German consumer goods firm Henkel has integrated Social Plastic in the packaging of its beauty care, as well as laundry and home care products.

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Image: The bottles of Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care products are made of 100% recycled plastic, of which up to 50% is Social Plastic. Photo: courtesy of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA.

The packaging of products include up to 50% of Social Plastic, a plastic made of 100% recycled plastic.

Henkel’s consumer business units, Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care, is set to launch new product packaging made of complete recycled plastic.

Since 2017, Henkel has been collaborating with Plastic Bank to reduce plastic waste in the oceans, while improving the lives of people in poverty in countries that lack waste management infrastructure.

With the support of Henkel, Plastic Bank launched three additional plastic collection branches in Haiti. The centers can be used by local population to return collected plastic waste and exchange it for money, goods, or services.

The material, called Social Plastic, is then incorporated back into the plastic value chain. Henkel is incorporating Social Plastic in various product packaging, after successful pilot projects.

From July, all PET bottle bodies of the Pro Nature cleaning products under the Biff, Pril and Sidolin brands, as well as the bottle bodies for fabric finisher Vernel Fresh Control, will be made of 100% recycled plastics, of which 25% will be Social Plastic.

In June, Beauty Care will also introduce two special editions of shampoo and shower gel in Germany. The bottle bodies of Meeres Glück from Nature Box and Meeres Liebe from Fa will be made of complete recycled plastic, of which 50% will be Social Plastic.

Henkel has committed to increase the share of recycled plastics in the packaging of its consumer products in Europe to 35% by 2025, in addition to expanding its packaging lines made of 100% recycled plastics.

Henkel’s Sustainability Council co-chair and Laundry & Home Care R&D head Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum said: “In total, around 200 tons of collected Social Plastic will be processed for Henkel in the year 2019 – this plastic will not end up in the ocean.

“By integrating Social Plastic in our packaging on a long-term basis we are underlining our commitment to contribute to a circular economy and providing a long-term perspective for people in Haiti simultaneously.”