August 25, 2025
CORPORATE ACTION: Henkel
Fa Relaunches Body Care With Recycled Packaging
Henkel’s Fa brand relaunched its body care range with updated formulas, fragrances and packaging designed to cut plastic use. All shower gel bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic; deodorant sprays use 50% recycled aluminium in lightweight cans. The relaunch also simplifies product lines into clearer categories, including Soft, Fresh, Moods, Men and Kids, while maintaining skin-friendly and natural ingredient-based formulas. [Image Credit: © Henkel Central Eastern Europe Gesellschaft mbH]
Snuggle® Advances Sustainable Laundry Innovation
Henkel’s Snuggle® brand is reducing plastic waste and emissions through concentrated laundry formulas and recycled packaging. In 2025, the brand saved 9 million gallons of water, cut plastic waste by 5% and avoided over 4,000 metric tons of CO₂. Snuggle® also promotes sustainable habits, encouraging consumers to wash at lower temperatures and use precise detergent amounts. [Image Credit: © Henkel Corporation]
Henkel Australia Marks 50 Years with Sustainability and Innovation Drive
Henkel celebrated 50 years in Australia with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and partnerships. Sustainability milestones include fully renewable electricity at manufacturing plants since 2022 and a 50% emissions cut that year. Henkel is progressing toward 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030 and has boosted recycled plastic content to 25%. Recent acquisitions including the purchase of Earthwise expands its eco-focused home care portfolio, complementing earlier laundry brand acquisitions.[Image Credit: © Henkel Australia Pty. Ltd.]
Henkel Uses Mass Balance as Transitional Sustainability Tool
Henkel is advancing its packaging sustainability strategy through a mass balance approach, an attribution system that enables renewable raw materials to replace fossil feedstocks in plastic production. Under this method, suppliers blend renewable and fossil-based inputs, while independent certification (ISCC PLUS) ensures that the correct share of renewable content is allocated to Henkel’s products. The system works similarly to renewable energy credits: consumers may not directly receive green electricity, but their purchase guarantees equivalent renewable generation. Henkel used this approach for its toilet rim block cages, where technical barriers hinder use of recycled polypropylene. Recycled inputs fall short on child safety, quality consistency, and appearance, making mass balance a practical interim solution. By using mass balance, Henkel reports over 10,000 tons of CO₂ savings annually. It plans to expand mass balance across more formats, positioning it as a bridging technology until higher-quality recycled materials become available.[Image Credit: © Henkel AG & Co. KGaA]
CORPORATE ACTION: L’Oréal
L’Oréal Expands Refill Options Across Brands
L’Oréal is scaling up refill systems across skincare, fragrances, haircare and makeup lines to cut packaging waste. Jacques Playe, Global Head of Packaging and Product Development, explains that refills reduce material use while keeping product performance and design standards high. For example, fragrance refills can save up to 67% plastic and 44% glass compared to buying new bottles. L’Oréal adapted production sites in France and Spain to support refillable formats and launched its global #JoinTheRefillMovement campaign to raise consumer awareness. The company aims to make refills a mainstream beauty ritual, encouraging industry-wide adoption of circular packaging models.[Image Credit: © LinkedIn Corporation]
CORPORATE ACTION: Procter & Gamble
P&G Targets Full Recyclable Packaging by 2030
P&G restated its commitment to reducing plastic waste with a target to make all consumer packaging recyclable or reusable by 2030. The company aims to cut virgin petroleum resin use by 50% per unit of production (vs. 2017 levels) and expand use of recycled content and alternative materials such as paper. Recent examples include Gillette and Venus transitioning to FSC-certified, plastic-free cardboard packaging. P&G’s strategy relies on lifecycle analysis, design innovation, and partnerships with groups like The Recycling Partnership, Circulate Capital, and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. The company is also supporting infrastructure development in emerging markets to curb plastic leakage. [Image Credit: © Procter & Gamble]
CORPORATE ACTION: Reckitt Benckiser
EPR Regulations Turn Packaging into a Data Game
