11.15.21
E.L.F. Beauty says it has eliminated more than one million pounds of packaging materials through its Project Unicorn initiative. The initiative was launched in 2019 to elevate the brand’s product assortment, presentation, and on-shelf presence through innovative streamlining of product packaging.
In 2020, the company announced that it had eliminated an estimated 650,000 pounds of waste and earned three design patents for packaging innovation.
e.l.f. Beauty’s Chief Creative Officer, Ashley Rosebrook, who spearheaded the effort and has continued to work in imaginative ways to reduce the footprint of the Company’s packaging, shared more on the journey:
“We named this initiative Project Unicorn because, like the mythical creature, no one thought it could actually be possible,” said Ashley Rosebrook, chief creative officer. “We were determined, and through design and teamwork, we proved it could work; when we thought outside the box, we were able to eliminate the box.”
Stripping away secondary cartons, vacuum formed trays and paper insert cards, and slimming down secondary packaging, Project Unicorn has streamlined packaging for more than 200 SKUs across multiple categories, according to the company.
One SKU alone—e.l.f.’s Clear Lip Lacquer—has shed an 66,000 pounds of packaging. The new packaging with sustainably sourced cartons is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified and comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits, according to the company, which was ranked No. 39 in Happi’s 2021 Top 50 Report.
“Project Unicorn is at the heart of our purpose platform,” said Tarang Amin, e.l.f. Beauty’s chairman and CEO. “We’re proud of reaching the one-million-pound milestone and are excited by the progress we’re making on our journey across all our brands to reduce package footprints. We look forward to continuing to push boundaries as we aim to make the world a cleaner place.”
In 2020, the company announced that it had eliminated an estimated 650,000 pounds of waste and earned three design patents for packaging innovation.
e.l.f. Beauty’s Chief Creative Officer, Ashley Rosebrook, who spearheaded the effort and has continued to work in imaginative ways to reduce the footprint of the Company’s packaging, shared more on the journey:
“We named this initiative Project Unicorn because, like the mythical creature, no one thought it could actually be possible,” said Ashley Rosebrook, chief creative officer. “We were determined, and through design and teamwork, we proved it could work; when we thought outside the box, we were able to eliminate the box.”
Stripping away secondary cartons, vacuum formed trays and paper insert cards, and slimming down secondary packaging, Project Unicorn has streamlined packaging for more than 200 SKUs across multiple categories, according to the company.
One SKU alone—e.l.f.’s Clear Lip Lacquer—has shed an 66,000 pounds of packaging. The new packaging with sustainably sourced cartons is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified and comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits, according to the company, which was ranked No. 39 in Happi’s 2021 Top 50 Report.
“Project Unicorn is at the heart of our purpose platform,” said Tarang Amin, e.l.f. Beauty’s chairman and CEO. “We’re proud of reaching the one-million-pound milestone and are excited by the progress we’re making on our journey across all our brands to reduce package footprints. We look forward to continuing to push boundaries as we aim to make the world a cleaner place.”