Look & Image: Especially brown paper is trending, having both a sustainable and nostalgic feel to it.

Area of application: As a mono material, so far very limited use in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical sector (i.e. without a protective plastic or metal coating). Paper bags are suitable for powdered concentrates. Cardboard tins and tubes are available for solid deodorant, lip balm and the like. Soap bars, solid shampoo and so on come in classic cardboard folding boxes.

Cost: Relatively inexpensive.

Production: For the European market, virgin fibre paper is produced in Scandinavia and South America, ideally with the FSC seal. Even for recycled paper though, at least 20% virgin fibre must be used to ensure stability.

Transport/shipping: Light and robust, but susceptible to humidity and rain damage.

Recycling: Very good recycling rate in Europe and high acceptance of recycled paper. However, waste paper is often contaminated by printing inks that would pass into food and cosmetics. Blue Angel and FSC certified products should be prefered for recycling and sustainability reasons.

(Life cycle) Assessment Pros: Lightweight, good image, good printability, use of renewable raw materials, very good recycling rate. Cons: Only recycled paper saves resources, but some chemical contamination during the recycling process cannot be avoided at the moment. Many processing steps during production, pollution of water bodies, as well as nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions impair the ecological footprint, too. The obvious material properties of paper and cardboard limit the range of use.

Sources: Federal Environment Agency Germany, Federal Office for the Environment Switzerland, Deutsche Handwerkszeitung, Federal Association of Consumer Centres

You can also download the key facts about all materials here: