Procter & Gamble (P&G) is celebrating Global Recycling Day by highlighting its ongoing efforts to reduce, reuse, replace, and recycle product packaging. The company aims to enhance consumer experience while reducing its environmental impact.
“Our teams designing products and packaging are guided by our consumers’ needs and our Ambition 2030 goals,” said a spokesperson. P&G is currently 79% towards its goal of making all consumer packaging reusable or recyclable, with an 8% decrease in virgin petroleum resin use since 2017, working towards a 50% reduction by 2030.
“We believe in unlocking more worth from packaging materials long after their first use,” the spokesperson continued. P&G’s focus includes reducing its own footprint, enabling consumers to reduce theirs, and helping the industry reduce its footprint through scalable and sustainable solutions.
One key strategy is the “reduce, reuse, replace, recycle” approach, exemplified in various household products. For instance, Head and Shoulders shampoo now features a bottle with 45% less plastic, allowing consumers to roll it up for more compact recycling. Herbal Essences has also redesigned its shampoo and conditioner bottles to use 25% less plastic.
In the kitchen, P&G offers Dawn Powerwash, which uses 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and a refillable spray pump, reducing plastic waste while providing a more efficient cleaning experience.
In the bathroom and laundry room, P&G has replaced plastic with recyclable cardboard in its Gillette and Venus premium refillable packs, making them easier to open and more environmentally friendly. Ariel detergent pods now come in a cardboard box made from 95% post-consumer recycled material.
P&G continues to design packaging for recyclability and reuse, choosing materials that are easily captured at recycling facilities. The company is also investing in new recycling processes, such as VersoVita™, to improve the quality of recycled polypropylene content.
“We know it will take more than product and packaging changes to create a circular future,” said the spokesperson. P&G is working with global partners to increase material collection, improve sorting at recycling facilities, and drive innovation towards a more sustainable future.