September 25, 2025
CORPORATE ACTION: Colgate
Colgate-Palmolive Advances Circular Packaging Goals
Colgate-Palmolive’s 2024 Sustainability and Social Impact Report highlights the company’s progress toward circular packaging and net-zero carbon goals. By December 2024, 93% of its packaging was recyclable, reusable, or compostable, with a 25% reduction in virgin plastic from a 2019 baseline. Its recyclable toothpaste tube is now available in more than 70 countries. Colgate is also expanding post-consumer recycled content, targeting 25% by 2025. Beyond packaging, the company is cutting greenhouse gas emissions, sourcing renewable energy and promoting deforestation-free supply chains. [Image Credit: © Colgate Palmolive]
CORPORATE ACTION: Danone
Danone Resolves Plastic Packaging Lawsuits
Danone settled two lawsuits alleging misleading claims about its plastic packaging. In one, filed by the Plastic Pollution Coalition in Washington, D.C., Danone agreed to fund projects developing plastic-free or reduced-plastic solutions for Evian bottles in the US. In the other, brought by Earth Island Institute in California, Danone agreed to support waste-reduction initiatives and disclose the limits of plastic recycling on its website. Several other consumer goods companies face ongoing litigation, with trials scheduled for 2026.[Image Credit: © Danone North America]
CORPORATE ACTION: L’Oréal
L’Oréal Luxe Launches Fragrance Refill Fountains In US
L’Oréal’s Luxe division introduced fragrance refill fountains at select US Dillard’s stores, covering popular scents from Lancôme, YSL, Mugler and Giorgio Armani Beauty. Long available in Europe, the initiative aims to cut packaging waste by encouraging customers to refill rather than repurchase bottles. For example, refilling a 100ml bottle of Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle Elixir saves 73% of glass and 66% of plastic versus buying two 50ml bottles. L’Oréal plans to expand the range of refillable fragrances as consumer adoption grows. [Image Credit: © L’Oréal S.A.]
CORPORATE ACTION: PepsiCo
PepsiCo Reports Progress on Packaging Goals
PepsiCo’s latest ESG report shows a 5% reduction in virgin plastic use in 2024, surpassing its annual target of 2%. It now aims for consistent 2% yearly reductions through 2030 and 40% recycled content in packaging by 2035. Recyclable, reusable and compostable packaging made up 93% of PepsiCo’s primary and secondary packaging in 2024. However, earlier this year, PepsiCo discontinued its goal of 20% reusable beverage servings by 2030. [Image Credit: © PepsiCo]
CORPORATE ACTION: Unilever
FlexCollect Proves Flexible Plastic Recycling Works
The FlexCollect project, backed by Unilever and others, released a blueprint showing that kerbside collection of flexible plastics can be effective, affordable and popular with the public. Over three years, pilots across 10 UK local authorities collected 400 tonnes of material, demonstrating high participation rates and satisfaction among households. The plastics were successfully sorted and recycled into products such as bags and outdoor furniture. However, the report highlights a need for greater UK reprocessing capacity and market development for recycled flexible plastics. [Image Credit: © Unilever]
Unilever, SCGC Launch Food-Grade Recycled Packaging
Unilever Thailand and SCG Chemicals introduced ASEAN’s first ISCC PLUS-certified food-grade recycled plastic packaging for Knorr Professional products. Using SCGC’s advanced recycling technology, used plastic is converted into circular naphtha feedstock and processed into resins with the same quality as virgin plastic. The companies see this as a model for scaling safe, circular packaging solutions across the region.[Image Credit: © SCG Chemicals Public Company Limited]
CORPORATE ACTION: Other
Sam’s Club China Debuts Label-Free Bottled Water
Sam’s Club China’s label-free Member’s Mark bottled water eliminates plastic labels, inks and adhesives, and simplifies recycling by leaving a single material to process. Nutritional information remains on outer packaging for multi-bottle packs. The initiative is part of Walmart’s broader sustainability strategy. [Image Credit: © Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels.]
