Keeping our plastic in the loop

We’re exploring new ways of packaging and delivering products, including concentrates, such as our new Cif ecorefill – a 10x concentrated refill that allows shoppers to buy one spray bottle, which they can then use for life. This innovation uses 75% less plastic. And there are additional benefits. Diluting the product at home means 97% less water being transported, 87% fewer trucks on the road and less greenhouse gas emissions.

Our ice cream brand Solero has trialled an innovative box with built-in compartments so that individual ice creams can be inserted without a plastic wrapper, resulting in 35% less plastic per pack. The box is made from a specially designed PE (Polyethylene) coated cardboard. The design ensures Solero lovers can enjoy the ice lollies without compromising on quality. This trial is the latest innovation in our #GetPlasticWise initiative which aims to rethink plastic in the UK. The plan is about working with partners to seek solutions, as well as supporting and educating consumers on how they can reduce plastic consumption.

We’re trialling new refill stations for shampoo and laundry detergent in shops, universities and mobile vending in South East Asia. For example, a pilot from All Things Hair – our content platform for hair inspiration and advice – brought a whole new model of eco-friendly shopping to consumers in the Philippines. We’re also experimenting with a refill model that comes to the consumer, rather than the consumer going to a store. In Chile, we’re partnering with Algramo to pilot an app-powered, intelligent dispensing system that uses electric tricycles to deliver to people’s homes.

We’re developing pioneering innovations such as the new detectable pigment being used by Axe (Lynx) and TRESemmé. This makes black plastic recyclable, as it can now be seen and sorted by recycling plant scanners. The new technology means that an additional 2,500 tonnes of plastic bottles could now potentially be sorted and sent for recycling each year in the UK alone. We will share our work and the insights generated with other manufacturers to enable wide use of this technology and approach.

We’re bringing innovations to the market including shampoo bars, refillable toothpaste tablets, cardboard deodorant sticks and bamboo toothbrushes. We have also signed up to Loop, a global, first-of-its-kind, waste-free shopping system, where you buy products in packaging that can be returned and refilled. The system brings together major brands and retailers with the idea of shifting from a model that is ‘disposable’ (where packaging is thrown away or recycled after use) to one that is ‘durable’ (where packaging is reused and any leftover product is either recycled or reused).

Our sweet soy sauce brand in Indonesia, Bango, is switching to 100% recycled and recyclable bottles. Bango is our first Foods & Refreshment brand in our South East Asia and Australasia region to launch this innovation, with deployment of the new bottles for the 275ml and 135ml products starting in August. The change will apply to 33 million bottles and reduce over 500 tonnes of plastic waste every year. The marketing campaign promoting the launch aims to encourage consumers to reduce, reuse and recycle, particularly when it comes to plastic packaging.

We’re helping to create a circular economy for plastic packaging in many countries, particularly those where the infrastructure for collection and processing isn’t yet widespread or co-ordinated. For example, we have launched 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) – and fully recyclable – bottles for our FAB laundry detergent brand in Colombia and Sunlight dishwashing liquid in South Africa. For us to hit our 25% recycled plastic content target, we need lots of PCR. So, in places like Brazil, where collection and recycling are still being developed, we need to support it. And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing with a local recycler called Wise.

Over the last five years, we have collaborated with many partners to collect plastic packaging, including the United Nations Development Programme to help segregate, collect and recycle packaging across India. To help boost recycling rates and develop a functioning infrastructure in Indonesia, we are involved in a number of partnerships and programmes. We also raise awareness of recycling and support local collection through various initiatives, such as community-based waste banks, where individuals sort their waste and deposit it in exchange for money. So far, we have helped set up more than 2,800 waste banks which together have prevented over 7,700 tons of non-organic waste from being dumped.

Waste management is a huge issue in Africa and Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is no exception. The city produces around 2,400 tonnes a day, of which roughly 60% is collected and only around 10% recycled. The rest is dumped illegally or burned. To help address this problem, we got together with Mr Green Africa. This partnership has seen us unlock sustainable solutions to plastic waste management in Kenya, integrating a social component which has helped create more opportunities and employment to over 2,000 waste pickers who were previously ignored. Since our partnership took effect in 2018, we have doubled the amount of plastic waste diverted from landfill.