It’s no secret that the very glossy beauty industry has a growing waste crisis. With over 120 billion units of beauty packaging produced annually, and with most ending up in landfills due to material complexity and inadequate infrastructure, sustainability has become an imperative. The Pact Collective 2024 Impact Report captures a transformative year of collective action to combat this issue, charting a future where packaging doesn’t just serve the product but the planet.

Founded to tackle beauty’s notoriously difficult packaging waste problem, Pact brings together brands, retailers, and manufacturers to create scalable, circular solutions. In 2024, its mission expanded significantly—over 227,000 pounds of packaging were diverted from landfills through 3,300+ drop-off bins across North America. However, this report is more than a collection tally. It also reflects strategic collaborations across the industry, from upstream design innovation to consumer education, legislative navigation, and materials reinvention.

Whether through its NewMatter recycled content initiative, obsolete inventory recovery programs, or its new donation partnerships benefiting underserved communities, Pact’s work demonstrates that sustainability in beauty requires more than recycling—it demands a wide ecosystem rich with ample cooperation and shared accountability.

This report highlights the operational benchmarks, systemic challenges, and material innovations driving the next era of sustainable beauty. The message is clear: no one company can solve this crisis alone. However, together, the industry can rewrite what’s possible.

Key Statistics by Theme

Packaging Waste Reduction & Recovery

• 467,439 lbs. of beauty packaging collected since 2021
• 227,632 lbs. collected in 2024 alone (3x year-over-year increase)
• 3,346 active drop-off bins across the US and Canada
• 70% of clean plastics and 98% of glass, metal, and paper collected were mechanically recycled
• 97% of in-store collection volume in 2024 came via drop-off bins
• Contamination rate maintained at 22%, matching curbside national average

Membership & Industry Engagement

• 140 beauty companies participated in 2024 (35 new members)
• 97%-member retention rate
• Pact represented at eight major industry event
• Collaborations with Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Credo Beauty, and other leading retailers

Upstream Design Innovation & Education

• Launched tools and webinars to support recyclable packaging design (e.g., Glass 101, recyclability guides)
• Nation Botanics used Pact insights to choose fully recyclable blue glass packaging
• SOSHE introduced a refillable mascara designed for intuitive use and accessibility
• Cocoon Apothecary implemented a closed-loop glass bottle return system

Circular Material Innovation: NewMatter

• Suite of circular materials created from Pact-collected waste
• NewMatter recycled polypropylene used in Credo Beauty’s first-of-its-kind monomaterial pump
• 1 lb. of waste diverted for every 38 pumps produced
• HDPE Sheets and recycled resin created for new beauty packaging formats

Consumer Participation & Education

• 138,673 lbs. collected through customer-facing programs in 2024
• Estimated 545,912 consumers engaged
• Educational signage increased awareness by up to 30%
• Incentive programs led to 20-25% higher program participation
• Spending increased by 4.8% after consumers engaged with a take-back program

Obsolete Inventory & Donation Programs

• 88,959 lbs. of obsolete inventory recovered in 2024 (up from 19,627 lbs. in 2023)
• 24,000+ units of products donated via Pact’s new initiative
• $696,000+ estimated retail value of donated products
• Nonprofit Give n’ Glow served 50+ partner organizations with Pact member contributions

Policy & Industry Reform

• Pact supports members navigating EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) policies in seven states
• Partnerships with rePurpose Global, Source Beauty, and others for compliance support
• Ongoing advocacy for small-format plastic recovery with support from L’Oréal and Closed Loop Partners

No longer a siloed initiative, The Pact Collective’s 2024 report marks a turning point in how the beauty industry approaches sustainability, by bringing a unified, measurable, and actionable movement. With nearly half a million pounds of waste diverted, dozens of new packaging innovations launched, and hundreds of thousands of consumers engaged, Pact’s impact is underpinning the power of precompetitive collaboration.

Although the industry still faces systemic challenges, including recycling infrastructure, regulatory fragmentation, and consumer confusion among them, Pact’s framework proves that these can be overcome through targeted education, smart design, and cross-sector alliances. Looking ahead to 2025, the priorities are clear—scaling circular materials, expanding drop-off networks, and preparing for policy-driven accountability.