Sustainable Packaging Solution for U.S. Cotton

About the Client

U.S. Cotton offers a variety of products such as cotton balls and rounds, cosmetic sponges, and cotton swabs while delivering on sustainability by reducing waste and emissions in its factories.

The Product

Swisspers Cotton Swabs are premium-quality cotton swabs designed for a variety of uses, from beauty and personal care to household applications. Each swab features a soft, absorbent cotton tip that is gentle on the skin, making them ideal for delicate tasks such as makeup application and removal, baby care, and first aid. The sturdy, flexible sticks provide precision and control, ensuring a reliable performance every time. Swisspers Cotton Swabs are crafted with high-quality materials to ensure both durability and safety, making them a trusted choice for consumers seeking a versatile and dependable cotton swab product.

The Challenge

Convert 100% of U.S. Cotton’s PVC blisters to recycled PET, also referred to as rPET.

The First Choice Packaging Solution

FCP was not only specifically supportive of U.S. Cotton's commitment to reducing waste and emissions associated with product production by developing rPET solutions, but is also generally focused on sustainability as evidenced by its history:

• FCP uses millions of pounds of post-consumer rPET annually.
• FCP recycles its rPET annually as follows:
  • 100% of scrap generated during the production process is collected.
  • Supersacks are shipped to plastic film suppliers to extrude back into rPET film rolls.
  • Scrap is ground into plastic flake and packed in supersacks.
  • Recycled film is shipped back to FCP to be used in new production for recycling into other products.
• FCP also bales all of its non-PET scrap for conversion back into film or for recycling into other products.

Because of our experience with rPET materials, we were confident that we could assist U.S. Cotton to achieve a sustainable packaging solution.

The Results

“As a company, we are committed to reducing waste and emissions associated with product production. As a leading manufacturer of cosmetic cotton products in North America, we are not only dedicated to service and quality, but also to responsible manufacturing. We knew that converting to rPET wasn’t an easy task, which is why we approached First Choice, a trusted and reliable partner for many years.”

-Mark Novelli, U.S. Cotton VP Quality and Branded Business

“With our expertise in manufacturing with sustainable materials, we were able to provide U.S. Cotton with rPET blisters for its lineup of cotton swab products, which uses over 1.5 million pounds of rPET annually.”

-Frank Wolfinger, FCP President

 

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