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Unilever Will Launch Recyclable Toothpaste Tube

Unilever will share the technology behind its recyclable toothpaste tube.
Unilever will share the technology behind its recyclable toothpaste tube.

The recyclable tubes will be available later this year in France and India, two of Unilever’s biggest oral care markets. Traditionally, most toothpaste tubes are made from a combination of plastic and aluminum, which gives the package its flexibility but also makes it difficult to recycle. The Unilever tube, says Babu Cherian, R&D Oral Care Packaging Director at Unilever, will not include aluminum.

 “Our new toothpaste tubes are made from a multilayer structure that consists of different polyethylene grades and an EVOH barrier,” says Cherian. “Based on the materials used, it’s categorized as HDPE, which is one of the most widely recyclable plastics globally. As part of the design, we not only wanted to make sure the tubes can be readily recycled, but also used less plastic. That’s why we developed the thinnest plastic lamination available on the toothpaste market at 220 microns.  Most toothpaste tubes are currently made using plastic that is 250 - 300 microns in thickness.”

The design has been approved by RecyClass, which sets the recyclability standard for Europe, as well as laboratories in Asia and North America. Meeting these rigorous requirements means the new tubes can be recycled within standard HDPE recycling streams.

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