Ban on single use plastic: What it means for beauty industry

New Delhi: "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything," George Bernard Shaw said.

Nowhere does this statement ring truer than the current scenario of India's pivotal plastic ban. From July 1st, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has prohibited the manufacturing, importing, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items. A long time coming, this new rule could usher in an era of environmentally equitable and responsible thinking from many stakeholders including the beauty industry.

There are beauty brands that had immense foresight to weave sustainability into their core ethos long before this ban came into effect. For them, this step won't impact their operations as much as strengthen their belief in driving business through sustainable processes. From brands that have been 100 percent plastic-free since inception, to the ones going fully organic and others that have taken the waterless and reusable route, this is truly the era of innovation and invention when it comes to breaking the barrier of what serves as being 'sustainable'.

Sublime life is a platform that recognizes the need to collate an array of sustainable beauty brands under one roof. Being an early adopter of a clean and green product shelf, it prides itself in having uncompromising standards for associating with a certain company and bringing them on board after examining their commitment to sustainability.

For the brands that haven't transformed into environmentally friendly entities, there are preliminary steps they could take to steadily cross that bridge and enter the sustainable side of things. The beauty industry contributes to about 120 billion units of packaging annually, and most of it is not recyclable. Sustainable packaging needs to be of topmost priority for any organization transcending towards eco-friendly execution. May it be a refillable model, organic packaging, or end-to-end traceability; these are all but just some of the mandates to propel sustainable packaging.

Another aspect that could bolster a brand's sustainability initiatives is collaborating with sellers and platforms that have seasoned experience in this area. Sublime Life and similar portals not only help brands transition to comprehensive environmental sustenance but also provide beneficial insights on how to go about it from a planning point of view.

While the plastic ban has been implemented from an environmental perspective, even as a purchasing trend it will be the environmentally conscious names that have the upper hand due to increased awareness. Brands that are honest and transparent about their ingredients, as well as the manufacturing process, will find more takers. Companies should not view their migration as just a PR exercise but actually invest in becoming holistically sustainable in the long run.

Recent studies have indicated that by 2050, about 12,000 metric tons of plastic waste will storm our natural environment. Beauty brands need to preach and practice sustainability from top to bottom in order to avoid such a catastrophe. The plastic ban may be one foot in the right direction, but there are much more tangible decisions that beauty conglomerates need to make in order to build a future that is rich, lush, and green. The chance to nurture nature is now, or never!