Sustainable Impacts Being Made at Kenra Professional

Let’s be real-- the beauty industry is a wonderful one, but we'd be remiss not to acknowledge that it does contribute to waste, and we want to do our part to lighten the load. Consumers go through countless bottles and jars to find their new go-to hair and skincare regimens.

The success of Kenra’s Professional’s business is linked to that of our planet’s—and our customers’—well-being. Kenra Professional is dedicated to managing the environmental impact we create. Driving sustainability initiatives is integral to our brand’s values, and we want to do what we can do in order to strengthen both the environment and our community.

To that end, we’ll share a bit about recycling initiatives that we are a part of while breaking down what you need to know about everything from post-consumer resin/recycled content (otherwise known as PCR, recyclable packaging, recycled ocean bound plastics, and plant-derived bio resins for eco-friendly packaging.

Recycled material can come from one of two sources: either post-industrial or post-consumer.

Post-consumer recycled material (or resin) is what we refer to when it comes to everything we toss into the recycling bin—this includes items such as empty plastic bottles or aluminum cans. These materials are then collected by recycling programs on a local level and are then shipped to other recycling facilities. Here, they are sorted into bales based on their material. These bales will then be purchased and melted or they can also be ground into small pellets and shaped into new tubs, bottles or cans. Brands and companies like us can then purchase the newly repurposed materials and reuse the recycled goods in our products and packaging to reduce carbon emissions and excess waste.

Kenra Color has updated its color tubes and packaging in Studio Stylist Express to be made of 100% recycled aluminum tubes and recycled plastic caps as well as 93% recycled cardboard boxes. Simply Blonde packaging is now also made using up to 100% recycled materials.

Sometimes it’s confusing as to what recyclable packaging even is . For instance, some plastic items are too small to be recycled. Many travel sizes and minis are not large enough to be recycled. There are also a lot of items many of us think are recyclable that are indeed not, including bubble wrap, ice pack packaging from meal prep kits, and straws or other plastic utensils. “Packaging is recyclable if it can be collected, sorted, reprocessed, and ultimately reused in manufacturing or making another item,” says Kelly Cramer for sustainablepackaging.org.

Being made out of recycled materials doesn’t always mean that an item is recyclable. Look at your plastic items and see if they have corresponding recycling symbols on them—that will help you decipher whether something can be recycled. An influx of innovative new packaging is great—but sometimes it means that it can be more difficult to know what’s recyclable and what’s not.

Kenra Color uses recyclable boxes for color tubes as well as recyclable developer bottles. We encourage our stylists to recycle whenever possible, and every color box and developer bottle counts.

What is Ocean Bound Plastic? As discussed, recycled plastics use PCR (or post-consumer resin). This is certainly a good alternative to virgin plastic. However, most PCR plastics are recovered from curbside recycling programs—in other words, they’re not recovered from the oceans. Ocean Bound Plastics, on the other hand, are plastics that have either been dumped into or are at risk of winding up in our oceans or waterways instead of repurposed on land. These plastics can have devastating consequences for our marine life and ecosystems.

Kenra uses Ocean Bound Plastics in select shampoo and conditioner bottles to help save our waterways while contributing to a greener, cleaner planet. Kenra Sugar Beach Shampoo and Conditioner as well as AllCurl Cleansing Rinse and Balancing Conditioner are a few examples of packaging made of this resource. You can read more about Ocean Bound Plastic on What Is Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP)? - Ocean Bound Plastic Certification (obpcert.org)