P&G and Its Brands, Like Pantene, Gillette, Ariel, Fairy and Oral B Are Reducing Virgin Plastic by Design and Enable Circularity at Scale
Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) has announced significant progress in achieving its Ambition 2030 goals aimed at increasing packaging circularity in Europe. The company aims to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% and ensure 100% recyclability or reusability by 2030. P&G is the first FMCG to join the RecyClass initiative, receiving 12 product approvals for its recyclable packaging across various brands. P&G's Shave Care brands plan to eliminate 545 metric tons of plastic annually and introduce reusable aluminum bottles, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability.
- First FMCG company to join the RecyClass initiative, enhancing recycling standards.
- Achieved 12 product and technology approvals for recyclable packaging.
- Plans to eliminate 545 metric tons of plastic annually through new packaging initiatives.
- Increased annual use of recycled plastic to over 10,000 tonnes in various brands.
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Today the Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares its latest advancements toward packaging circularity in Europe which deliver against its “Ambition 2030” goals to reduce virgin plastic usage by
Consistent with the European Green Recovery and its aspiration to shift to a more circular economy, P&G has been the first FMCG company to join the RecyClass initiative, a certification approach for recycling requirements to help deliver the goal of making plastic packaging circular with traceability along the whole value chain. P&G obtained a record high of 12 product and technology approvals on its packaging across Hair Care, Home Care and Fabric Care brands confirming they meet the Design-for-Recycling criteria guidelines determined by RecyClass.
P&G Shave Care brands, Gillette and Venus are making strides to eliminate 545 metric tons of plastic over a year by moving to recyclable carton packaging, ia.e. the equivalent of over 55 million water bottles. Moving towards a reuse model breathes longevity into existing products to minimise waste. Household haircare brands, Head and Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie launched at scale a new reusable
“Much has changed in the last year, but our commitment to enabling and inspiring positive impacts through our supply chain, our brands and our partnerships has remained the same,” said Virginie Helias, P&G Chief Sustainability Officer. “We are innovating to accelerate the development of the circular economy: from spearheading the Holy Grail intelligent sorting concept, reducing our use of virgin petroleum plastic and increasing recycled material content to developing alternative refill models at scale. This is a combination of innovation and collective action.”
Reducing plastic use and increasing circularity
RecyClass’ key focus is to drive plastic packaging circularity P&G is named as the first FMCG company to join the initiative, an independent platform originated from Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE). P&G has received 12 product and technology approvals for its brands Oral B, Tide, Ariel and more, all of whom have redesigned their packs to make them recyclable and meet the RecyClass requirements. This cross-industry collaboration is essential to drive scale and deliver on P&G’s circularity goals.
Higher recycled content means reducing dependency upon fossil fuel. More than 10,000 tonnes of recycled plastic are now used every year across P&G Fabric and Home Care brands in Fairy, Mr Proper, Swiffer and Lenor.
Breathing new life into existing materials by efficient recycling
Recyclable packaging is often the most familiar starting point to engage with the notion of a circular economy. Improving the recycling rates is essential to bring a new life for exiting materials. Led by P&G in 2015, Project HolyGrail is an award-winning technology, designed to enhance packaging waste sorting in the EU with the objective to improve both the quality and quantity of recycled plastic. This watermarking technology is gaining momentum and is now expanding as part of AIM, the European Brands Association, key initiatives. More than 120 companies from across the value chain are participating in this pioneering project. Outside sorting, data management and consumer engagement are key pillars to the initiative. Increasing consumer participation and adopting advanced sorting technologies, are essential to improve the recycling rates in Europe. P&G is hopeful that this effort to demonstrate the potential of the technology will be recognised by the European Commission and incorporated into their plans for the reform of the Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive.
Beyond efficient sorting, to enable circularity, easy-to-recycle materials should be used at scale. Ensuring packaging remains functional whilst meeting the requirements for recycling systems across Europe is crucial to P&G’s innovation work.
In Europe, P&G’s Fabric & Home care brands including Ariel, Lenor and Dash pods bags and Fairy Automatic Dishwashing capsules bags started transitioning from a multilayer, non-recyclable flexible packaging to a single layer, recyclable packaging made of Polyethylene. This new packaging follows local eco-design criteria, to ensure the films are compatible within local recycling streams. Improving the packaging of everyday items such as Oral B’s first HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) tubes is another example of how millions of households can now recycle their toothpaste packaging in existing streams. In the same bathroom, Gillette and Venus have introduced brand new modern and sustainable packaging on their refillable razors range, which sees the brand switch from plastic packaging to recyclable cardboard packaging.
Break the cycle, to en
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