January 25, 2022
CORPORATE ACTION
World’s Biggest Brands Call For International Deal To Fight Plastic Production
Over 70 companies, including Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Nestlé, have signed a statement calling for a worldwide agreement to fight plastic pollution. The statement said that now is a “critical point in time to establish an ambitious UN treaty” and is timed as a precursor to the United Nations Environment Assembly conference (UNEA 5.2) later this year, which will seek to adopt an agreement to tackle plastic waste. As a backdrop, not even 10% of the plastic made to date has been recycled and, according to a 2021 Reuters study, emerging recycling technologies have so far failed to address the problem, all in the context of forecasts that plastic production will double in the next two decades.[Image Credit: © plasticpollutiontreaty.org]
CORPORATE ACTION: Aldi
Aldi Starts Testing Return Scheme For Drinks Bottles In Scotland
Aldi has started a test run of an in-store deposit return program for beverage containers in West Lothian, Scotland. The retailer started the trial ahead of a nationwide scheme to be launched in Scotland in July 2022. Aldi’s program encourages customers to return single-use aluminum drinks cans as well as single-use glass and plastic bottles to Aldi’s stores in Bathgate. During the trial, the company will collect data on consumer behavior to be used in planning the nationwide program.and/[Image Credit: © ALDI]
CORPORATE ACTION: Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola Renews Partnership With Plastic Bank To Collect Ocean-Bound Plastic Waste In Philippines
Coca-Cola has agreed to extend its collaboration with Plastic Bank to continue collecting plastic waste in 2022 that would otherwise pollute the ocean. The partnership started in September 2020 and has collected some 103 metric tons of plastic. Despite pandemic-related constraints and mobility limitations, the partners have collected 5 million pesos worth of plastic bottles and helped improve the welfare of 89 collectors, 356 households, and five communities.[Image Credit: © Plastic Bank]
CORPORATE ACTION: Colgate
Colgate Plans To Introduce 100% Recyclable Toothpaste Tubes
Colgate plans to launch recyclable toothpaste tubes in the U.S. in March 2022 and expects all its toothpaste lines in the country to come in recyclable tubes in 2023 and worldwide in 2025. The company was founded in 1873 and accounts for 34% of the U.S. toothpaste market. Public awareness of plastic’s adverse effects on the environment has driven Colgate to redesign its toothpaste tubes, with emphasis on using a single type of material to improve recyclability.[Image Credit: © Colgate-Palmolive]
CORPORATE ACTION: Lidl
Lidl Partners With Swiss Scientists To Develop Natural, Renewable Coating For Produce
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) and retail company Lidl Switzerland have joined forces to create a cellulose protective coating for fruits and vegetables. The protective cover is based on renewable raw materials and can help reduce packaging and food waste if used at large scale. Results of the tests conducted by Empa scientists showed that shelf life of bananas and cucumbers was prolonged by more than a week.[Image Credit: © Lidl]
CORPORATE ACTION: PepsiCo
PepsiCo Beverages North America Invests $35 Million In Closed Loop Partners
PepsiCo Beverages North America said it will invest $35 million in Closed Loop Partners to create the Closed Loop Local Recycling Fund. The circular economy initiative will help promote small-scale, modular recycling systems in communities across the U.S., and will help promote recycling in communities without or with limited access to recycling.[Image Credit: © PepsiCo]
CORPORATE ACTION: Procter & Gamble
Iowa City Beauty Care Plant Leads P&G’s Innovation And Sustainability Efforts
Procter & Gamble’s Iowa City Beauty Care manufacturing plant has played a leading role in the company’s efforts to develop beauty care innovations aimed at meeting the requirements of consumers and the environment. For example, company researchers and technologists have developed the EC-30, a product that uses dissolvable fibers designed to replace existing water-based products. The Iowa City factory plans to expand operations and will recruit 50 new team members in January and February 2022.[Image Credit: © Procter & Gamble]
CORPORATE ACTION: Reckitt Benckiser
SC Johnson Key In Helping Plastic Bank Stop 40 Million Kilograms Of Plastic From Polluting Oceans
