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The new Plastics Economy includes shampoo bottles made out of beach plastic.

 

Last week, I reported on the news that ´óÏó´«Ã½ and government leaders have endorsed a new plan to tackle plastics waste issues and to increase plastic packaging recycling to 70%, which they called, “The New Plastics Economy.” Well, looks like it’s not just all talk after all. Consumer goods giant P&G announced that it will produce the “world’s first” recyclable shampoo bottle made from up to 25% recycled beach plastic.

 

P&G partnered with innovative recycler TerraCycle and SUEZ, a waste recovery company, on this new packaging initiative, which will be released in France this summer as a limited-edition Head & Shoulders (H&S) bottle available to consumers in Carrefour, a retailer in France. P&G claims that this will be the world’s largest production run of recyclable bottles made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) beach plastic, and a first major step in establishing a unique supply chain that involves the support of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of NGOs collecting plastic waste found on beaches.

 

Additionally, P&G announced that in Europe by end of 2018 more than half a billion bottles per year will include up to 25% post-consumer recycled plastic. This represents more than 90% of all the hair care bottles sold in Europe across P&G’s hair care portfolio of flagship brands like Pantene and Head & Shoulders.

 

 

 

The project will require a supply of 2,600 tons of recycled plastic every year – the same weight as eight fully loaded Boeing 747 jumbo jets. 

 

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), 95% of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80-120 billion annually, is lost to the economy and on the current track, there could be more plastics than fish in the ocean (by weight) by 2050.

 

“At P&G, we believe that actions speak louder than words. The increased use of PCR plastic across our hair-care portfolio of brands, demonstrates our continued commitment to driving real change,” says Virginie Helias, vice president of global sustainability, P&G. “The Head & Shoulders recyclable shampoo bottle made with beach plastic is a world’s first in the hair care category. Increasing the use of recycled plastic in the packaging of our flagship brands, like Pantene and Head & Shoulders, makes it easier for consumers to choose more sustainable products, without any trade-offs. So while we’re proud of what we’ve done and what we’re doing, we know there is much more work ahead.”

 

Hopefully one day we will see these beach plastic recyclable bottles on U.S. store shelves as well.