Dove, one of the largest cosmetic brands in the world, will no longer be wrapping its iconic ‘beauty bar’ in plastic, writes Jenny Berich.

The brand has announced plans to reduce its use of virgin plastic by more than 20,500 tonnes per year – “enough to circle the Earth 2.7 times”.

Announcing the plans, Dove Global Skin Cleansing vice president Marcela Melero said the brand has opted for long-term initiatives rather than one-off limited editions to ensure a greater impact.

He said plastic waste, one of the biggest global environmental and human health issues, was being driven by “a linear, single-use consumption model”.

“To be part of the solution in creating a circular plastics economy, one where plastics are reused and recycled, Dove is accelerating and expanding its actions with renewed force following the NO | BETTER | LESS PLASTIC framework.”

Key features of the new framework in include:

No plastic: Dove eliminating the use of plastics where possible by using alternative materials and new packaging formats. Next year its iconic beauty bar single packs will be plastic-free globally and development is underway to replace the plastic outer-wrap of its beauty bar multipacks with a zero-plastic material.

Better plastic: Dove is committed to investing in more sustainable plastic choices to reduce the use of virgin plastic. The company plans to launch new 100% recycled plastic (PCR) bottles where technically feasible, in North America and Europe by the end of this year.

Less plastic: Dove will leverage the technology behind its new reusable, refillable, stainless steel format deodorant sticks: minim, which minimises waste by radically reducing the amount of plastic required, to trial in the LOOP platform (a minimal waste, direct-to-consumer shopping system.).

“At Dove, we believe in care that goes further: for our consumers as well as our planet. We are passionately committed to being one of the brands making the biggest impact against plastic waste,” said Melero.

“We know we’re not perfect, but we can’t afford to wait. We’re working to have the biggest positive impact we can, as quickly as we can, and empowering others to do the same.”

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