Plastic Bank said it has prevented 2 billion plastic bottles or more than 40 million kilograms of plastic from polluting the ocean. The non-profit group’s partnership with SC Johnson has accounted for more than 50% of the total while helping some people earn extra money in some of the world’s poorest communities. In particular, the partnership has recorded many accomplishments, such as creating 379 collection centers in Indonesia, Philippines, and Brazil since 2018, and launching 100% recycled plastic bottles in SC Johnson’s Windex and Mr Muscle brands.[Image Credit: © SC Johnson]
CORPORATE ACTION: Unilever
Unilever Claims Ban Will Not Solve World’s Plastic Pollution Problem
The world’s plastic pollution problem cannot be solved by banning plastic completely but by reducing the production and use of virgin plastic while keeping all existing plastic in a circular economy. Unilever has vowed to cut in half its use of virgin plastic by 2025 and design its packaging to be 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The company has also joined and agreed to support several voluntary industry agreements, including the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.[Image Credit: © Unilever plc]
Unilever Strives To Cut Use Of Virgin Plastic In Half By 2025
The world can solve the problem of plastic pollution by reducing the use of virgin plastic and keeping all produced plastic in a circular economy. Unilever said it is doing its part by working to halve its use of virgin plastic by 2025 and designing its packaging to be 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The company has also signed up to various industry agreements, such as the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Unilever has joined the call for a legally binding United Nations treaty to deal with plastic pollution in a global scale.[Image Credit: © Unilever plc]
Unilever Introduces Recyclable, 100% Recycled Bottles For Dove Body Wash
Unilever has introduced the new Dove Reusable Bottles and Body Wash Concentrate that come in recyclable and 100% recycled bottles. The company said the bottles are designed to be reused and refilled with Dove body wash concentrates. Consumers have two packaging options, Dove Reusable Aluminum Bottle + Body Wash Concentrate which uses 50% less plastic after two refills, and Dove Reusable Bottle + Body Wash Concentrate which uses 50% less plastic after four refills.[Image Credit: © Unilever plc]
CORPORATE ACTION: Other
SC Johnson CEO Calls For Better, More Sustainable Way To Manage Plastic Waste
SC Johnson CEO Fisk Johnson believes America needs a “better and more sustainable way” to deal with plastic waste. Solving the problem of plastic pollution requires greater regulation, such as extended producer responsibility. However, regulation alone cannot solve the problem and will require major innovation and technological advances by producers in order to manufacture products that are more easily recycled or reusable than they are now.[Image Credit: © SC Johnson]
CAMPAIGNS, COMMITMENTS & NGOs
New Coalition Aims To Promote Recycling Of Small-Format Packaging
The Sustainability Consortium has partnered with consumer packaged goods companies, non-profit groups, and universities to launch a coalition focused on recycling of small-format packaging. The group aims to accomplish its goal of promoting circularity of small-format packaging, defined by the Association of Plastic Recyclers as smaller than 2 inches in two dimensions, using “science-based, collective actions”. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation thinks small-format packaging accounts for 10% of all packaging by weight.[Image Credit: © pmv chamara]
ALLIANCES, PARTNERSHIPS & JVs
Tokyo Gives Go Signal For Demo Recycling Initiative Supported By Four Companies
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has chosen the Collaborative Plastic Recycling Program initiative for the 2021 Innovative Technology and Business Model Promotion Project. Unilever Japan, Kao Corporation, P&G Japan G.K., and Lion Corporation will implement the initiative. The initiative was started by Unilever Japan and Kao Corporation in Higashi-Yamato City in June 2021 and aims to collect used bottles of personal and home care products and recycle them back into bottles.[Image Credit: © The Tokyo Metropolitan Government]
CONSUMER & PUBLIC OPINION
Industry Needs To Tell Public About Current Limits Of UK Recycling
