Recycling initiatives continue to be one of the most active sustainability areas, driven by challenging Plastic Pacts around the world that are part of a three-pronged objective to deliver 100% recyclable packaging by 2025. Packaging taxes that require 30% recycled content are influencing change as well as the focus on stretching recycling targets.
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Unilever's Domestos 50% PCR Bleach BottlesUnilever
British multinational consumer goods company Unilever has announced that its UK 750ml bleach range Domestos is being re-launched in new bottles made with 50% post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR). The move across its bleach range is expected to save 1,505 metric tons of virgin plastic per annum. The change is being communicated with new front-of-pack labelling. The Domestos liquid bottles range is fully recyclable, and all products include an On-Pack Recycling Label (ORPL) logo to encourage more consumers to recycle bleach bottles. With plastic waste being a key environmental concern for shoppers, Unilever confirmed that they are already working towards bottles made with 100% recycled plastic. The new 750ml bottles are available in Original, Citrus and Pink across all UK channels with a RRP of £1.25. The move is part of Unilever’s global packaging commitment, which includes reducing its absolute use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 metric tons by 2025.
Anheuser-Busch Ambev 'green PET' soft drink bottlesThePackHub
Brazilian brewers Ambev, who are part of Anheuser-Busch, has formed a partnership with Dutch chemical and renewable technology company Avantium. The companies have agreed to use PEF (polyethylene furanoate), which is a 100% vegetable and 100% recyclable alternative to PET (also known as “green PET”), to be used on Ambev’s range of soft drink bottles. The two companies have worked together to develop, from this biomaterial, bottles with multilayers that also have functional advantages to maximize the flavor and effervescence of the soft drink. According to Avantium, PEF is 10 times better at retaining oxygen, and 16 times better as a barrier to CO2. Avantium is building the world’s first commercial plant to produce FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) from plant-based sugars, which is a building block of PEF. The inauguration of the factory is scheduled for the end of 2023, with the commercial launch of PEF from 2024.
Anomatic and Novelis 100% aluminum alloy cosmetics packagingThePackHub
Two American companies have formed a partnership to introduce a new alloy that contains 100% recycled aluminum for packaging for the cosmetics market. Anomatic is a manufacturer of large-quantity aluminum parts for cosmetic companies’ packaging, including Revlon, Maybelline, Estee Lauder and Mary Kay. Novelis is a leading producer of rolled aluminum and the global leader in aluminum recycling. Together they have launched evercycle Cosmetics, a new alloy certified by SCS Global Services to contain 100% recycled aluminum. The companies say that their long standing partnership enabled them to develop evercycle while reducing the carbon footprint, helping to benefit brands and consumers alike who are seeking more sustainable solutions. The new alloy comes as consumer-packaged goods brands face new legislation to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures, including greenhouse gas emissions, product life cycle analysis, and future targets and goals.
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