HORGEN, Switzerland – January 25, 2023 –Dow (NYSE: DOW) and LVMH Beauty, a division of LVMH, the world leader in luxury and home to 75 iconic brands, will collaborate to accelerate the use of sustainable packaging across LVMH’s perfume and cosmetic products. This collaboration would enable both bio-based and circular plastics to be integrated into several of the beauty multinational’s product applications without compromising functionality or quality of the packaging.
Bio-based and circular plastics, which are made from bio-based and plastic waste feedstock respectively, will be used to produce sustainable SURLYN™ Ionomers, polymers used to manufacture premium perfume caps and cosmetic cream jars. Within 2023, some of LVMH’s perfume packaging will include both bio-based SURLYN™ and circular SURLYN™. The sustainable SURLYN™ portfolio will deliver similar crystalline transparency and freedom of design expected from the rest of Dow’s SURLYN™ range, at a low carbon footprint.
“At LVMH, with our Life 360 program, we made the decision that our packaging will contain zero plastic from virgin fossil resources in a near future. Collaborating with Dow in developing sustainable SURLYN™ is key as this material is used in some of our iconic perfumes, starting with GUERLAIN La Petite Robe Noire. It is helping LVMH achieve our sustainability targets without any compromise on quality”, said Claude Martinez, Executive President and Managing Director of LVMH Beauty.
“Creating a circular economy takes every player in the value chain to commit to ambitious goals and challenge the status quo. Dow looks forward to supporting the sustainability journey of a leading global luxury brand,” said Karen S. Carter, President of Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Dow.
Bio-based feedstocks for the production of bio-based SURLYN™ include raw materials such as used cooking oil. As only waste residues or by-products from an alternative production process will be utilized, these raw feedstock materials will not consume extra land resources nor compete with the food chain.
Hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste are transformed into circular SURLYN™ through advanced recycling technologies. The technologies break down waste plastics into their basic chemical elements using heat and pressure, creating raw material that is equivalent to those made from virgin fossil feedstock. This raw material, or circular feedstock, can be used in a wide range of packaging, giving waste that is currently going to landfill or being incinerated a second life.
Dow is collaborating with customers and other stakeholders to drive the transformation that is needed to tackle the challenges of climate change and the environment. This collaboration represents another key example of Dow’s continued effort to transform waste and alternative feedstock as per its Transform the Waste target announced in October 2022.
For more information on our work within the beauty industry, please visit: dow.inc/PCD
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth; asset integration and scale; focused innovation and materials science expertise; leading business positions; and environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership to achieve profitable growth and deliver a sustainable future. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated, science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Dow operates 104 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $55 billion in 2021. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
About LVMH Beauty
LVMH’s Perfumes & Cosmetics activities benefit from exceptional dynamism that relies on both the longevity and development of key lines, and on the boldness of new creations.
The brands cultivate what makes them unique and is guaranteed to make them stand out for their devotees in a highly competitive global market. The success of the Perfumes & Cosmetics division depends on finding the right balance between major historic Houses such as Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Givenchy and Guerlain, and young brands with strong potential like Benefit Cosmetics, Fresh and Make Up For Ever…
All are driven by the same values: a quest for excellence, creativity and innovation.
For more information, visit www.LVMH.com
About Guerlain
A visionary in its holistic concept of beauty since its founding in Paris in 1828, the Maison Guerlain has stood out for its creative daring and innovation in fragrance, make-up and skincare. In 1994, Guerlain joined the LVMH Fragrances & Cosmetics Division and strengthened its presence internationally. As the crowning jewel of luxury à la française, Guerlain has been producing its creations in France ever since its inception and currently boasts two production sites: Orphin for Fragrance and Chartres for Cosmetics. The bee—as the emblem of the Maison at the heart of its commitment—is the focus of several partnerships and initiatives dedicated to its protection, all falling within the “Guerlain for Bees Conservation Programme”.
With a track record spanning fifteen years, the Maison collaborates as a pioneer of responsible luxury alongside world-renowned institutions such as UNESCO, notably in launching the “Women For Bees Programme”. It has also strengthened its commitment to ethical and sustainable sourcing by becoming a member of the UEBT. In addition, Guerlain commits to creating natural formulas by aiming for a rate of over 90% ingredients of natural origin at the earliest possible stage of development, all while incorporating more sustainable packaging. Lastly, the Maison has been adapting its processes to reduce its carbon footprint even further. Today more than ever, Guerlain’s future is written at the crossroads of luxury and sustainability, In the Name of Beauty.
For more information, visit www.Guerlain.com
Virginie Wengler
Dow Europe GmbH
+ 41 78 784 1724
vwengler@dow.com