July 25, 2026
CORPORATE ACTION: Henkel
Henkel France Signs Sustainability Plan With Carrefour
Henkel France signed a Sustainable Linked Business Plan with retailer Carrefour targeting reduced environmental impact across formulas, packaging and transport. It covers household brands including Le Chat, Mir and Schwarzkopf, spanning laundry, dishwashing and personal care categories. Henkel's Biomass Balance initiative substitutes renewable, waste-derived materials for fossil-based surfactants, supplied by partners such as BASF. Packaging plans include more recycled plastic, refillable formats and replacing some plastic with cardboard. Henkel president Cécile Leroi called the plan “ambitious in principle and realistic in its implementation.”[Image Credit: © Henkel France S.A.S., Boulogne-Billancourt]
CORPORATE ACTION: Procter & Gamble
P&G Uses Cleaning Expertise For Plastic Recycling
Procter & Gamble outlined three plastic-recycling technologies during a presentation at June’s Packaging Recycling Summit in Rosemont, Illinois. Teo Medellin, director of corporate packaging sustainability at P&G, outlined LAZRmark, a laser-marking system developed with LasX that decorates polypropylene and polyethylene directly, reducing label contamination. It’s approved by the Association for Plastic Recyclers and used on Tide caps. Medellin also mentioned FlexLoop, a solvent-extraction process with Lindner Washtech that removes contaminants, odors and labels from plastics, and dissolution technology, which purifies polypropylene and polyethylene through partners PureCycle and Dow while keeping polymer molecules intact.[Image Credit: © Procter & Gamble]
CORPORATE ACTION: Unilever
Greenpeace USA Urges Dove To Kick Plastic Out
Greenpeace USA staged a demonstration outside Dove's US HQ in Hoboken, New Jersey, displaying a 50-foot banner reading “Dove: Care for Men's Health, Kick Plastic Out.” Demonstrators wearing soccer jerseys distributed “red cards” spotlighting Dove, an official World Cup sponsor, days before the final at MetLife Stadium. Organizers cited research linking plastic chemicals to men’s health issues. Lindsey Jurca, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace USA, named parent company Unilever as one of the world's top plastic polluters. Greenpeace called on Unilever to adopt reuse and refill packaging systems.[Image Credit: © Greenpeace USA]
CORPORATE ACTION: Other
Mondelēz Hits Recyclability Goal, Delays Others To 2030
Mondelēz International published its “Snacking Made Right 2025” sustainability report, detailing progress on packaging goals. By the end of 2025, about 96% of the company's packaging was designed for recyclability, with a 98% target by 2030. Mondelēz cut virgin plastic use by 11.5% versus a 2020 baseline, beating its original 5% reduction target early. Recycled content reached 3.7%, short of the 5% 2030 goal, but several other targets shifted to 2030 from earlier deadlines due to new regulations and slower circular-economy infrastructure growth.[Image Credit: © Mondelēz International]
Fussy Ad Calls Out Plastic Deodorant Waste Habit
UK-based refillable deodorant brand Fussy launched its first television campaign, fronted by Dragon's Den investor Deborah Meaden. ‘Don't be a tosser’ began airing across Sky channels on July 1, alongside social and out-of-home activity. Meaden said, “every year, billions of single-use plastic deodorants are thrown away.” Founder and chief executive Matt Kennedy added, “We are a nation of tossers.” Fussy's refillable deodorant is already sold in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ocado and Waitrose.[Image Credit: © The Drum/Carnyx Group Ltd/Fussy]
ALLIANCES, PARTNERSHIPS & JVs
Brazil Recife Initiative Targets Waste And Plastic Pollution
In Brazil, Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced a partnership with the City of Recife and the Federal Government, backed by Clean Rivers and companies including Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever. The collaboration aims to unlock up to R$300 million in multi-year investment for collection and recycling systems in Recife, building on a new report from the Foundation, “Closing the Loop”, which finds improved waste management could recover billions of Brazilian reais in lost materials, create jobs and improve conditions for 800,000 waste pickers. [Image Credit: © Ellen MacArthur Foundation]
PACKAGING REDESIGNS
Suri Debuts Toothpaste With Compostable Refill Cartridges
London-based Suri’s new Restore Refillable Toothpaste features a reusable pump paired with plant-based refill packaging made from Vivomer, a biomaterial described as home-compostable after use. Each 60 ml refill cartridge is designed to last roughly one month per user. Refilling involves twisting off the pump, removing the refill cap, screwing in the new refill and locking it into place. [Image Credit: © Instagram from Meta/Suri]
Lion Trials Digital Returnable Crates And Beer Bottles In Auckland
Sydney-based beverage company Lion began piloting a returnable crate and bottle system for Steinlager at nearly 50 Super Liquor stores in Auckland, New Zealand. Lion describes the system as the first that combines beer bottles in a circular system with digital tracking, modernizing its earlier Swappa Crate model. Shoppers register in-store with a name and phone number, getting a barcode for checkouts and returns. Smaller 330ml bottles replace the 745ml format. [Image Credit: © Lion]
