Leading packaging companies are adopting 100% recycled plastic, advanced chemical recycling, and reclaimed plastic waste to reduce environmental impact and support circular economy goals. These innovations convert post-consumer materials into food-grade plastics while maintaining performance standards.
- Henkel's Fa brand now uses 100% recycled plastic in shower gel bottles and 50% recycled aluminum in deodorant packaging
- Amcor's chemical recycling pilot converts flexible plastic waste into pyrolytic oil for food-grade plastic production using Greenback's Enval technology
- German companies developed toilet paper packaging with 50% reclaimed plastic waste, meeting EU hygiene and safety regulations
- Digital traceability platforms track recycling processes and provide certification for mass balance claims across the plastics value chain
- These initiatives reduce carbon footprint and support localized recycling infrastructure without requiring equipment modifications
These initiatives highlight the ongoing efforts to innovate within packaging and recycling, helping industries to reduce their environmental impact and move closer to a sustainable, circular economy.
Learn more about ThePackHub's Innovation Zone here.
Henkel's personal care packaging adopts recycled plastic and aluminum
Henkel, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, has updated the packaging of its personal care brand Fa as part of a broader sustainability strategy. The relaunch includes converting Fa’s 250 ml and 400 ml shower gel bottles to transparent containers made from 100% recycled plastic, with a design that supports full recyclability. In parallel, selected deodorant variants now incorporate 50% recycled aluminum in their packaging. While the packaging update is a core focus, Henkel has also reformulated its shower gel products to include over 93% naturally derived ingredients, though this aspect lies outside the scope of packaging innovation. The use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and aluminum is intended to reduce the carbon footprint associated with the brand’s packaging materials. Transparent PET is commonly recycled in many European markets, and using high levels of PCR in rigid packaging supports circularity without major changes to material collection infrastructure. The recycled aluminum used in the aerosol products is positioned as a lower-impact alternative to virgin aluminum, which is highly energy-intensive to produce.
This modular pyrolysis system is designed to be co-located within existing industrial infrastructure to streamline integration and support localized recycling efforts. ThePackHub
Amcor's chemical recycling trial targets circularity for household flexibles
Flexible packaging manufacturer Amcor, in collaboration with UK-based Greenback Recycling Technologies, is piloting an advanced chemical recycling module to convert post-consumer flexible packaging into pyrolytic oil suitable for use in food-grade plastic production. The six-month trial is being conducted at Amcor’s Heanor facility in the UK, using Greenback’s Enval technology, which can process both mono-material and multilaminate flexible plastics. This modular pyrolysis system is designed to be co-located within existing industrial infrastructure to streamline integration and support localized recycling efforts. The project is financed by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and focuses primarily on household flexible plastic waste. A key component of the initiative is the implementation of Greenback’s eco2Veritas digital traceability platform, which uses AI and IoT to track the recycling process, from waste intake through to oil output, and provides digital certification for mass balance claims along the plastics value chain. The resulting pyrolytic oil is intended for conversion back into recycled plastics with traceable provenance. If successful, Amcor plans to scale the initiative with additional modules at the Heanor site and potentially at other locations, contributing to broader circularity goals for soft plastics.
The flexible packaging incorporated 50% material sourced from reclaimed plastic waste.ThePackHub
German companies collaborate on toilet paper pack that uses reclaimed plastic waste
A collaboration between several German companies, Wildplastic, Goldeimer, WEPA Deutschland, and Bischof+Klein, has resulted in the development of a flexible plastic packaging for toilet paper that incorporates 50% material sourced from reclaimed plastic waste, referred to as “wild plastic.” This wild plastic is collected from the environment, outside traditional recycling streams, and repurposed for packaging use. The project focuses on removing unmanaged plastic waste from the environment and reintroducing it into the production cycle, thereby supporting circular economy principles. A key aspect of the innovation lies in ensuring that the reclaimed material meets stringent hygiene and safety regulations applicable to packaging for hygiene products in Germany and the EU. The packaging is already available on the market and is designed to function within existing high-speed industrial machinery used by the manufacturing partners, without requiring equipment modifications. The approach demonstrates how flexible plastic films can incorporate post-consumer waste while maintaining performance requirements.
Learn more about ThePackHub's Innovation Zone here.
