Henkel to make Oral Care tubes fully recyclable by 2021

05 Aug 2020 --- Personal care giant Henkel is set to make its entire Oral Care tube portfolio fully recyclable by early 2021. Produced by Henkel’s packaging supplier Albéa, the Greenleaf tube-making technology uses a single-blown film, thus significantly reducing the product’s CO2 footprint. The Greenleaf tubes are recognized as technically recyclable within the existing HDPE bottles recycling stream by the US Association of Plastic Recyclers and Suez.Circpack in Europe. Traditionally, the multi-layer construction of toothpaste tubes poses serious challenges to their recyclability. Henkel’s transition to the new tubes will be pioneered by the Spanish toothpaste brand Licor del Polo. 

“By introducing Albéa’s Greenleaf technology, we are now shifting more than 700 tons of packaging material per year into a category, that can be utilized and recovered by existing waste recycling streams,” says Philippe Blank, Head of Packaging Sustainability at Henkel Beauty Care.

Henkel will convert its entire Oral Care tube portfolio to fully recyclable tubes by early 2021.The sleeve weight of the pending Greenleaf tubes are reduced by 17 percent and the tube itself has a 34 percent lower carbon footprint impact, according to a life cycle analysis performed by Albéa. The company recently packaged L’Oréal’s Anthelios sunscreen in a cardboard tube.

2025 vision
Henkel and Albéa are also collaborating to launch the “world’s first” fully HDPE tube in 2021, including the cap. By 2025, 100 percent of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable – excluding adhesive products where residue may affect recyclability or pollute recycling streams. 

Moreover, Henkel will reduce fossil-based virgin plastics by 50 percent in its consumer goods packaging. Addressing this goal, the company introduced a 50 percent post-consumer recycled polyethylene (r-PE) bottle for its Pro Nature toilet cleaner range last month. 

Henkel’s third target is to achieve zero waste packaging to “close the loop” and prevent plastic waste polluting the natural environment. Henkel also aims to invest in technologies to provide targeted recycling information to more than two billion consumers per year. This taps into Innova Market Insights’ top ranking packaging trend for 2020 – The Language of Environmental Sustainability.

The toothpaste sector has seen an array of plastic reduction measures in the packaging industry. Décor materials player Toppan Printing developed a paper tube-pouch that slashes the use of plastic in cosmetics, toiletries and pharmaceuticals in half and facilitates toothpaste squeezing. Toothpaste juggernaut Colgate also launched a recyclable toothpaste tube line together with Albéa that “squeezes easily like a tube and recycles like a bottle” in January.

Meanwhile, Unilever’s personal care division plans to make bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo bars and cardboard deodorant sticks, as well as refillable toothpaste tablets.

Edited by Anni Schleicher