Henkel revamps Somat Gels with 80% natural ingredients and 50% recycled plastic packaging

23 Sep 2021 --- Henkel Laundry & Home Care is introducing Somat All in 1 Gel Pro Nature, a new concept for its Somat Gel product range formulated with 80% naturally derived ingredients and 50% environmentally sustainable plastic packaging.

The Pro Nature formula contains zero colorants, phosphates or perfume and is EU Ecolabel-certified. The gels are efficient even in short and eco dishwashing cycles, the company notes.

The products are available in Italy, Spain, Central and Eastern European Countries, Russia, as well as in the Middle East and Africa region.

Colorfully recycling
Both the Somat Excellence Duo Gel and the Somat All in 1 Gel bottles now consist of 50% recycled plastic coming from end-user household waste. With the relaunch, they are even easier to recycle at home, the company says.

To facilitate the waste separation and the recycling process for end-consumers, all bottles have an integrated zipper perforation in the sleeve. The Somat All in 1 Gel is additionally available under Henkel’s sustainable Pro Nature product range.

With a bottle made of 100% recycled polyethylene (rPE) and a closure made of 50% recycled polypropylene (rPP), it meets high sustainability standards.

To facilitate the waste separation and the recycling process for end-consumers, all bottles have an integrated zipper perforation in the sleeve.

“With the sleeves solution, we are addressing a major challenge in the consumer goods industry. Most recycled material has a grey color, which is less appealing to the consumer,” says Carsten Bertram, head of International Packaging Dishwashing at Henkel.

“Therefore, we use colored sleeves containing all product information. The sleeve can be easily separated from the bottle by the consumer to enable the recycling.”

Sustainability targets
Henkel drives an active process toward a Circular Economy and has set ambitious targets for 2025 to create smarter, more sustainable packaging.

In doing so, the company aims to reduce the amount of virgin plastic from fossil sources in its consumer product packaging by 50%.

The products are available in Italy, Spain, Central and Eastern European Countries, Russia, as well as in the Middle East and Africa region.To reach this goal, Henkel will increase the proportion of recycled plastics to more than 30%, reduce the absolute plastic volume and make increasing use of bio-based plastics.

In addition, 100% of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025. This is excluding products where residue may affect recyclability or pollute recycling systems.

Henkel previously employed Greiner Packaging’s easily separable cardboard-plastic tubs for its Somat brand. The solution contains 50% post-consumer recycled polypropylene (rPP) from end consumer households.

Recently, Henkel, L’Oréal, LVMH, Natura &Co and Unilever joined forces to urge industry to co-develop an environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products. PersonalCareInsights spoke with the companies’ representatives, who explained what the move entails and how it will benefit the personal care sector.

Supporting eco-packaging
The company previously affirmed its commitment to eco-friendly packaging as its Beauty Care arm added 100% recycled aluminum tubes to its Hair Coloration packaging portfolio. The conversion to the new tubes covers all of the company’s Retail and Professional brands globally.

Meanwhile, Henkel’s salon haircare brand Authentic Beauty Concept set up product refill stations in selected hair salons throughout Europe. The move was dubbed a “first” for the segment and marked an important step toward increasing the brand’s environmental sustainability.

Henkel also boosted its Beauty Care portfolio’s environmental sustainability by relaunching three major retail brands – Nature Box, Gliss Kur and Syoss – in packaging with increased proportions of recycled plastic.

In other moves, earlier this month, the Henkel Corporation completed the sale of Right Guard and Dry Idea, two antiperspirant and deodorant brands, to Thriving Brands.

By Kristiana Lalou

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