‘Back to Mac’ Revised: Does Mac Still Care for the Planet?
If you’re one of Mac’s long-term customers, you know Mac scrapped their ‘Back to Mac’ free incentive program with a claim to better promote the circular economy. Yet, we wondered…Is this a true eco mission or just another type of greenwashing?
Well, in this article, I’ve gathered all the deets ~the good & the bad~ you need to know about Mac’s new direction. After reading this, you’ll have everything you need to form an informed opinion about Mac and decide for yourself. ;)
What was the ‘Back to Mac’ program?
Mac claims to be proudly committed to saving the momma Earth and being responsible for their waste. Their way of doing this? The awesome Back to Mac program.
Until only a year ago, for every 6 pieces of empty Mac containers, you’d get a free product. This way people got inspired to collect their waste, bring it back to Mac stores, and the empties were sent for recycling. Yep, even customers who didn’t see sustainability as their value… They’d still do it for the free product.
The program was so successful they kept it on for 30+ years! According to Mac’s official website, they raised more than 340,000 pounds of empty MAC containers that got processed for recycling in the U.S. (An equivalent of 9,300,000 lipsticks!)
Now, Mac’s ‘closing the loop’
To everyone’s surprise, last year (March 2023) Mac stopped the free incentive of the program. As they told BeautyPackaging.com “We shifted the free product incentive to investments that are making a real impact in reducing plastic waste."
So, instead of rewarding their loyal customers with a free product, they redirected the money into supporting environmental organisations like Close the Loop North America and Plastics for Change.
They still encourage their customers to bring back the empties for recycling, but, they’ll no longer receive a free product in return. I guess the idea behind this program is that… By choosing them as your go-to beauty brand, you get to be a part of their bigger mission and help the planet too.
As Moudachirou-Rébois says: “Partnering with Close the Loop in the U.S. will enable us to make sure we recycle as much of the packaging customers return to us as possible,".
And that’s not all. Stopping the free incentive also allowed them to donate $100k to Plastics for Change. The donation funds the collection of over 550k pounds of plastic from coastal areas—equivalent to 12.5MM plastic bottles. "The money will also support the livelihoods of the plastic collectors and their communities," she adds.
But.
Can we actually trust this move?
If you’re like me, you’re always a little bit sceptical when it comes to companies making bold claims like these. Mainly, this way, Mac Cosmetics hopes to convince us about their ‘commitment’ (their word) to sustainability.
And well, that should run a lot deeper than just giving back and recycling. After all, it’s 2024! We need to think bigger than just having ways to recycle our waste. With so many beauty brands offering refill & reuse options, compostable waste-free packaging, etc,… having a way to just ‘recycle’ the packaging isn’t enough anymore.
That’s why many people on the internet complain too: “I think it's such a shame! As a consumer, I'm unsure of the best way of recycling empty packaging and companies are pretty slow to market in offering refillable options. The back to MAC scheme was a great incentive to collect and return empty items, as well as replace things while in store! While it's great that companies are looking to become more sustainable this is more of a greenwashing exercise. They've taken away both an incentive to recycle and visit their stores while putting a PR spin on it.” Says Olivia McLoughlin on Linkedin.
On the other hand, we need to cut them some slack. Yes, they could do a lot better but at least they’re responsible for their impact and work hard on offsetting it. So many commercial cosmetic brands haven’t arrived, not even there yet.
The verdict
After this change, Mac Cosmetics lost a lot of loyal customers who were choosing them only because of the free incentive. Even despite this drop and losing money, they’re still sticking with it. So, I’d say, they’re genuinely trying to do better, they’re just not fully there yet.
What do you think? Let us know!
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