Sustainability Report — Sage Anti Acne Ointment (2025)

Unit: 30 g aluminum tube (consumer) Key actives: Sage (Salvia extract), antibacterial botanical actives, carrier ointment base, preservatives (some synthetic), minimal fragrance.

1) Core lifecycle metrics (per 30 g tube — representative estimates)

• Carbon footprint: 22 kg CO₂e / unit
• Water footprint: 45 L / unit
• Renewable content: ≈85% (botanical actives + plant-derived carriers)
• Formulation biodegradability: ≈70% (preservative + petrolatum-like base reduce full biodegradability)
• Packaging recyclability: ≈90% (aluminum tube recyclable; cap/label dependent)

2) Scientific calculations (step-by-step)

1. Annual production example — 12,000 units/year Total CO₂ emissions = (12{,}000 \times 0.22) Calculate: (12{,}000 \times 0.22 = 2{,}640\ \text{kg CO₂e/year}).

Tree-equivalent uptake (1 mature tree ≈ 22 kg CO₂/year): [ \frac{2{,}640}{22} = 120\ \text{trees (rounded)} ]

1. Per-application footprint (dose basis) Typical application ≈ 0.5 g → number of applications per tube = (30\ \text{g} \div 0.5\ \text{g} = 60) applications. Per-application CO₂e = (0.22 \div 60). Calculate: (0.22 \div 60 = 0.003666\ldots\ \text{kg} = 3.67\ \text{g CO₂e per application}).
2. Improvement scenario — replace synthetic preservative with biodegradable alternative (estimated 18% CO₂ reduction) New per-unit CO₂e = (0.22 \times (1 - 0.18) = 0.22 \times 0.82). Calculate: (0.22 \times 0.82 = 0.1804\ \text{kg CO₂e/unit}). Annual CO₂e at 12,000 units = (12{,}000 \times 0.1804 = 2{,}164.8\ \text{kg CO₂e}). Annual savings = (2{,}640 - 2{,}164.8 = 475.2\ \text{kg CO₂e}).
3. Simple packaging circularity metric If packaging recyclable fraction = 0.90 and procured recycled-content fraction = 0.35: Effective circularity = (0.90 \times 0.35 = 0.315) → 31.5% effective circularity.

3) Risks & technical notes (short)

• Synthetic preservatives and petrolatum-like bases lower biodegradability and increase persistence in wastewater; prefer biodegradable preservatives and plant-based emollients.
• Aluminum packaging is highly recyclable, but labels/caps must be mono-material to avoid recycling contamination.
• Small-quantity medical/dermal actives may require preservatives that trade off with biodegradability—formulator optimization is needed.

4) Quick sustainability score (1–10)

Category	Score
Carbon efficiency	7
Water efficiency	7
Renewable material use	8
Biodegradability	6
Packaging circularity	8

Overall Sustainability Index (mean) = ((7+7+8+6+8)/5 = 36/5 = 7.2/10)

Conclusion (one line)

Sage Anti Acne Ointment has moderate–good sustainability (SI ≈ 7.2/10); switching to biodegradable preservatives and mono-material/ refill packaging can save ~18% CO₂e per unit and materially improve biodegradability and circularity.