POLICY, REGULATION & LEGAL
Federal Judge Blocks California's Plastic Recycling Symbol Law
US District Judge William Q. Hayes granted a preliminary injunction, pausing enforcement of California’s Senate Bill 343, the state's Truth in Recycling law, which would prohibit producers from using the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol unless the packaging will be recycled. A coalition of business groups sued the state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta, claiming the law violated their free speech rights. The bill was due to go into effect in October this year.[Image Credit: © Kenny on Unsplash]
Oregon's Packaging EPR Law Faces Constitutional Trial Challenge
A five-day bench trial opened in July in US District Court in Portland. National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors v. Feldon is the first constitutional trial testing a state’s extended producer responsibility law. It centers on Oregon's Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, effective since July 1 last year. The plaintiffs argue that the state unconstitutionally delegated fee-setting and auditing power to Circular Action Alliance, a private nonprofit serving as the state's approved producer responsibility organization, and that the law burdens interstate commerce, violating the dormant Commerce Clause. Attorney Karen Harned called the arrangement “the worst kind of delegation.” A ruling could affect seven other states.[Image Credit: © Nareeta Martin on Unsplash]
EU Adopts New Rules For PET Bottle Recycling
New rules adopted in Europe at the end of June cover how single-use PET beverage bottles are recycled. For the first time, there’s a methodology for calculating, verifying and reporting recycled content, applying to both mechanical and chemical recycling technologies. Measures form part of the European Commission's December 2025 plastics package and aims to help member states reach recycled-content targets under the Single-Use Plastics Directive. [Image Credit: © Directorate-General for Communication European Commission]
New Laws Compel Firms To Address Toughest Plastics
Bags, wraps and flexible plastic packaging remain among the hardest materials to recycle, prompting new regulations across Europe, England and California. Under EU rules, most flexible packaging must contain minimum recycled content by 2030, while England will require councils to collect plastic films and bags from household bins starting March 2027. California is targeting a 65% recycling rate for single-use packaging by 2032. Flexible and multilayer plastics make up 58% of plastic packaging but less than 4% is recycled formally, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, which also says flexible and multilayer plastics represent 80% of municipal solid waste plastic leaking into oceans. Unilever's packaging head, Pablo Costa, said, “Flexible packaging is hard to collect and hard to recycle.”[Image Credit: © Minol Song on Pexels]
EU Retailers Seek Grace Period For PPWR Rules
Trade association EuroCommerce, representing retailers and wholesalers across the EU, wants a 12-month grace period once the bloc's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation begins in August. The new rules include elements such as recyclability requirements and reuse targets phased through 2030. EuroCommerce’s statement cites unresolved questions including PFAS.[Image Credit: © Marco on Pexels]
States, Trade Group Challenge California's Plastic Packaging Law
Led by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, a coalition of 17 states together with the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block California's Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. It argues that regulations requiring companies to reduce single-use plastics and make packaging recyclable or compostable are “onerous mandates” that raise costs for consumers. Hilgers said, “if California goes unchecked, consumers will be forced to pay more for basic necessities.” [Image Credit: © Matthias Zomer on Pexels]
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
NEO Launches Thailand's First Automated Refill Machine Network
Thai FMCG NEO Corporate Public Company Limited introduced the “NEO Refill Machine,” the country’s first automated station dispensing body wash, liquid detergent and fabric softener from one unit. Twenty-five pilot machines launched across Bangkok and nearby provinces, with further expansion planned by the end of the year. Customers pay by QR code before a closed-nozzle system dispenses the product. [Image Credit: © Neo Corporate Public Company Limited]
RESEARCH
Philippines Weighs Guidance For Upstream Plastic Waste Prevention
In the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Environmental Management Bureau, working with National Plastic Action Partnership Philippines and Plastic Reboot, is gathering input from companies to shape future guidance on measuring upstream plastic waste prevention under the Extended Producer Responsibility Act. Obliged Enterprises - producers and brand owners - are increasingly investing in reuse and refill systems, packaging redesign, material reduction and recycled content. Stakeholders say credible measurement methods are needed for wider adoption. [Image Credit: © United Nations Development Programme]
More...
Copyright 2026 Business360, Inc.