin A.Ş. Dr. Aslı Özge Avcı Tuna R&D Category Manager (Personal Care) Evyap Sabun Yağ Gliserin A.Ş.