cosnova & die Initiative „Mülltrennung wirkt“

cosnova & the “Mülltrennung wirkt” initiative

A used-up nail polish, an empty mascara - off to the residual waste? Stop! Empty cosmetics packaging is a good raw material for recycled material, so-called recyclates, if they are disposed of correctly. How do you do that? The initiative "Mülltrennung wirkt” (waste separation works) of the dual systems knows how. We have teamed up with them to explain how you should separate and dispose of your empty makeup or nail polish bottles, tubes, folding boxes and the like - for more recycling and a better material cycle.

Improving recycling with your help

Vials, caps, pumps, brushes, scrapers, or other applicators - many product packages consist of a multitude of individual parts and sometimes even different materials. If we separate the materials of the empty packaging and dispose of them correctly, many recyclable materials can be saved and the quality of the recyclate improved. That's why we need your help to make our efforts to improve the recyclability of our product packaging work.

How to separate waste: Tips
Where do empty nail polish bottles or mascaras go? Together with “Mülltrennung wirkt”, we provide answers to this or other questions about proper waste separation. We have developed easy-to-understand visuals that show you how to dispose of empty cosmetics packaging correctly: Glass packaging (e.g. empty nail polish bottles) belongs in the glass container; paper and cardboard in the paper bin. All other packaging should be disposed of in the yellow bin / yellow bag.

Separating packaging components correctly
It is also important to note that individual components of cosmetics packaging which can be separated by hand (lids, protective films, pumps, etc.) should first be removed from the bottles, tubes or jars and then disposed of separately in designated bins. By doing so, you contribute to recycling as many valuable materials as possible and thus keeping them in the materials cycle.

About “Mülltrennung wirkt”

"Mülltrennung wirkt" is an initiative of the dual systems in Germany. The aim is to educate people about proper waste separation, dispel misconceptions and myths about recycling, and motivate as many people as possible to join in. Only if everyone separates their waste correctly, packaging can be recycled, effectively protecting our climate and resources.

You can find more information about the "Mülltrennung wirkt" initiative here: https://www.muelltrennung-wirkt.de/de/

Zero waste as a pillar of our corporate responsibility strategy

At cosnova, we want to make a positive contribution to protecting our planet and people, and we have set ourselves ambitious goals to achieve this. A holistic corporate responsibility strategy, consisting of five strategic pillars, is at the heart of this:

  1. Zero Waste
  2. Climate & Environment
  3. Harmlessness of our products
  4. Working conditions at our business partners
  5. Social initiative


Our zero waste goal

The goal of the zero waste pillar of our corporate responsibility strategy isto avoid the use of unnecessary resources and to work with environmentally friendly materials.

Packaging protects our products and makes them unique. To ensure that they are also as sustainable as possible, we are guided by three main aspects:

Mülltrennung wirkt

Partner for more recycling

We want to use recycled material for our product packaging wherever possible. For this purpose, amongst others, we work closely with suppliers, industry partners, and NGOs, such as Forum Rezyklat, Plastics for Change, and now "Mülltrennung wirkt".

In this way, we guarantee a continuous knowledge exchange and keep abreast of developments in the industry. Where are we today in terms of recycling and zero waste? For some of our color cosmetics products, for example, we are already using packaging components made from material from the yellow bin/ yellow bag - a major milestone for us and the industry.

Our goal is to keep waste and its valuable raw materials in the cycle. Join us on our journey at: https://www.cosnova.com/de/verantwortung/zero-waste

cosnova & the “Mülltrennung wirkt” initiative