PET Packaging: Schwan Cosmetics introduces PET/PP packaging to replace ABS/styrenics; Avient introduces oxygen scavenging additive to enhance PET recyclability

The European Union’s proposed ban on certain single-use plastics means that all packaging on the EU market must be reusable or recyclable by 2030. The tightening legislation leaves beauty brands needing to adapt their packaging portfolios as soon as possible to avoid compliance violations or economic disadvantages.

Thus, Germany-based Schwan Cosmetics, a manufacturer of white-label colour cosmetics, says it is supporting its customers’ transition to more ecological packaging materials with the introduction of new, styrene and ABS-free packaging materials to facilitate a seamless shift before certain materials face EU restrictions.

The packaging materials move centres on the company’s patent-pending FLX-Technology, a solution that replaces traditional ABS or styrenics with readily recyclable PET and PP. The material, designed for cosmetics pencils, offers beauty brands a future-proof drop-in solution that protects even volatile formulations without sacrificing aesthetics or cost, it adds.

Furthermore, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks create financial incentives for brands to transition away from hard-to-recycle materials, while major retailers implement sustainability requirements that effectively exclude styrene-based packaging. Industry experts warn that companies waiting until the 2030 deadline risk both compliance violations and supply chain disruptions as demand for recyclable materials is expected to outpace availability.

FLX-Technology is said to transform material sustainability for cosmetics liners and sticks without changing design, usability, or brand experience. The material is already available for several different pencil format products, including a Głowy Blush Stick, Boosting Peptide Liner, and Skin-Loving High Precision Brow Liner. The solutions come without the premium price tags, performance trade-offs, or compromises to brand integrity traditionally encountered when manufacturers shift toward more sustainably minded packaging.

What sets the technology apart is that it delivers the same high-end functionality without requiring additional components like O-rings or seals, while maintaining the same wall thickness. This not only reduces overall material usage but also simplifies the recycling process, moving Schwan’s portfolio closer to mono-material design, an increasingly important benchmark in sustainable packaging.

The new packaging is made from up to 92% recyclable materials and is completely styrene-free. The remaining material share, like polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), is used only where mechanical performance demands it, for example, in lead holders or sharpeners.

Since FLX replicates the look, feel, and dimensions of existing packaging components, brands can switch to styrene-free solutions without changing artwork, tooling, or filling lines, ensuring zero disruption to production or consumer experience, it adds.

Meanwhile, US materials firm Avient Corporation has launched the first grade in its new ColorMatrix Amosorb Oxyloop portfolio of oxygen scavengers: ColorMatrix Amosorb Oxyloop-1. This oxygen scavenging additive is formulated to enhance the recycling capabilities of PET packaging, providing a trusted solution for brands seeking to extend product shelf life, meet sustainability goals, and contribute to a more circular economy, it adds.

Avient’s Oxyloop-1 grade has earned the endorsement of the European Platform for Bottle Packaging (EPBP) for bottle-to-bottle recyclability for the coloured recycled stream. This recognition underscores its ability to meet some of the highest industry standards for recyclability. Additionally, this non-nylon-based product is compatible with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), allowing brands to incorporate higher levels of recycled material into their packaging.

One of the standout features of ColorMatrix Amosorb Oxyloop-1 is that it can oxygen scavenging performance, even with up to 100% rPET content, so that packing applications for products like juices, vitamin drinks, ready-to-drink (RTD) teas, and certain dairy products maintain their freshness and shelf life, says Avient.

It also has bottle clarity for use in monolayer or multi-layer bottle structures as well as transparent applications that require a high-quality solution to support recyclability. The absence of nylon in this formulation can also minimise yellowing in the transparent recycling stream, preserving the aesthetic appeal of transparent bottle applications.

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