A Makeup Compact Built From a Single Material

Many makeup compacts are not designed to be recycled. Open one up and you typically find several materials combined in one small product: a plastic case, a metal pan, a metal hinge pin, and glue holding it together. Each of these belongs in a different recycling stream, and once they are bonded they are difficult to separate. In practice, the compact ends up in general waste.

Our 59mm compact (Ref CP-23-393A1) was developed to remove that problem at the design stage.

One material instead of four

The compact is built almost entirely from polypropylene (PP):

• The cap, base and hinge are molded as a single piece.
• The pan is made from PP instead of metal and snaps into place mechanically, so no glue is required.
• The hinge contains no metal pin.

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By removing the metal components and the adhesive, the compact stays mono-material throughout. The only exception is the mirror, which is optional. A compact ordered without a mirror is PP from cap to pan.

Why mono-material design matters

Recycling systems sort packaging by material type. When a product combines plastic, metal and adhesive, it cannot be processed cleanly and is often rejected during sorting. A mono-material product can enter a single recycling stream without manual separation. That is the principle behind this compact: keep the material structure simple so the end-of-life path is simple too.

Designed for the shelf as well

Recyclability does not have to compromise presentation. The transparent PP lid keeps the product visible on shelf, and the finish is open to your brand. The format suits pressed powder, blush, eyeshadow and similar pressed formulations.

A response to changing packaging requirements

Packaging regulation in the EU is moving toward design for recyclability. Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which applies from 12 August 2026, recyclability becomes a structured requirement rather than a voluntary goal, and packaging is increasingly assessed on how well it can be recycled. Mono-material construction is one of the clearest ways to design with that direction in mind.

Key specifications

• Reference: CP-23-393A1
• Pan size: 59mm
• Material: PP
• Dimensions: 13 x 75mm
• MOQ: 10,000 pcs

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If you are working toward more recyclable packaging, we can send samples and a quote.