One of the widespread practices in the beauty industry is that expired finished goods (FG), such as skincare and makeup products, would be identified as general waste and sent to the incinerator under Singapore’s waste management context.
Aligning with Singapore’s goal to promote its recycling rate to 70% by 2030, Bolloré Logistics has identified an innovative value proposition focusing on end-of-life product material recycling to the players in the beauty industry. As a third-party logistics partner, it will dismantle and sort expired products to recycle as many materials as possible, from product containers to external packagings like wooden pallets and stretch film.
The Project Approach
Named “FG Recycling Programme”, the solution aims to divert waste from incineration through better recycling of materials to reduce the carbon impact from waste generation. The idea was conceived after identifying the gaps between current sustainable practices and the sustainability needs of the beauty industry. Together with a Perfumes & Cosmetics client, a project plan was drawn up and test runs were done in partnership to test the viability.
Recycling beauty products is a challenging task due to their intricate composition. Bolloré Logistics, therefore, approached the project through two main parameters: sorting products by the degree of mixed materials or components, and the degree of contamination. This approach comes as beauty goods components are often comprised of mixed materials and at times contain viscous substances. These present greater challenges in component sorting and removing of contents to prepare the recycling materials.
Key Value Propositions
Apart from the usual mechanical recycling for clean materials, the company also explored novel recycling solutions in the market to deal with contaminated plastics, which comprised about 25% of the total waste collected.
This presented a key value proposition that Bolloré Logistics was able to offer to its customers, offering advanced recycling techniques such as pyrolysis and other high-tech methods to recycle contaminated materials.
Bolloré Logistics acts as an integrator and single point of contact for its clients for such circular logistics solutions. By integrating the company into a network of advanced recycling partners, the company is well-positioned to connect the recycling industry to new trends and requirements of the Beauty industry. This will serve as a catalyst for continuous improvement and new technologies to be developed for Singapore’s waste ecosystem.
In addition to the sustainability-related benefits, Bolloré Logistics also promotes inclusivity in manpower considerations through its “Solidarity Sourcing” programme. In the process of finished goods disassembly, the company engaged Persons with Disabilities (PWD), such as persons with slight physical handicaps, to perform some of the disassembling activities and to support them with gainful employment.
“We received a great deal of positive feedback from our customer, who is going to continue this project throughout 2023. Awards like these motivate the company and its teams to implement similar projects for customers in other sectors,” said Ingrid Caes, Sustainability Manager at Bolloré Logistics Singapore.
End Results
By recovering and diverting away from incineration of these materials, Bolloré Logistics has saved an estimated 810 tonnes in carbon dioxide equivalent, which is comparable to the carbon sequestered by about 13,000 trees over a 10-year period.
The success of this recycling project has earned the recognition of the SBR International Business Awards, as Bolloré Logistics takes the award in the “Logistics – Sustainability Development” category. The prestigious awards program honours foreign companies in Singapore and recognises the outstanding projects that successfully earned them a foothold in the city-state.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Xinde Marine News.
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