In Conversation: Canopy and The Vanity Group, a Member of La Bottega Collective

Last November Vanity Group, a Member of La Bottega Collective, joined Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative, committing to eliminate Ancient and Endangered Forests from its paper packaging supply chains and accelerate the shift to lower-impact alternatives.

Vanity Group supplies luxury personal care products to over 10,000 hotels worldwide and is known for its innovative brand collaborations with partners like Jo Malone, Hermes, Kevin Murphy, and Molton Brown. They also founded and own the brands Appelles, Biology, SOAK, Urban Skincare Co. and Urban Jungle. They are the largest company within Canopy’s beauty and personal care cohort, and with their global reach, have the potential to have real impact in their sector.

Canopy’s Pack4Good Brand Engagement Manager, Cait Green, had a conversation with Belinda Shu, The Vanity Group’s Global Head of Quality, Regulatory and ESG at Vanity Group. They chatted about The Vanity Group’s work on paper packaging, their sustainability work, and Pack4Good.

Cait:
Vanity Group, a Member of La Bottega Collective, is a big company with huge reach across the hospitality sector. Can you tell us what you do?

Belinda:
Vanity Group is an Australian-born leader in the beauty essentials market for hospitality, looking after everything from R&D to production, design and communication for the licensed brands we manage. Now, as a Member of La Bottega Collective, the company is dedicated to curating guest experiences; creating exclusive products and services for luxury hospitality partners across the globe.

Cait:
How did sustainability become embedded in your business practices?

Belinda:
From the beginning, Vanity Group, a Member of La Bottega Collective, has been driven by a commitment to do our best for our planet and its people. Sustainability is something that is considered at every stage, from responsible sourcing of raw materials to more considered manufacturing and packaging practices, we are always striving for the most sustainable approach. Over time, this mindset has become embedded in how we design our products, collaborate with partners, and approach the full lifecycle of everything we create, with a continual focus on improving our environmental and social impact.

Cait:
How did you decide on the timing for joining Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative? And what do you hope to accomplish through our collaboration?

Belinda:
We connected with Canopy at a time when we were reviewing our packaging and actively looking for ways to make it more responsibly sourced. Having already started the implementation of these sustainable initiatives internally, the timing felt right to join Pack4Good, providing us with a clear framework to take meaningful action.

Through this collaboration, we hope to reduce pressure on forests, source paper responsibly, and inspire our partners and clients to make more sustainable choices. Forests are critical, they protect biodiversity, store carbon, and support communities and we’re proud to play a role in protecting them. 

Maybe now is a good time for you to share how Pack4Good works.

Cait:
I’d be happy to. Through Pack4Good, we partner with brands that use paper packaging, which is everyone, so we currently mainly focus on fashion brands, beauty and personal care companies, food and beverage companies, and companies that sell other consumer packaged goods. We collaborate with these brands and help them to eliminate any sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests, advocate to their suppliers to do the same, and explore low-impact, Next Generation Solutions. We do this work at no cost to brands, we are entirely funded by foundations and donors. Canopy’s goal is to keep vital forests standing so that they can do what they do best, keep our planet livable.

Belinda:
Can you describe Next Gen Solutions? 

Cait:
Next Generation Solutions are alternatives to forest fibre that are lower carbon and often circular. Some examples would be making paper packaging out of wheat straw leftover after harvest, which is normally burned, causing air pollution. That agricultural waste makes an excellent feedstock for paper and packaging, and by making it valuable, it can be a revenue stream for farmers. Substituting a fibre like this for wood-derived fibre also takes the sourcing pressure off forests — a win-win for business and the planet.

Now back to you. Do you think sustainability will be an increasingly critical aspect of luxury hotel amenities brands? If so, why?

Belinda:
Absolutely! Today’s guests are increasingly conscious of the environmental and social impact of the products they use, and luxury brands are expected to reflect those values. Sustainability goes beyond being “eco-friendly”, it is about being responsible, thoughtful and future-focused. Hotels and brands that integrate sustainable focuses into their programs demonstrate genuine care for both their guests and the planet, an expectation that is now integral to the modern luxury experience.

Cait:
We’re quite excited about Next Gen packaging materials that are becoming available, like using wheat straw residue left over after harvest to make pulp for paper and packaging. Are there innovations in packaging or product design that Vanity Group is excited about?

Belinda:
Yes, we’re particularly excited by innovations that reduce waste and minimise reliance on virgin materials. The use of agricultural byproducts such as wheat straw, sugarcane, and bamboo for packaging and dry amenities is a perfect example, transforming what would otherwise be waste into high-quality, sustainable materials.

We’re also exploring biodegradable, compostable, and refillable formats, and looking at how we can maintain luxury quality standards while lowering environmental impact.

Last year, we proudly introduced our latest and most sustainable format, Clean Charge. This leading, large-format solution delivers up to a 93% reduction in plastic waste and marks game-changing improvements in operational efficiency and hygiene.

Cait:
That’s impressive. I’m looking forward to hearing about these innovations. 

What’s one message you’d share with other brands in the hospitality or personal care sectors who might be considering shifting to more responsible paper packaging?

Belinda:
Our message to other brands is to start taking action now, as every product counts. Shifting to responsible paper packaging is not just good for the planet, it is becoming an expectation from guests and consumers who care about sustainability. Initiatives like Pack4Good make it easier to source materials that protect forests, and they provide guidance and accountability along the way. Partnering with programs like this ensures your brand can make meaningful change while still delivering the luxury experience your customers expect.

Cait:
If you could design the ultimate forest-friendly hotel amenity kit — what would it include? 

Belinda:
If I could design the ultimate forest-friendly hotel amenity kit, it would be beautifully simple and intentionally low impact: solid bars wrapped in FSC-certified paper, refillable aluminium vessels designed for longevity, bamboo essentials that naturally break down, and subtle native botanicals that evoke the feeling of the forest itself. Everything would be packaged in seed paper, designed to grow into something meaningful, rather than becoming waste. 

What would you include?

Cait:
My ultimate, forest-friendly hotel amenity kit, would focus on smart, circular design: refillable products, reusable materials and packaging made from recycled fibre and Next Gen materials like agriculture residues instead of virgin forest fibre. The goal would be to create something that still feels elevated and luxurious, while dramatically reducing waste and pressure on forests. 

To close our chat, in three words, how would you describe the future of paper packaging for hotel amenities in the hospitality sector?

Belinda:
Considered, purpose-driven, responsible. How about you?

Cait:
Circular, beautiful, tree-free!