John Delfausse, vice president of package design at Estee Lauder Co., recently tackled the need for sustainable packaging by creating a glass bottle and metal sleeve for its Donna Karan Gold fragrance that can be separated and sorted for recycling, Cosmetics Design-Europe reports.

Delfausee says other promising sustainable packaging solutions include take-back programs for troublesome packaging, such as Aveda’s initiative to recycle plastic bottle tops.

There are a broad range of sustainable packaging materials that cosmetic companies can choose from, but Delfausse advises companies to avoid using bio-plastics for jars because they suffer from stress cracks and can deform when exposed to heat. However, they are suitable for other applications where performance will remain unaffected.

Green packaging is transitioning from niche to mainstream. Earlier this year at the Packaging Summit in Chicago, printers and manufacturers discussed their sustainability efforts.