Global consumer products firm Colgate-Palmolive has joined TerraCycle’s Loop initiative, in a bid to restrict the use of single-use packaging.
Image: Colgate Plax mouthwash. Photo: courtesy of Editor182.
As part of Loop initiative, Colgate-Palmolive aims to reduce waste related to reusable and refillable packaging through initially commencing pilot programs in the US and France.
Colgate said that it has joined the Loop initiative along with other consumer products companies. In the US, the founding retail partners Kroger Co and Walgreens will launch a pilot to serve customers in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Last week, Loop and the retailer Carrefour have launched a similar test to serve customers in Paris, France.
Colgate is one of more than 25 companies, which joined Loop for the testing of innovative new shopping system.
Through taking the support of Loop, Colgate will deliver the products in durable packaging, which is later collected, cleaned, refilled and reused.
The company intends to offer a convenient circular solution to consumers, while securing substantial environmental benefits.
Colgate is involved in the development of durable packaging designs for Loop, and is planning to start with mouthwash in the pilot programs.
Based on information gathered in the US, France and London later this year, as well as in subsequent pilots, Colgate is planning to expand the program to other oral care products and additional product categories to evaluate the viability of the new model.
Colgate-Palmolive global sustainability, EOHS and supply chain strategy vice president Ann Tracy said: “Loop offers an intriguing new option for reducing packaging waste, and we’re excited about its potential.
“Colgate is constantly experimenting with different approaches to conservation and waste reduction, so we’re eager to see how we can make this new model work for retailers and consumers – the keys to its success.”
Colgate aims to decrease the use of plastic in its packaging through using 25% recycled content in all plastic packaging and making 100% of its packaging recyclable.
In 2018, the company also joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative to reach its targets by 2025.
Colgate further noted that it worked with TerraCycle in countries across the globe for nearly a decade to collect hard-to-recycle toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, and other oral care waste.