Materials & Packaging Materials & Packaging

P&G Fabric Care Overhauling Packaging to Make 230M Bottles a Year from Recycled Plastic

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Fabric Care has announced a new initiative that will see 230 million bottles of flagship brands such as Ariel, Dash, Lenor and Unstopables made out of Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR — aka recycled packaging). If laid out end-to-end, the 230 million bottles would stretch roughly the distance between the North and South Poles, the company says.

By Sustainable Brands | Published 9 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Fabric Care has announced a new initiative that will see 230 million bottles of flagship brands such as Ariel, Dash, Lenor and Unstopables made out of Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR — aka recycled packaging). If laid out end-to-end, the 230 million bottles would stretch roughly the distance between the North and South Poles, the company says.

"The increase in Post Consumer Recyclate in the packaging of our Fabric Care brands is a huge step in the right direction,” said Gianni Ciserani, Group President of Global Fabric and Home Care*. “*We want to make it easier for consumers to choose sustainable brands whilst continuing to deliver superior product performance.

"I'd like to continue this momentum in the future by partnering with organizations that can provide recycled materials globally. This will allow us to increase the amount of recycled plastic in more brands and geographies. When it comes to recycling, everybody has a part to play. Join us on this journey to eliminate packaging waste everywhere."

Through this initiative, the amount of incremental recycled material that P&G Fabric Care will use per year increases by 3.8 kilotons. This action — along with its participation in the Closed Loop Fund, a $100 million fund aimed at providing municipalities access to zero- and low-interest loans to build comprehensive recycling programs — is part of P&G's commitment to take significant steps to increase the amount of recycled material in its packaging. The company vision is to make 100 percent of its products and packaging from renewable and recycled materials, conserving natural resources that would have been used in the production of new plastic, and continuing to inform consumers about their part in making this possible (see infographic).

*In the past 18 months P&G Fabric Care has announced that it will end the use of phosphates in its detergents globally, launched a community center in Kenya, and partnered with DuPont to introduce cellulosic ethanol into Tide detergent.