USA – American multinational consumer goods corporation, Procter & Gamble Company has unveiled new shampoo and conditioner bars for a range of its household names, with the multinational claiming a first in paper packaging.
Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences, and Aussie bars will be packaged in FSC accredited recyclable paper-based packs, the company revealed at Reuters’ Responsible Business Summit.
Artur Litarowicz, head of P&G Beauty Europe said, “Not only do these innovations offer a delightful experience due to their unique formulas and shapes – but their boxes are paper-based with FSC certified paper, to further advance us on the mission to reduce virgin plastic.”
“In Europe, 65% of consumers want to reduce the plastic they use in everyday goods and it’s critical to have them on our side.”
He added that the ranges would not completely move into paper and bar formats, with liquid and plastic bottle formats to continue, as consumers were “not yet ready to fully switch” but said that he hoped to “accelerate this journey”.
The company has managed to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% by the end of 2021 and is now targeting to make their bottles 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
Meanwhile, Gian DeBelder, technical director for R&D packaging at P&G, warned that more needs to be done on the collection of materials. He said that there is currently “not enough post-consumer recycled plastic for all of us”.
He added: “We will keep working and collaborating. We need help to go the extra mile and recover these materials.”
For its new shampoo bars, P&G Beauty worked with Paula Chin, the Sustainable Materials Specialist at WWF UK.
Chin said: “Consumers are rightly concerned about this issue so it’s great to see P&G playing their part to drive down the use of plastics with this new range.”
“But we need even greater action to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, and pollution and waste.”
Speaking at the conference, WWF’s director of partnerships Alex Lankester said: “There is a massive plastic crisis and it is real. Business needs to step up and need to join and be brave, occasionally taking a hit on margin. There is so much that needs to be done.”
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