Consumer goods maker Unilever is set to invest €100,000 in a crowdsourced solution as part of its drive to rethink plastic packaging.

Unileverpack

The company said it will develop and pilot a plastic-free laundry solution to combat single-use sachets.

Several designers, innovators and packaging experts took part in a one-day hackathon to develop the solution.

The selected idea was one of 10 new solutions to emerge from Unilever’s Rethink Plastic Hackathon.

Unilever has selected new laundry tablet to serve as an affordable solution for low-income consumers in developing markets.

The new laundry tablet is provided with plant-derived coating, which will help protect each tablet against humidity.

At the event, other commended solutions comprise of detergent subscription model that uses ceramic or glass bottles and laundry on a roll dissolvable sheets for fabric detergent.

Unilever noted that its current investment is part of a series of efforts to reduce plastic usage across the globe.

In 2017, the company has announced a commitment that its plastic packaging will be designed to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Unilever has also announced plans to increase the recycled plastic content in its packaging to around 25% by 2025.

Unilever is a signatory to the UK Plastic Pact in the UK. It is a pact between governments, businesses, local authorities, NGOs and citizens to deal with plastic waste and revolutionize the UK’s plastics system.

Unilever Home Care president Kees Kruythoff said: “The scale of the plastic waste issue is getting worse, not better, with the production of plastics expected to double over the next decade. Addressing this issue is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in the value chain.”

“However, as a major player in the consumer goods industry, we are aware that our response is critical in setting the pace of change. This hackathon is part of our broader work with leading experts and innovators to redesign our packaging and work with the wider industry to accelerate the systemic change that is so urgently needed.”