Walk down the personal care aisle at Target in America, and Wild Cosmetics stands out immediately, not only because of the eye-catching, whimsical packaging, but also because it is the only under-$18 eco-friendly refillable deodorant option on the shelf.
When Unilever acquired the UK personal care brand Wild in 2025, it was considered a step forward in big corporate sustainability. On paper, it looks like a clean, plastic-free, vegan-friendly British success story. Peel back the label, however, and an economic factor is revealed: the West’s developing green economy is dependent on Chinese manufacturing power.
To comply with the European Union’s strict new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), brands must ensure all packaging meets rigorous ‘Design for Recycling’ criteria by 2030. For mass-market and indie brands alike, navigating these laws raises the question: Is “Made in China” still the smart business choice?
B Corp Transparency
Operating as a certified B-Corp, Wild meets an industry gold standard for transparency. Rather than hiding global logistics behind marketing buzzwords, the company publicly documents their factory origins, stating that while their botanical formulas are blended in the UK, their specialized refillable post-consumer recycled plastic and aluminum cases, as well as 100% plastic-free bamboo pulp refills are manufactured by elite partners in China.
For a giant like Unilever, or a fast-growing brand trying to maintain shelf space at Target, absorbing shifting regulatory costs requires manufacturing efficiency–and Chinese factories operate at lightning speed.
The Voluntary Carbon Offsetting Model
To balance the environmental impact of shipping across continents, Wild has relied on a carbon offsetting model since its launch in 2020. By partnering with organizations like ON A MISSION, the brand funds reforestation projects. This reflects the new green economy framework.
While the EU restricts carbon credits, the post-Brexit UK and China have actively partnered to build mutual voluntary carbon markets. China is also rapidly greening its own economy, transforming its industrial centers with cleaner energy while planting trees to naturally absorb corporate emissions. British companies rely on this UK-China financial bridge to mitigate their environmental footprint.
Eco-Premium Practicalities
It could be said that the West has prioritized a “rentier” economic model, focusing on banking, marketing, and administration while letting the industrial base hollow out. In contrast, China has been focusing on advancing industrial dominance, establishing over 30,000 advanced, digitalized smart factories. According to the International Federation of Robotics, China installed “a record 354,000 industrial robots in 2025 accounting for 59% of global installations.”
Green Panda Bonds
To fund this industrial dominance, institutional capital from the West flows into China through corporate debt and “Green Panda Bonds.” The term “Green Panda Bonds” explains how China is greening its industrial infrastructure, as major foreign entities–like international banks and automotive companies–borrow low-interest Chinese money to fund green transitions.
For some beauty brands, manufacturing in China is no longer just about cheaper labor costs, it is a strategic way to secure the high-tech, compliant packaging required to survive the developing green economy. Will China’s factories provide the high-speed tooling capacity required to keep the “eco-premium” from spiraling out of reach?