Consumers in the UK are losing faith in companies’ waste recycling claims. Results of the latest INCPEN survey revealed 44% of respondents in England, 46% in Scotland, and 50% in Wales said their recycling behaviors are affected by whether waste is actually recycled. Media reports of collected waste being incinerated, ending in landfills, or exported to other countries are discouraging consumers from participating in recycling programs. The recycling industry needs to be more open with the public regarding the factors and limitations affecting the UK’s recycling capabilities.[Image Credit: © Nick Fewings]
MARKET NEWS
Eastman Plans To Build $1-Billion Molecular Plastics Recycling Site In France
Eastman says it will invest up to $1 billion in a material-to-material molecular plastics recycling facility in France, using the company’s polyester renewal technology to recycle up to 160,000 metric tons of hard-to-recycle plastic waste each year. The company said the project will be built in several phases and will comprise a unit to make mixed plastic waste ready for processing, one for depolymerizing the waste, and polymer lines to make various “first-quality” materials for specialty, packaging, and textile uses.[Image Credit: © Eastman ]
Loop Industries Chooses Northern France Site For First European Infinite Loop Factory
Loop Industries, Inc., said it has decided to build its first European Infinite Loop manufacturing facility in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, in the region of Normandy in Northern France. Loop Industries is building the facility as a joint venture with French environmental services company Suez. The planned facility is designed to manufacture 70,000 tons of PET resin made from 100% recycled content yearly.[Image Credit: © Loop Industries]
PACKAGING REDESIGNS
Happier Beauty Announces Refillable Toothpaste Dispenser
Happier Beauty is developing a refillable toothpaste dispenser with biodegradable capsules. The oral care brand revealed the “world’s first” is made of aluminum and 50% recycled plastic. The refill system, to be launched in Spring 2022, will come in four colors: mint, pink, peach, and white.[Image Credit: © Happier Beauty]
Wild Cosmetics Starts Selling Earth-Friendly Deodorants At Leading UK Retail Stores
Wild Cosmetics said it has secured deals with major retailers to sell its sustainable and refillable deodorants in the UK. The independent deodorant brand was founded in 2019 and offers a range of natural deodorants that come in a refillable and durable external casing. The company also said it plans to expand operations to the EMEA region, including France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland.[Image Credit: © Wild UK]
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
Papkot’s Chemical Technology Equips Paper Packaging With Plastic-Like Properties
Business startup Papkot has developed a chemical process that turns paper into a sustainable and environment-friendly alternative to plastic packaging. Business partners Manuel Milliery and Diana Fayad co-founded the company to develop the paper packaging that features properties of plastic packaging and that can protect the product from humidity and contaminants. Papkot won one of the awards at the 2022 Circular Challenge, earning the chance to benefit from Citeo’s support and ecosystem for one year.[Image Credit: © Papkot ]
EMERGING IDEAS, THEMES & TRENDS
Six Trends Will Determine Direction For US Sustainable Packaging In 2022
Trends likely to influence sustainable packaging in the United States in 2022 include extended producer responsibility (EPR), which is expected to expand after reaching the US in 2021, as well as additional laws similar to “Truth in Labeling” that are likely to be enacted by states. Brands and packaging suppliers will increase efforts to remove toxic materials from packaging, and more companies are projected to adopt a more holistic approach to packaging. Reusable and refillable packaging is forecast to have slow, steady growth, while companies will be held accountable for their packaging’s impact on the environment.[Image Credit: © Mitzie Organics]
Space NK Partners With Handle Recycling To Launch Cosmetics Packaging Recycling Initiative
Space NK has partnered with Handle Recycling to launch a beauty packaging recycling program. Through the initiative, Space NK will install collection points in the company’s 74 stores across the UK to gather used and empty cosmetics packaging that otherwise would end up in landfills. Handle Recycling will then sort collected waste materials and place them in the appropriate waste stream.[Image Credit: © Handle Recycling ]
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