CAMPAIGNS, COMMITMENTS & NGOs
Mississippi River Mayors Demand Plastic Action
Mayors from the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative issued a declaration urging stronger action to cut plastic waste, calling for Extended Producer Responsibility policies to make manufacturers pay for recycling and disposal, reducing taxpayer burden. The Mississippi River is a major contributor of plastic pollution to the Gulf of Mexico, equivalent to a garbage truck of plastic entering the ocean every minute. Local initiatives, like Memphis’ “Choose to Reuse” campaign and new bottle refill stations, aim to change consumer behavior. [Image Credit: © Yogendra Singh on pexels]
Global Supermarket Audit Finds Minimal Plastic Action
Break Free From Plastic’s first global audit of supermarket practices related to plastic waste covers 247 retailers in 27 countries. It found most stores are only meeting minimum requirements where laws exist, with few implementing proactive measures like bulk goods sections or container-friendly deli counters. Deposit return systems are common in Germany but rare elsewhere. While many stores have reduced single-use bags, other opportunities remain largely untapped. [Image Credit: © Carlo Martin Alcordo on Pexels.com]
City to Sea Closes After Funding Shortfall
UK environmental charity City to Sea is shutting down after 10 years of campaigning to cut single-use plastic pollution. Its Refill app connected users to over 370,000 refill stations worldwide, preventing an estimated 100 million bottles annually and campaigns contributed to major policy wins, such as bans on plastic cotton buds, cutlery and polystyrene takeaway packaging. Despite strong public demand for reuse systems, funding constraints, limited regulation and an economy optimized for single-use made operations unsustainable. Efforts are underway to preserve its programs and legacy.[Image Credit: © City to Sea]
PACKAGING REDESIGNS
Standardized Packaging Could Boost Recycling Success
A proposal to standardize packaging across product categories argues that aligning materials, colors and adhesives could make recycling more cost-effective and reliable. The current variety of packaging complicates sorting, leading to low recycling rates and downcycling of valuable plastics. Standardization could also make reuse systems more efficient, since shared designs would allow common washing and return infrastructure. Though some companies may resist losing packaging individuality, standardization wouldn’t prevent branding through labels or design features. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, standardized packaging and shared infrastructure in reuse systems could capture a 40% market share in some categories compared to 2% with a fragmented model. [Image Credit: © Matthias Zomer on Pexels.com]
POLICY, REGULATION & LEGAL
California Passes PFAS Ban, Microbead Restrictions
California lawmakers passed SB 682, banning food packaging with intentionally added PFAS by 2028 and extending restrictions to products like dental floss, cleaning goods and cookware in later years. Another bill, AB 823, expands the state’s 2020 microbead ban to include non-rinse-off personal care products, cleaning supplies and plastic glitter, phasing out sales by 2030. Both bills received strong support from environmental and municipal groups, citing health and environmental harms. A separate proposal to improve postconsumer recycled content reporting stalled this session. [Image Credit: © Ramaz Bluashvili on Pexels.com]
Tofino Bans Sale Of Small Plastic Water Bottles
Tofino, British Columbia, will ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles of one liter or less from April next year, aligning with Earth Day in a move that builds on previous bans on plastic bags, straws, utensils and foam containers. Local officials and advocacy groups see the decision as a way to protect beaches and wildlife, while encouraging visitors to bring reusable bottles. Public education campaigns will support the transition. [Image Credit: © Dennis from Pixabay]
EMERGING IDEAS, THEMES & TRENDS
Refill Stations Transform Personal Care Shopping
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Germany is rolling out refill vending machines for personal care items like shampoo, conditioner and hand soap. Shoppers bring their empty containers, choose their product and quantity on a touchscreen, and refill on the spot, paying only for the liquid. Some stations offer scent customization, making the experience more engaging. [Image Credit: © Sarah Chai on Pexels]
RESEARCH
Global Plastic Waste Hits Record 225 Million Tonnes
Earth Action For Impact reports that humanity will generate 225 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2025, surpassing global waste management capacity on September 5, this year’s “Plastic Overshoot Day.” Nearly 32% of this waste is expected to be mismanaged, leaving 72 million tonnes to pollute the environment. Packaging remains the largest contributor, followed by textiles and household goods. The report warns that recycling alone cannot solve the crisis and that 12 countries account for 60% of mismanaged waste and over three-quarters of the global population lives in countries that have already exceeded their waste management capacity for the year.[Image Credit: © Pete Linforth from Pixabay]
Study Finds Recycling Labels Mislead Consumers
A ClientEarth-commissioned Ipsos survey across Europe found that recycling labels like “fully recyclable” or “contains recycled plastic” give consumers a false sense of environmental benefit. Over 70% of respondents viewed plastic packaging as harmful, but many believed labeled packaging to be environmentally positive. In reality, most plastics are recycled less than half the time, and recycling degrades plastic quality. The study argues that companies’ marketing enables ongoing plastic production while misleading the public. Several lawsuits have been filed against major producers aim to hold large consumer goods companies to account for “greenwashing” and overstating the effectiveness of recycling.[Image Credit: © George Becker from Pexels]
OTHER NEWS
New Producer Register Improves EPR Transparency
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The UK’s Environment Agency’s new public register under the updated Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility replaces the old “large producer list” and is updated daily, showing which companies are meeting packaging obligations for 2025. pEPR base fees for 2025 will be invoiced in October, with millions in payments distributed to local authorities to fund better recycling services. [Image Credit: © Jan van der Wolf on Pexels.com]
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