New EPR legislation is making packaging costs a data problem as much as a materials one. Stricter recyclability targets and eco-modulation fees require brands to know exactly what’s in their packaging and to manage this data digitally. Reckitt’s former packaging lead urges companies to assign a dedicated packaging data owner and integrate digital tools to identify and avoid high-cost formats. He warns that many SMEs are unprepared, with critical specifications trapped in “data graveyards.” Tools such as Recyda help map costs and recyclability across markets, allowing brands to make informed early-stage decisions. Forward-thinking brands will treat compliance as an innovation driver, using predictive tools to reduce costs and improve recyclability before products hit the market.[Image Credit: © LinkedIn Corporation]
CORPORATE ACTION: Unilever
Business Coalition Urges Global Plastics Treaty
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Unilever along with over 300 businesses in the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty are calling for harmonized rules to cut plastic pollution. Despite stalled negotiations at the latest UN talks in Geneva, the coalition supports binding measures across the plastics lifecycle, including product design standards, phase-outs and EPR. Members argue that fragmented national policies delay investment in circular solutions, while a global framework would give clarity for businesses and governments. The coalition stresses that voluntary action is not enough and urges governments to push forward with a strong, coordinated treaty to address plastic waste.[Image Credit: © Tom Fisk on Pexels]
Greenpeace Targets Unilever for 89 Billion Additional Sachets Since 2023
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Greenpeace intensified pressure on Unilever, accusing it of environmental hypocrisy for selling 1,700 plastic sachets every second, 89 billion more since a 2023 campaign. These multilayer sachets are nearly impossible to recycle, often polluting waterways or being burned, causing toxic emissions. The problem is most acute in Global South markets like Indonesia, where sachets make up 16% of all plastic waste. Public activism has included protests at Unilever’s HQ, consumer product “stickering,” and coordinated global petitions. While Unilever now supports the Global Plastics Treaty and is piloting multi-company reuse initiatives in Indonesia and Canada, it has made no commitment to phase out sachets entirely. For brand managers, this is a case study in how sustainability inaction can escalate into reputational risk, fuel activism, and threaten license to operate in key emerging markets. Greenpeace says competitors embracing refill and reuse may find opportunity to position themselves as genuine leaders in waste reduction.[Image Credit: © Unilever]
CAMPAIGNS, COMMITMENTS & NGOs
EPR Packaging Rules Advance Across US States
Extended Producer Responsibility laws are reshaping packaging obligations in the US by making producers responsible for collection, recycling and disposal. States including Maine, Oregon, California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington are advancing EPR frameworks with varying timelines. Common requirements include joining Producer Responsibility Organizations, reporting packaging data and paying fees based on environmental impact. These laws encourage design-for-recyclability, refill systems and recycled content use. Packaging leaders must prepare for stricter reporting and compliance deadlines to avoid penalties. Early adoption of recyclable and reusable packaging can reduce costs while aligning with US and global waste reduction strategies.[Image Credit: © SmartSolve - Water Soluble Materials]
Gartner Says Most Brands Will Downgrade Sustainable Packaging Goals by 2028
Gartner estimates 75% of companies with voluntary sustainable packaging goals will abandon them in favour of meeting only minimum legal requirements by 2028. Rising costs, regulatory complexity, difficulties changing consumer behaviors and operational hurdles in meeting voluntary goals are key drivers. While sustainable packaging adoption grew to 50% in 2023, 90% of public commitments are expected to remain unmet this year. Instead, companies are getting more focused on EPR legislation, already enacted in 12 US states, that is shifting financial and operational responsibility for packaging to producers, requiring detailed material data, faster redesign cycles, and supply chain adjustments. [Image Credit: © Julia M. Cameron on Pexels]
PACKAGING REDESIGNS
Refill Systems Under EU Packaging Rules
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation prioritizes reuse and refill systems to cut waste. Refill models range from in-store refill stations to refill pouches, concentrated products and brand-specific starter kits, but each has trade-offs: for example, simple pouches and concentrates are easy to use, while branded kits encourage loyalty but limit consumer choice. Case studies show mixed results. Germany’s dm dropped bulk refill stations due to low uptake, while Hungary’s ReSpray refillable spray can system shows promise. Success depends on convenience, consumer behaviour and system design. [Image Credit: © Sarah Chai on Pexels]
