USA – Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies brand has teamed up with TerraCycle to launch the Huggies Free Recycling Program in the U.S., aiming to advance packaging circularity for all its products by 2025.
This initiative focuses on the outer, secondary plastic packaging of Huggies diapers and wipes, as well as other Kimberly-Clark brands such as Pull-Ups, Goodnites, U by Kotex, Depend, Poise, Scott, Cottonelle, and Viva.
With less than half of the 80 million tons of packaging waste produced annually in the U.S. being recycled, according to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), this partnership seeks to divert more waste from landfills and incinerators.
Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, emphasized, “There’s a common misconception that single-use flexible plastic packaging can only be thrown away, but technically, almost anything can be recycled.”
The program is open to individuals, schools, and community organizations. Participants can register online, download prepaid shipping labels, and send boxes of plastic packaging to TerraCycle.
At TerraCycle’s facilities, the materials will be shredded, cleaned, and recycled into raw materials for new products.
This partnership builds on TerraCycle’s extensive recycling network, which includes over 550 free recycling initiatives in collaboration with more than 300 organizations globally, having recycled more than 8.5 billion items.
The Huggies initiative also extends TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box program, which already addresses diaper and wipe packaging recycling.
It is important to note that this program is focused solely on packaging, not the diapers or other products inside.
In November, Kimberly-Clark Australia partnered with Woolworths on a trial to reduce plastic waste by eliminating secondary packaging for Viva paper towels.
The initiative, which replaces secondary packaging with direct pallet stacking, is expected to remove 15 tonnes of plastic annually from supermarkets and supply chains.
The trial, launched in mid-September, has seen positive outcomes, including time efficiencies for restocking and reduced plastic disposal efforts. Following these early successes, both parties have agreed to continue the approach.
Adam Carpenter, mill manager at Kimberly-Clark Australia, noted, “Removing an ‘invisible’ layer of packaging might not sound like a major achievement, but it represents a significant change to the way products have been manufactured and distributed across Australia for many years – and it’s taken a great deal of problem-solving and persistence to deliver these savings.”
These combined efforts showcase Kimberly-Clark’s commitment to halving virgin plastic usage by 2030 and contributing to a sustainable future.
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