GERMANY – Hamburg-based skincare company, Beiersdorf has revealed that starting this and next year, all deodorant cans in the European assortment of Nivea, 8X4, Hidrofugal, and Hansaplast will contain at least 50% recycled aluminum and will weigh 11.6% less due to material reduction.
The switch will reduce CO2e emissions in the aerosol can value chain by around 58%. This corresponds to a reduction of approximately 30 metric tonnes of CO2e emissions annually.
Alban Bourcier, packaging expert at Beiersdorf says: “Aluminum is eternally recyclable without any loss of properties. It can be turned into new aluminum packaging endlessly without compromising safety, color or strength.
“This is very [environmentally] sustainable, as it establishes a true circularity or closed loop for this material, without using any new resources.”
The successful implementation of this reduction in CO2e emissions is the result of a dedicated collaboration between Beiersdorf and leading packaging producers in the aerosol sector.
The recycled material used is sourced from the European market. It is remelted and processed into aerosol cans, which Beiersdorf then uses for its products, such as deodorants.
The great advantage here is that aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing its high-quality properties as a packaging material.
It is light, stable, easy to shape and provides ideal protection for the product. In addition, the recycling approach creates new perspectives for the circular economy and significantly reduces energy consumption compared to the production of primary aluminum.
Weight reduction and the sourcing of primary material from “green production” are further levers for reducing the CO2e footprint.
Beiersdorf, together with its packaging suppliers, is now also exploiting these opportunities in Europe and thus continues to be a pioneer in the market.
Furthermore, on a global scale and beyond the deodorant assortment, the portfolio of aluminum packaging is going to be converted in the coming years to achieve the company’s ambitious sustainability targets by 2025.
CO2e reduction
Referring to the number of emissions used to manufacture the aluminum for the new cans, Isabell Niggemann, global procurement manager sustainability packaging, says that it is hard to give an exact figure on CO2e emissions, as they largely depend on the energy sources used in the smelting process of primary aluminum.
“If renewable energy is used, much lower emissions are caused, approximately 40% less. A higher CO2e emission reduction can be achieved if existing aluminum is recycled. With this, we can lower the emissions significantly more,” says Niggemann.
Weight reduction and sourcing primary material from “green production” are further levers for reducing the CO2e footprint. Beiersdorf and its packaging suppliers are now exploiting these opportunities in Europe.
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