Cosmetics Recycling

Giving Beauty Waste a Second Life

We partner with global beauty and skincare brands to recover and recycle used cosmetics packaging, turning complex waste into valuable new resources. From Estée Lauder and MAC to L’Occitane, Close the Loop is helping transform how the beauty industry manages end-of-life products, achieving measurable ESG impact and enabling circular design for the future.

Why Cosmetics Recycling Matters for Your Brand

Each year, the beauty industry produces over 120 billion units of packaging, most of which ends up in landfill. Traditional recycling systems aren’t equipped to handle pumps, tubes, mirrors, or mixed materials - but we are.

For more than a decade, Close the Loop has designed recovery systems for powders, liquids, and complex cosmetic packaging, giving brands a trusted, transparent way to achieve sustainability goals and meet consumer expectations.

Our Capabilities

Retail & Consumer Take-Back

We co-develop in-store collection programs and handle returns from any store across Australia and New Zealand. Our partnerships with Estée Lauder’s Back to MAC, Clear Skincare, Innisfree, and L’Occitane make it easy for consumers to return empty products, building engagement, loyalty, and measurable environmental outcomes.

Mail-Back Programs

For e-commerce or direct-to-consumer brands, we design co-branded reply-paid return satchels. A simple, convenient way for customers to recycle from home while reinforcing your sustainability story.

Post-Industrial & Secure Destruction

We manage obsolete, expired, or returned stock under strict confidentiality. Our certified Secure Destruction process ensures products never re-enter the market, protecting your brand while recovering packaging materials responsibly, all within a Zero Waste to Landfill framework.

Contract Manufacturing Waste

We collaborate with progressive contract manufacturers to manage off-spec batches, overruns, and unused packaging. Where traditional producers say “sustainability isn’t our problem,” we work with innovators who see circularity as a value-add, providing their clients with compliant waste solutions, packaging design feedback, and verified recovery outcomes.

How We Close the Loop

Receipt & Data Capture

Every shipment is logged and scanned at our advanced Australian facility. Our systems track materials by type, source, and recovery pathway, ensuring full traceability and transparent reporting.

Depacking & Sorting

Packaging is depacked and separated. Contaminated or non-recyclable components are redirected to energy recovery, ensuring nothing goes to landfill.

Processing & Reuse

Recyclable materials: rigid plastics, glass, metals, and paper - are processed into new feedstock. Non-recyclables are converted into energy, reducing greenhouse emissions. Landfill is not an outcome. Zero Waste is our promise.

Discover How The Take-back Program Supports This Recycling Stream

Learn more here

What We Accept

We accept a wide range of used cosmetic packaging, including:

Lipstick
Compacts
Mascara
Empty foundation bottles/containers
Eyeliner
Eyeshadow pallets

Note: Product residues are accepted unless hazardous.

Programs Powered by Partnership

We proudly partner with some of the world’s most recognisable beauty brands to deliver certified, scalable take-back programs across Australia.

Our services include:

End-to-end recovery and logistics management

Secure, ISO-certified processing

Mass-balance reporting and traceable outcomes

ESG-aligned impact data for sustainability reporting

Our Impact

300+ tonnes of cosmetic packaging recovered to date

100% Zero Waste to Landfill through verified downstream processing

Empowered thousands of consumers to take part in circular initiatives

Contributed to the creation of TonerPlas® and other recycled-content materials used in infrastructure

Recognised Leadership

Our long-term partnership with Estée Lauder’s Back to MAC program was recognised by the Australian Government with a $1 million grant under the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund.

The resulting research delivered insights into developing a framework for Australia’s first comprehensive cosmetics stewardship framework - covering strategy design, circularity analysis, and large-scale in-store take-back trials, and later, this work was referenced in ACCORDS industry guidelines for product stewardship.

DOWNLOAD OUR INDUSTRY REPORT

Industries We Support

Global beauty & skincare brands

E-commerce & subscription platforms

Retail & department stores

Boutique & luxury cosmetics houses

Contract manufacturers

Certifications & Standards

Zero Waste to Landfill Certified (independently audited)
ISO 9001:2015 / 14001:2015 / 45001:2018
Ecovadis Bronze Rating
APCO & ARL-aligned packaging guidance
Full support for ESG and CSR reporting

Our Vision

We’re building a circular beauty economy - one where packaging design, recovery, and reuse are seamlessly connected. Through innovation, transparency, and collaboration, we’re helping brands:

  • Promote industry change through sustainable design and stewardship
  • Empower consumers with accessible recycling options
  • Achieve global impact through scalable, verified circular systems

Latest News

Stay current on Industry Updates & Circular Innovation

Case Study – Recyclable Packaging for Bermuda Coffee

Coffee roasters have worked to build strong partnerships throughout their supply chain in order to...

BATTERY SAFETY

As our lives continue to become increasingly interwoven with technology, our reliance on battery-operated products...

National Recycling Week 2024: How Schools Can Drive Change in the E-Waste Crisis

With National Recycling Week approaching, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the growing e-waste...