Espressoh is an Italy-based beauty brand that uses Bluebird's software platform to understand their carbon + waste impact and make improvements. The brand has used Bluebird to examine the carbon and waste impact of two of their primary products: ABC Concealer and Ohily Cleanser.
For their ABC Concealer, Espressoh recently made some changes to their product's packaging, which decreased carbon emissions from packaging and transportation by 49% and waste by 16%. And because they give more fill than typical concealers, emissions and waste are already very low.
For the Ohily Cleanser, Espressoh recently introduced a refill pack, which significantly improves the carbon & waste footprints of the product if the product is refilled at least once. More details can be found below.
Bluebird evaluates the following areas when assessing carbon & waste of each product. For more information, learn about our methodology to the right.
Materials and product design
The carbon and waste impact of a product depends quite a bit on how the product is designed and what it is made from. We assess both the composition of the materials used to create a product as well as the format that a product is designed.
Size, weight, material class, and product format all impact the footprint of a product. By evaluating the materials and product design of a product we assess how efficiently a product can be made, the carbon intensity of its manufacturing process, and what options are available when the product is disposed of.
Transportation of materials
This is often the part of sustainability customers don't see. Before the product is even manufactured into a functional component, raw materials are collected and transported to the manufacturing facility. Bluebird accounts for these carbon emissions that happen before the product is manufactured.
In order to assess the full impact of a product’s supply chain, Bluebird’s algorithm looks at all of a product’s emissions from cradle to gate. This provides insights into the carbon footprint of a product before its components are fully assembled.
Transportation of the finished product
Once the product is assembled and filled, the finished good is transported to a distribution center and eventually ends up in a retail location or the hands of a consumer. Transportation of the product includes emissions calculations from transporting the weight of the actual product until its use-stage.
Each stage of transportation is important when analyzing the lifecycle of a product, but the finished good is when the product is heaviest, and thus generates the most carbon emissions for each mile it travels. This is a critical stage when accounting for emissions throughout a product’s life cycle.
Recyclability & degradability
Recyclability refers to a product or component’s ability to be recycled curbside, and it's a huge factor in how much waste is generated. This includes consideration for factors such as the material class of the product as well, the size restrictions within the recycling industry, and recycling rates across the U.S.
We also evaluate degradability, which refers to a product’s ability to break down or decompose over time. This includes compostability, either at home or industrially, and dissolvability of a product.
Compared to other concealers on the market, ABC Concealer is below average for both carbon & waste.
Bluebird’s benchmark database of industry averages was used to calculate the carbon & waste footprint of a typical concealer. Based on our data, the average concealer is packaged in a plastic tube with a cap and wand applicator, as well as a small paperboard box that contains the product. Our database also defined the manufacturing, transportation type, and other supply chain details using industry averages.
Why does this check out?
Overall, the carbon footprint for Espressoh's ABC Concealer is 33 gCO2e and the waste footprint is 5.2 g of waste per unit. Below, you can see the breakdown of the product’s carbon and waste footprint.
ABC Concealer
% of the Total Carbon Impact
Materials and Packaging Design
12 g CO2e
38%
Component Manufacturing
6 gCO2e
17%
Transportation of Materials
6 gCO2e
18%
Transportation of the Product
9 gCO2e
27%
ABC Concealer
% of the Total Carbon Impact
Tube
2.5 g
48%
Cap
.5 g
42%
Folding Carton
2.2 g
10%
Compared to other cleansers on the market, Ohily Cleanser generates average carbon emissions and above average waste. However, when paired with a refill, these waste and carbon emissions decrease dramatically, which is further discussed below.
Bluebird’s benchmark database of industry averages was used to calculate the footprint of a typical cleanser, which is based on the average packaging formats we see. Our database also defined the manufacturing, transportation type, and other supply chain details using industry averages.
Why does this check out?
Overall, the carbon footprint for Espressoh's Ohily Cleanser is 507 gCO2e and the waste footprint is 129 g of waste per unit. Below, you can see the breakdown of the product’s carbon and waste footprint.
Ohily Cleanser
% of the Total Carbon Impact
Materials and Packaging Design
246 gCO2e
49%
Component Manufacturing
157 gCO2e
31%
Transportation of Materials
1 gCO2e
<1%
Transportation of the Product
102 gCO2e
20%
Ohily Cleanser
% of the Total Carbon Impact
Bottle
114 g
88%
Pump & Overcap
11 g
9%
Folding Carton
4 g
3%
Espressoh recently introduced a refill pack for their product, and Bluebird assessed how introducing the refill changes the footprint of Ohily Cleanser. Below, you can see the carbon, waste, and plastic impact of the Ohily Cleanser + Refill compared to repurchasing the standard Ohily Cleanser. The impact is measured on a per use basis.
After 1 year of refills (initial purchase + 1 Refill pack)
Carbon impact
Waste impact
Ohily Cleanser + 1 Refill
585 gCO2e
139 g
Ohily Cleanser (2 purchases)
922 gCO2e
235 g
Sustainability Impact
↓ 37% less carbon
↓ 41% less waste
After 1.5 years of refills (initial purchase + 2 Refill packs)
Carbon impact
Waste impact
Ohily Cleanser + 2 Refills
689 gCO2e
152 g
Ohily Cleanser (3 purchases)
1,521 gCO2e
387 g
Sustainability Impact
↓ 53% less carbon
↓ 59% less waste
In short, after 1 purchase of the Ohily standard pack and 1 purchase of the Refill pack, Espressoh's product produces fewer carbon and waste emissions than repurchasing the standard pack. And the longer someone uses Espressoh's Refills instead of repurchasing a new cleanser bottle, the greater the reduction of the product’s carbon and waste footprint.
By introducing the refill program, Espressoh reduced the carbon and waste footprint of its Ohily Cleanser when evaluating it vs. repurchasing a typical cleanser. Bluebird compared using Ohily Cleanser + its Refill Pack vs. a typical cleanser for one year.
In order to have lower waste & emissions than buying a typical cleanser, customers need to buy Ohily + 1 refill. Every refill they buy will lower emissions significantly.
In sustainability terms, this is known as the breakeven point at which it's lower impact to buy Ohily + refills than using an average cleanser. So customers should buy refills
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