Reducing the impact on the environment is a strong challenge hospitality players must face. As a leading international amenities provider, Groupe GM continuously strives to become the most environmentally aware it can be. In 2018 the Group developed a complete eco-responsible program, Care About Earth, to help hoteliers answer these challenges while welcoming their guests.
An innovative, refillable dispenser with many benefits
Bathrooms should be a clean and safe space for your guests and so should be the soap dispensers provided for your guests use. When opening dispensers and filling them, germs, bacteria and even viruses can enter and settle on top of the product. The bacteria can also form a bacterial biofilm that coats the inside surface of the dispenser. That means that any soap added will become contaminated as well, continuing the unhealthy cycle. In respect of Good Manufacturing Practices, before any further refill, each dispenser has to be cleared out, cleaned and sterilized akin to an industrial environment.
For this reason, Groupe GM developed Ecofill, an easy, safe and refillable dispenser which is 100% traceable for a minimal environmental impact.
Ecofill is equipped with a “Stay Clean” system, which allows its refill pouch to be easily changed to avoid any contamination. This is made possible due to Ecofill’s refill pouches being completely sealed and then pierced with a special drill tube pump. On top of that, its sealed refill pouches have a large capacity of up to 400 ml (13.50 fl.oz) for only 8g of recyclable plastic. This means that it divides the plastic waste by two compared to a 5L bulk can.
Ecofill is not only clean and safe, but it also comes with a traceability system in accordance with European cosmetic regulations. Once sealed, it is tamper-proof, and the origin and quality of the product are guaranteed.
The European Cosmetic Regulation requires product traceability throughout the whole supply chain (Regulation No. 223/2009 – Articles 12 & 19). Therefore, following each refill, housekeepers should append a batch number and keep an updated cosmetics register. If there is no documentation for traceability, the legal responsibility lies with the hoteliers. This follow-up and the refill itself can be time consuming and represents extra handling for your staff. The process can additionally be messy and requires further cleaning.
Groupe GM’s innovative dispenser has a sleek and attractive design and is easy to use and keep clean. It guarantees product origin and that the content matches its denomination. Its sealed pouches already have all-necessary cosmetic indications on them and are ready to be inserted and pierced. This dispenser is already patented in France and has a patent pending internationally.
Alternatives to fossil-based plastics
Safe refills are not the only answer to environmental challenges.
Groupe GM’s Care About Earth program governs the company’s environmental and social actions and forms an integral part of the Group’s corporate strategy worldwide.
“With our Care About Earth program, we have made the decision to strengthen our commitment towards eco-responsibility by deciding that in the near future our packaging will contain zero plastic from virgin fossil resources. Bio-based and recycled materials are playing a crucial role in helping us achieve our sustainability goals without any compromise on quality.” – Laurent Marchand, CEO of Groupe GM.
Today, over 85% of Groupe GM’s product packaging is made from recycled plastics or bio-based packaging. The Group offers plant-based tubes, bottles and completely sealed large format dispensers up to 500 ml (16.90 fl.oz) that are tamperproof.
The material is made from a sugarcane residue known as “bagasse”. The sugarcane used is sourced from sustainably managed farms and responsible suppliers. Groupe GM only use the residue from the industrial process after a minimum of 3 extraction cycles. This ensures that the production is not harmful to the wider ecosystem of the manufacturing area. The accessory lines from Groupe GM also use other bio-sourced materials manufactured from straw, corn starch or bamboo to limit the use of fossil-based plastics.
The launch of a solid product amenity line without any plastic use underlines Groupe GM’s desire to create a more sustainable world. This range requires 9 times less water for its production than conventional liquid formulations. The packaging is made from FSC-certified cardboard, covered with a water-resistant varnish.
Groupe GM is further working on a new, plastic-free accessory line. The line aims to limit secondary packaging and eliminate the use of fossil-based plastics.
On top of Eco-design, what other initiatives are part of Groupe GM’s eco-responsible program?
Care About Earth is not just about improving the product design, and packaging. It also focuses on the formulas. Groupe GM formulas contain up to 99% ingredients of natural origin, with various product lines being COSMOS organic certified by COSMECERT according to COSMOS standards, as well as vegan and gluten free certified by BIORIUS. All formulas are tested under dermatological control and are GMO free.
Premium quality is guaranteed throughout the production process
All Groupe GM factories and industrial partners located in Europe and Asia are ISO 22716 certified and respect Good Manufacturing Practices. The factory, Groupe GM Cosmétique France, in Lyon obtained the ISO 26000 corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment label, certified by AFNOR. The factory, Groupe GM Cosmética Portugal, in Portugal complies with the standards of Quality and Environmental Management ISO 9001 and 14001.
Last but not least, Groupe GM is working on shortening its supply chain and thus reducing its environmental footprint by bringing their packaging manufacturing closer to the filling factories.
The Group’s commitment to social responsibility was rewarded in September 2021 by Ecovadis, which evaluated the Groupe GM sustainability standards in the following criteria: environment, social and human rights, ethics and responsible purchasing.
Discover all the brands offered by Groupe GM at: www.groupegm.com/en/ – or alternatively contact your local distributor. Contact for Australia (Jason Williams +61 409 727 466) and New Zealand (+64 0 274 344 011) or by email at sales@parisgroupe.com.
