GERMANY – Henkel’s dishwashing detergent brand Pril is now being supplied in 100% recycled PET bottles, with 50% of the material originating from Germany’s yellow bag waste system.
In partnership with Alpla, Henkel has been sourcing and using recyclate from yellow bags in its packaging since the start of 2022.
In Germany and Austria, plastic, metal, or composite waste, including packaging, can be discarded in yellow transparent plastic bags for recycling. The yellow bags are part of Germany’s Dual System for waste management.
Carsten Bertram, head of international packaging development in the dishwashing detergents division at Henkel, explains: “Packaging materials that are collected via the yellow bag are significantly more heterogeneous than returnable bottles and in some cases heavily contaminated.
“For a long time, high-quality recyclate from the yellow bag was not available in sufficient quantities. Through cooperation with the packaging manufacturer and plastics recycler Alpla however, we are now a big step further.”
At the beginning of last year, Henkel introduced packaging made from recycled material sourced from yellow bag waste for some of its products.
According to Henkel, it has switched the bottle bodies for its Pril dishwashing liquid range to 50% high-quality recyclate sourced from yellow bag recycling.
With 50% of the Pril bottle body also being made from recycled beverage bottles, Henkel claims that the bottle body now consists of 100% rPET.
In the future, it will increase the volume of recycled material from yellow bag waste and extend it to other consumer products.
Dietmar Marin, managing director of the recycling division at Alpla, adds: “We are very pleased to support Henkel in the conversion of its packaging.
“Investments in modern recycling structures are only possible if there is sufficient demand for recyclate from the yellow bag on the part of the industry. Henkel is sending an important signal here.”
Henkel is reportedly planning to increase the proportion of recyclate from the yellow bag collection system used in the Pril bottle bodies. By 2025, Henkel is aiming for 100% of its packaging to be recyclable or reusable.
In addition, it seeks to reduce the volume of new plastics from fossil sources in its product packaging by 50% while increasing the volume of recycled material to over 30%.
Earlier this year, Henkel relaunched the Schauma range of its Schwarzkopf brand with lighter bottle bodies containing 50% recycled plastic, alongside a bottle design that apparently offers clearer and more personal communication with the consumer.
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