Global beauty brand to fund research into sustainable plastics alternatives utilizing space-based lab

Estée Lauder announced today its role as the exclusive partner of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics. This marks the first time a beauty brand has partnered on a research and development opportunity for innovators to propose concepts leveraging the ISS National Lab to advance sustainability research for plastics alternatives. As part of the brand’s commitment to support research that can help drive sustainable packaging innovation, Estée Lauder will provide funding for the awarded proposals.

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Estée Lauder Joins the International Space Station National Lab’s Sustainability Challenge as Exclusive Partner (Photo: Business Wire)

The ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics will unite innovators on an important mission to address plastic waste and enable scientific or technological advancements that help improve Earth’s environment. Such research has the potential to unmask new insights into cost-effective and innovative avenues for environmentally responsible biopolymers or plastics alternatives.

The objective of the Sustainability Challenge is to use the unique ISS environment to develop, test, or mature products and processes that address at least one of the following goals:

• Reduce plastic waste introduction into the environment
• Seek alternative feedstocks and pathways for polymer production beyond petrochemicals
• Reduce virgin plastic manufacturing

“We are proud to be the exclusive partner of the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge, funding research for future-thinking plastics alternatives,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, Global Brand President, Estée Lauder & AERIN, and Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies. “As a global leader in the beauty industry, we are committed to furthering scientific research and innovation for more sustainable business practices. We are excited to be part of an initiative that could be truly transformative for our brand, our beloved consumers and the future of our planet.”

As the exclusive partner of the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge and founding member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Estée Lauder reinforces its commitment to long-term science research for more sustainable practices. In addition to ingredient transparency, responsible sourcing, and energy and emissions efforts, sustainable packaging is a key part of Estée Lauder’s sustainability strategy. The brand has implemented robust measures to drive the reduction of virgin and non-recyclable plastic and has committed by 2025 that 75-100% of Estée Lauder packaging will be recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled or recoverable.

“We are excited to collaborate with Estée Lauder as we seek novel advancements through space-based research and development to mitigate plastic pollution on our planet,” said Christine Kretz, vice president of programs and partnerships for the ISS National Lab. “We thank Estée Lauder for its enthusiastic support of the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics, and we look forward to working alongside researchers as they propose science that will improve the environment of our beautiful planet.”

The ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge is an open solicitation for U.S.-based entities to propose projects that leverage the orbiting research platform for applied research and technology development. Applicants must first submit a concept form to ideally address a whole-of-life design approach to production of virgin polymers through sustainable feedstocks or the biodegrading or upcycling of end-of-life of polymers. A subset of applicants with the most promising concepts will then be invited to submit a pre-recorded “pitch” video describing their concept in more detail.

The projects will be evaluated by a panel of expert judges, and on March 19, 2022, a Sustainability Challenge event will be held at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex where the finalists’ recorded presentations will be showcased and live streamed to a global audience. For more information, please visit the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge webpage: https://www.issnationallab.org/research-on-the-iss/2022sustainabilitychallenge/

About Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder is the flagship brand of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Founded by Estée Lauder, one of the world’s first female entrepreneurs, the brand today continues her legacy of creating innovative, sophisticated, high-performance skincare and makeup products and iconic fragrances – all infused with a deep understanding of women’s needs and desires. Today, Estée Lauder engages with customers in more than 150 countries and territories around the world and across dozens of touch points – from in-store to digital. And each of these relationships consistently reflects Estée’s powerful and authentic woman-to-woman point of view. Follow @esteelauder on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.

About the International Space Station National Laboratory

The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit www.ISSNationalLab.org.

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