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Glou Beauty is a proud member of Pact Collective.

Through Pact Collective we are able to work towards our goal of bringing real sustainablility to the beauty industry.

A graphic illustration of various beauty products that can be recycled through Glou Beauty's membership with Pact Collective.

why Pact?

Pact Collective in a non-profit bringing together stakeholders within the beauty industry to take responsibility over the packaging waste problem. Beauty products are very difficult to recycle because they are often made of a mix of materials, and the materials that could be recyclable are too small (anything smaller than a yogurt cup) for materials recovery facilities to catch.

Because Pact is a non-profit organization they are able to make decisions based on maximum impact rather than maximum profit.

Pact's focus on beauty is also important. The goal is for these collected products to be recovered, broken down and resold back to the beauty industry as raw materials to make new beauty products. The goal of circularity was very important to us. Sustainability for us at Glou Beauty is not just about diverting materials from landfill, or down-cycling but about what we can do to create a net positive for the planet. Not just reducing our impact, but actively reversing it.

There are other recycling companies out there, but we love and appreciate Pact's radical transparency. We know exactly what is collected, the breakdown of what has been recovered, and where it is headed in its next life.

collection program

In Person:

Find an in-store collection bin at one of Pact's participating retailers.

By Mail:

Glou Beauty Marketplace is offering a mail-back collection program. Glou Beauty will cover the costs of shipping, sorting, and breaking apart the products down to their components (all done by hand). Request label.

On Campus:

Are you a post-secondary student with a passion for the beauty industry and sustainability? Apply to be a Glou Campus Ambassador!

Beauty Recycling icon of Pact Collective

what to do with...

New Products

New, but not for you? Rehome with another beauty lover on Glou Beauty Marketplace!

Old/Expired Products

Time to squeeze and scrape all remaining product into the garbage. Once it is empty, it's time to figure out if it is suitable for recycling.

Learn more from our Recycling/Collection Guidelines listed below.

Used/Swatched Products

Is this a product that a professional make-up artist would be able to safely use on different clients?

If this is a product that could use a new home, you can list it on Glou Beauty Marketplace.

Empties

Check out our guidelines to see if it is suitable for local recycling, Pact's Collection Program, or its useful life is truly over (trash).

Guidelines for the end of a beauty product's life #rip

Can you recycle it?? Take this quiz from Pact!

Local Recycling:

- Cardboard/ paper

- Clear or frosted glass jars/bottles

- Stainless steel or aluminum

- Plastic containers #1, 2, and 5 and LARGER than a yogurt cup/fist

Collection Program:

Please, please make sure all products you mail-back or drop off in-store are CLEAN AND EMPTY. Just like a colonoscopy, if you don't do the prep fully and completely, whatever efforts you did make will go to waste.

- Plastic jars/pots, tubes, sticks, and bottles SMALLER than a yogurt cup/fist

- Squeezable tubes (plastic and aluminum, any size)

- Ceramic/porcelain containers (any size)

- Colored glass bottles and jars (any size)

- Caps/closures

- Compacts, Palettes

- Lipstick, lip gloss tubes, and applicators

- Pumps and dispensers

- Plastic pencil components (eye/lip/brow pencils)

- Toothpaste tubes and dental floss containers

- Silicone containers

- Aluminum tubes (made of real aluminum and not a metalized plastic)

Once these items are clean and empty, because you are a good colonoscopy patient, and you have 5-10 of them, you may request a shipping label or take them to a retailer participating in Pact's Collection Program.

None of the above:

As much as we hate that this is the case... the best thing you can do with this product is to throw it out. Aspirational recycling actually causes more harm than good because it requires resources to ship recyclables back, and when that product turns out to not be recyclable, the best thing for it is the incinerator, which isn't ideal.

The good news is that now that you know this item is not recyclable, you can choose to buy better next time. And don't forget shopping on Glou Beauty Marketplace is the most sustainable place to look for brands and products that have yet to adopt best practices.

- Plastic containers #3, 4, 6, 7 when LARGER than a yogurt cup/first

- Broken glass

- Dental floss (lots of great plastic-free options to consider for your next purchase)

- Aerosol cans

- Sponges and brushes

- Single-use wipes

- Plastic or foil safety seals

- Plastic bag and wrappers

- Plastic with foil/metal inlay

- Nail polish and remover

- Toothbrushes