Beyond Plastic challenge – Startup Competition from L’Oréal

About the competition

For the past 15 years, L’Oréal has dedicated itself to reducing the environmental impact of its packaging. From introducing new refill options to redesigning the recyclability of its packaging, L’Oréal is proactive in managing the footprint of its products.

L’Oréal Operations is launching the Beyond Plastic challenge to invite companies to tackle the environmental implications caused by global dependency on the packaging.

L’Oréal Operations is eager to invite companies with innovative products and solutions that enable packaging to be plastic-free.

Given L’Oréal’s seriousness about revolutionizing packaging, it offers many incentives to companies that are equally committed to protecting the environment.

What prizes can be won?

By participating in the Beyond Plastic Challenge, you can access the following resources:

• Get invaluable feedback and guidance from experts to improve your solutions
• Mentoring: opportunity to connect with industry experts, support your project, get feedback and improve your solution
• Acceleration: proof of concept support, access to L’Oréal labs when applicable
• Know-how: the Group’s extensive expertise in the beauty industry
• Knowledge: privileged access to our masterclass
• Business Opportunities: L’Oréal will accelerate your growth

The finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their proposition in front of experts, L’Oréal Operations Executive Committee, etc. L’Oréal Operations will cover the travel costs for the finalists (hotel, meals, flight) within the limit of 2 people per solution selected for a period of 2 days. The finalists will also be invited to a dinner with members of the L’Oréal Operations management committee.

Eligibility criteria

What we’re looking for?

On registering to enter this challenge, you will be asked to submit an initial proposal. Here, we have detailed some themes and factors to consider:

Opportunities
Is there the opportunity to drop your solution into existing cosmetic packaging, or is your solution to be a completely new development?

New Performance
Will your solution integrate new performance characteristics such as hydro solubility, antimicrobial, or intelligent packaging?

Environmental impacts
As environmental impacts must be considered; you must consider any relevant life cycle analysis and packaging end of life recommendations you would make (and share any available environmental data).

Additional factors
Do you think that your proposition might require some extra materials to meet cosmetic specifications? Will other partners be required to complete the process?

Processes
What process would be used to transform the chosen biomaterials into a packaging? If this is a new process, does it have the capacity to upscale to a commercial output?

What should you consider before registering? L’Oréal has used the following methods to reduce their packaging:

• Using lightweight conceptions
• Conceiving reusable packaging
• Choosing materials with less impact
• Designing packaging that can be recycled

What materials are included? Plastic-free biomaterials in the scope of this challenge are based on natural polymers.
These materials include:

• Proteins
• Polysaccharides
• Agarose
• Fatty acid derivatives
• Polyphenols such as Lignin
• Mycelium
• Algae Polymers

These materials can be used as the main constituent of the package or used as a barrier of cellulose-based packaging.

What materials are not included? Some materials are excluded from the definition of ‘plastic free’, which cannot be used for this challenge.
These are:

• All Biobased plastics such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polyhydroxyalkanoate, Poly (butylene succinate), Biopolyethylene
• All plastic-biobased filler composite such as PLA-wood, bioPE-algae, PP-algae, PP-bamboo