ProAmpac Launches Recyclable Cheese Packaging
ProAmpac introduced a recycle-ready film platform for chunk cheese packaging, designed to meet both performance and sustainability needs. The polyolefin-based films are compatible with polyethylene recycling streams and can include post-consumer recycled content. They are engineered to withstand high-speed filling, resist punctures and maintain freshness. [Image Credit: © ProAmpac]
Global Regulations Slowly Redefining Packaging Strategies From Linear To Circular
This report shows how global packaging regulations are moving from a “take-make-dispose” model to circular systems emphasizing reuse, recyclability, and recycled content. The EU’s PPWR is the most comprehensive, setting 2030 targets for 40% reusable transport packaging, high recycling rates across materials, and minimum recycled content thresholds. These policies, echoed in Asia and the Americas, aim to cut per capita packaging waste by 15% by 2040. These changes align with consumer demand for sustainable packaging, but suppliers face rising EPR fees and compliance costs, and increased complexity as regulatory approaches may vary across regions. Authors claim early adopters of reuse systems, lightweight designs, and clear sustainability labeling can build stronger consumer trust. [Image Credit: © Adam Novak from Pixabay]
POLICY, REGULATION & LEGAL
Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Law Raises Industry Concerns on Costs, Constitutionality
Colorado’s HB 22-1355 mandates that producers of most packaging and paper products pay per-pound dues to fund residential and public recycling services, with flexible plastics costing up to $0.86/lb and rigid plastics up to $0.90/lb. The initiative is project to raise $215–$267M annually to fund a more than doubling of recycling rates by 2035. Business groups warn of significant new costs during a period of persistent inflation and legal challenges are likely. The initiative signals a broader policy trend toward shifting recycling costs to producers, with possible ripple effects across other states.[Image Credit: © Sigmund on Unsplash]
US Resisted Global Plastic Production Caps at UN Treaty Talks
The United States circulated a memo urging countries to reject caps on plastic production at the UN treaty negotiations in Geneva. The stance, reported by Reuters, put Washington at odds with more than 100 nations that pressed for production limits as part of a legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution. The U.S. argued that caps would drive up costs for consumers and insists countries should decide their own approaches, such as bans or recycling. This position aligns with oil-producing states and contrasts with growing international momentum to reduce virgin plastic at the source. [Image Credit: © Aaron Kittredge on Pexels]
RESEARCH
Lancet Warns That Plastic Pollution Costs Now Rival National Economies
A Lancet review warns that plastics cause $1.5T in annual health damages, harming people from infancy to old age through every stage of their lifecycle, from fossil fuel extraction to disposal. Plastic production has surged 200x since 1950 and is projected to triple to over 1B tonnes annually by 2060, with single-use packaging leading growth. Further, plastic is 98% fossil-fuel-based and its production releases 2B tonnes of CO₂ annually, more than Russia’s emissions. The paper says recycling alone cannot work with recycling rates under 10% and argues for production cuts and circular solutions. [Image Credit: © Tom Fisk on Pexels]
OTHER NEWS
Global Refill Systems: Lessons for Brands Driving Circular Growth
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Refill and return systems work best when reuse is embedded in familiar purchase behaviours. Here’s a global roundup. In Ontario, Farm Boy uses a $2-deposit model for glass milk bottles, while in the UK, Milk & More modernises doorstep delivery, reusing bottles up to 28 times. Germany’s Pfand deposit-return scheme is bolstered by informal “bottle fairy” collection, enhancing recovery rates. Japan integrates recycling with vending machine culture, ensuring PET bottles are reprocessed into new bottles. In Brazil, in-store refill taps for beer and soda create low-waste, engaging shopping experiences. France’s “en vrac” movement promotes bulk refills across categories, supported by L’Occitane’s branded refill stations. South Korea’s coffee cup deposit schemes expand reuse networks across multiple cafés. Ontario’s Beer Store demonstrates the longevity of such systems, reusing or recycling over 90% of beer containers. Convenience, deposit incentives, and embedding reuse into existing purchase habits drive uptake.[Image Credit: © Sarah Chai on Pexels]
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