The UK campaign group Plastic Planet has made its PlasticFree global database of sustainable materials for use in cosmetics, personal care and other industries free-to-access.

The PlasticFree platform is described as a trusted source of information that serves organisations across 37 countries to help designers, packagers and companies to think about material use and the different options available to address waste strategies.

According to Plastic Planet, the decision to make the database freely available is intended to allow developers and organisations to make the information available in the development of AI tools as a means to address the risks of disinformation or greenwashing.

The campaign group said: “By removing its subscription paywall, PlasticFree will allow AI to analyse materials at scale, identify science-backed alternatives in order to accelerate the replacement of harmful chemicals, and educate brands and designers about solutions to the plastic crisis.”

One of the main ambitions for the platform it to demonstrate and inform organisations about potential alternatives to plastics and how they are or can be used.

These ambitions were highlighted by the campaign group as being extremely important for steering industry decision making after the latest round of UN-led talks in August on a global treaty for plastic pollution failed to reach an agreement on new targets to manage and control material use.

Sian Sutherland, co-founder of the PlasticFree platform, said it had originally launched two years ago with a subscription model. The decision had now been made to “fully democratise the data” gathered.

Sustainable Cosmetics Summit
Green plastic materials are regularly featured at the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit. The European edition will be hosted in Paris on 22-23rd October, whilst the Asia-Pacific edition will take place in Hong Kong on 10-11th November.