Henkel ups recycled plastic in Nature Box, Gliss and Syoss beauty care packs

04 Nov 2020 --- German chemical and consumer goods powerhouse Henkel is boosting 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.

“We are fully committed to contributing to a circular economy and working towards our ambitious packaging targets for 2025,” says Philippe Blank, head of circular economy at Henkel Beauty Care.

“The relaunch of three of our biggest brands marks a true milestone and demonstrates our holistic approach to transform our entire portfolio with regards to sustainability.”

Nature Box revamped
With Nature Box’s relaunch, Henkel is taking further steps in its collaboration with social enterprise Plastic Bank, which is promoting Social Plastic – a plastic collected by people living in poverty before it enters oceans and waterways. 

Nature Box is the first beauty brand to introduce Social Plastic as a packaging material for its complete bottle portfolio. All Nature Box bottles are made of 98 percent Social Plastic. 

Henkel is working to replace the remaining 2 percent virgin plastic, which is based on the bottle’s color, with the recycled material. For this, the company is testing a color carrier consisting of Social Plastic.

Recyclable black plastics
Due to the carbon black color often used in black packaging, it typically poses a challenge for the recycling value chain as the material cannot be identified and properly sorted by mechanical recycling systems. 

Last year, Henkel launched a fully recyclable black plastic bottle for its Bref toilet cleaning products. The packaging material – developed by specialist plastic supplier Ampacet – uses an alternative carbon-free black color, enabling used bottles to be detected by recycling facility infra-red optical sensors.

Since the relaunch of Henkel’s hair care brand Syoss in September, the brand’s black packaging is fully recyclable due to an innovative carbon-free colorant. 

Additionally, all Syoss shampoo bottles are made of 98 percent recycled material, excluding the cap.In August, Henkel set out to make its entire Oral Care tube portfolio fully recyclable by 2021.

Recycled plastic uptakes
With the relaunch of its Schwarzkopf brand Gliss Kur, Henkel is upping the proportion of recycled material along the entire product range. 

Whereas the new shampoo and conditioner PE bottles are made of 30 percent recycled content, the shampoo and Express Repair Conditioner PET bottles consist of 97 percent recycled material. 

All bottle bodies are 100 percent recyclable and by reducing the use of metallic foil, the overall recycling process is simplified. 

Furthermore, the new black caps are made of carbon-free material, meaning they are also recyclable.

Packaging sustainability targets
As part of Henkel’s sustainability efforts, the company has set itself ambitious packaging targets for 2025 to promote a circular economy. 

By that year, 100 percent of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable and the company aims to reduce fossil-based virgin plastics by half in its consumer goods packaging. 

A growing number of Henkel packaging consists of 100 percent recycled material. The company is partnering Plastic Bank and aiding the global Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) and the New Plastics Economy (NPEC).

In August, the personal care giant set out 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, significantly reducing the product’s CO2 footprint.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou