Garnier is making greener strides. The L’Oreal-owned brand has announced an exclusive partnership with TerraCycle, a green company specializing in making consumer products from post-consumer materials. Garnier says its the first to provide such a comprehensive solution to personal care and beauty packaging waste anywhere in the world.

Millions of pieces of waste are expected to be collected by Garnier globally for the purposes of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. Through the sponsorship of worldwide Personal Care and Beauty Brigade (individuals or groups who sign up to participate), packaging will be collected and shipped to a TerraCycle facility. All kinds of personal care and beauty waste that would otherwise end up in our trash cans now will be recycled or reused.

In addition to diverting packaging from landfills, the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade will help to recruit new members and to educate communities to help make a difference. For every unit of waste collected, Garnier will contribute two cents to the charity of the individual’s choice. As part of a larger corporate responsibility program, TerraCycle will repurpose all collected personal care and beauty packaging, reusing it to build eco-friendly playgrounds across the U.S.

“Working with TerraCycle, we can now take another important step towards reducing waste, not only for our products but for the entire cosmetic industry. This is just one part of Garnier’s ongoing commitment to a cleaner, greener future,” says David Greenberg, president of Maybelline New York-Garnier-essie.

A TerraCycle partnership represents one part of Garnier’s comprehensive sustainability efforts, which also include packaging improvements and science-driven innovation. Renewable, bio-derived plastics; cardboard packaging sourced from sustainably managed forests; and the use of more naturally-derived ingredients are all part of Garnier’s environmental target.

“It’s impressive for a company such as Garnier to take the global lead in protecting the environment through collection of their packaging,” says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “Through the ambitious effort of having the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade, we look forward to making an impact on the amount of beauty and cosmetic packaging that is thrown away each year.”

Beginning March 2011 and rolling out over the next two years, newer, greener products will debut across all Garnier brands: Fructis shampoo and conditioner, Fructis Style grooming and style products, Nutrisse haircolor, HerbaShine haircolor and Garnier skincare.

The first to roll out is Garnier Fructis Pure Clean – a biodegradable shampoo and conditioner expected to have far-reaching impact on the haircare industry.Pure Clean shampoo (94% biodegradable) and conditioner (92% biodegradable) are non-ecotoxic and leave behind less residue and suds. The weightless formulas contain no silicone, paraben or dye. The shampoo and conditioner bottles are also made of PET, the most widely recycled plastic, and include 50% post consumer recycled plastics.

Pure Clean also encourages consumers to do their part. On-pack instructions promote recycling used bottles and reducing water consumption by showering just five minutes less a day.

To promote its TerraCycle partnership and the launch of Fructis Pure Clean shampoo and conditioner, in April 2011 Garnier will kick-off an upcoming mobile marketing program called The Cleaner GreenerTour. Its purpose is to educate consumers to think differently about waste, and to learn simple ways to make a positive impact on the environment. Extensive education, digital and social media efforts will support this partnership. The tour will kick-off in Times Square in New York City on April 11 and will continue into the following cities:

* Cincinnati, OH at Earth Day Cincinnati (April 16)
* Nashville, TN at Main Street Festival (April 30-May 1)
* Fort Worth, TX at Mayfest 2011 (May 5-8)
* Detroit, MI at Green Living Festival (May 13-15)
* New Orleans, LA at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo (May 20-22)