May 18th, 2021
Unilever will share the technology behind its recyclable toothpaste tube.
The recyclable tubes will be available later this year in France and India, two of Unilever’s biggest oral care markets. Traditionally, most toothpaste tubes are made from a combination of plastic and aluminum, which gives the package its flexibility but also makes it difficult to recycle. The Unilever tube, says Babu Cherian, R&D Oral Care Packaging Director at Unilever, will not include aluminum.
“Our new toothpaste tubes are made from a multilayer structure that consists of different polyethylene grades and an EVOH barrier,” says Cherian. “Based on the materials used, it’s categorized as HDPE, which is one of the most widely recyclable plastics globally. As part of the design, we not only wanted to make sure the tubes can be readily recycled, but also used less plastic. That’s why we developed the thinnest plastic lamination available on the toothpaste market at 220
Unilever will launch recyclable toothpaste tubes in India and France – two of Unilever’s biggest oral care markets – as part of its bid to convert its entire global toothpaste portfolio to recyclable tubes by 2025.
This follows Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) February announcement that it plans to collect and recycle 100% of its plastic waste – over 100,000 tonnes of plastic – from 2021 onwards.
“Recyclable tubes mark a key milestone in our packaging journey and, more significantly, they have the potential to transform the whole oral care industry. Together with our manufacturing partners, we’re making the new design available to any producers interested in adopting the new material, with the ambition to accelerate industry change,” Babu Cherian, R&D oral care packaging director.
Unilever will share the technology behind its recyclable toothpaste tube.
The recyclable tubes will be available later this year in France and India, two of Unilever’s biggest oral care markets. Traditionally, most toothpaste tubes are made from a combination of plastic and aluminum, which gives the package its flexibility but also makes it difficult to recycle. The Unilever tube, says Babu Cherian, R&D Oral Care Packaging Director at Unilever, will not include aluminum.
“Our new toothpaste tubes are made from a multilayer structure that consists of different polyethylene grades and an EVOH barrier,” says Cherian. “Based on the materials used, it’s categorized as HDPE, which is one of the most widely recyclable plastics globally. As part of the design, we not only wanted to make sure the tubes can be readily recycled, but also used less plastic. That’s why we developed the thinnest plastic lamination available on the toothpaste market at 220 microns. Most
Unilever Launching Recyclable Tube and Sharing Technology packworld.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from packworld.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.