Is the beauty industry doing enough to tackle plastic pollution?

The beauty sector generated over 142 billion units of packaging last year – most of which ended up in landfill or the ocean. But are major corporations doing enough to kick the habit, asks Jessica Morgan

If other industries can make drastic changes, why not this one? (Instagram)

The beauty industry is often portrayed as a glittering, glamorous world of lotions, potions and brightly coloured bottles on bathroom shelves… but it has an ugly side.

Last year, Zero Waste Week, an annual awareness campaign, reported that more than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, most of which are not recyclable.

Often beauty products will be packaged in swathes of cellophane, cardboard, tissue paper and boxes, which look pretty for the five minutes before they are thrown in the bin.