Colgate-Palmolive Ships World’s First Tube Recognized as Recyclable and Freely Shares its Breakthrough Technology
November 20 2019 - 9:15AM
Business Wire
Colgate-Palmolive has begun the switch to a first-of-its-kind
recyclable toothpaste tube and now wants to enlist other companies
to follow its lead.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191120005158/en/
Colgate-Palmolive's new recyclable tube
is made from the same plastic used to make bottles, so it recycles
like a bottle, and squeezes easy like a tube. (Photo: Business
Wire)
Last week, Colgate delivered to retailers the first tube
recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) --
Antiplaque & Whitening toothpaste under the Company’s Tom’s of
Maine brand. Tom’s will complete the switch in 2020, when the
Colgate brand will start the transition in Europe and North
America. By 2025, the Company will complete needed modifications to
tube-making equipment at more than a dozen of its facilities around
the world.
Now, Colgate is sharing its innovative technology with
competitors as part of its campaign to transform one of the most
widely used forms of plastic packaging that until now could not be
recycled.
“Colgate wants to make tubes a part of the circular economy by
keeping this plastic productive and eliminating waste,” said Noel
Wallace, Chief Executive Officer and President of
Colgate-Palmolive. “This advancement can make a significant
difference in the marketplace today as we test new packaging
materials, product formats and refillable models to reduce our use
of plastic.”
“If we can standardize recyclable tubes among all companies, we
all win. We want all toothpaste tubes -- and eventually all kinds
of tubes -- to meet the same third-party recycling standards that
we’ve achieved. We can align on these common standards for tubes
and still compete with what’s inside them.”
In addition to sharing details of its technology, including
information subject to Colgate patent applications filed in the
U.S. and globally, Colgate has engaged with packaging and recycling
stakeholders -- including end consumers -- to build awareness and
acceptance of the “ready-to-recycle” tube. And Colgate engineers
are already sharing the Company’s plans at key packaging forums and
other industry meetings.
Mr. Wallace said the decision to freely share the tube
technology aligns with the Company’s values and sustainability
goals. It also contributes to its ongoing work supporting the UN
Sustainable Development Goals and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s
New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. The Foundation’s mission is
to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
“In a new plastics economy, plastic never becomes waste or
pollution. To achieve this vision, we must eliminate all
problematic and unnecessary plastic items, innovate to ensure that
the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable,
and circulate all the plastic items we use to keep them in the
economy and out of the environment,” said Sander Defruyt, New
Plastics Economy Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.“It is
encouraging to see Colgate innovate not only to replace today's
non-recyclable toothpaste tubes, but also open source this solution
to facilitate toothpaste tube recycling around the world.”
Most of today’s toothpaste tubes are made from sheets of plastic
laminate – usually a combination of different plastics – often
sandwiched around a thin layer of aluminum. The mix of materials
makes it impossible to recycle through conventional methods.
To make its recyclable tube, Colgate chose High Density
Polyethylene (HDPE), the “No. 2” plastic used to make milk jugs and
other plastic bottles. Chosen because it is already widely
recycled, HDPE had been thought to be too rigid to make a
squeezable tube. Colgate engineers figured out how to combine
different grades and thicknesses of HDPE laminate into a tube that
meets recycling standards, protects the product and holds up to the
demands of high-speed production, all while remaining comfortably
squeezable.
To earn APR recognition, the Company also had to demonstrate
that the tube material could be reused to make new plastic bottles
and would successfully navigate the screens and conveyor belts used
to sort recyclables. The tube -- from invention through APR
recognition in June -- was developed over more than five years. The
Company is currently seeking similar recognition from Plastic
Recyclers Europe.
Colgate’s pioneering work with APR, which sets recyclability
standards for North America, has already made a difference. Colgate
proposed the idea of a recyclable HDPE tube and worked with the
organization to ensure alignment with its standards and tests.
Recently, making use of the testing standards established by
Colgate, one major tube maker, Essel Propack, earned APR
recognition, and another, Albéa, is working towards
recognition.
About Colgate-Palmolive:
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products Company,
focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition.
With more than 34,000 people and its products sold in over 200
countries and territories, Colgate is known for household names
such as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, Tom’s of Maine, Sorriso, Speed
Stick, Lady Speed Stick, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sanex,
Filorga, eltaMD, PCA Skin, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Soupline and
Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription
Diet. The Company is also recognized for its leadership and
innovation in promoting environmental sustainability and community
wellbeing, including its achievements in saving water, reducing
waste, promoting recyclability and improving the oral health of
children through its Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, which
has reached more than one billion children since 1991. For more
information about Colgate’s global business and how the Company is
building a future to smile about, visit
http://www.colgatepalmolive.com.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191120005158/en/
Thomas DiPiazza 212-310-2670
colgate_palmolive_media_inquiry@colpal.com
Colgate Palmolive (NYSE:CL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Colgate Palmolive (NYSE:CL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024