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Herbal Essences and TerraCycle ready to ‘Renew the Forest’

TerraCycle Include USA Herbal Essences
© Taiyou Nomachi / Getty Images

Herbal Essences and Terracycle are delivering on their Spring commitment to give back to nature through their Renew the Forest initiative.

This fall, the hair care product brand and international waste management company will donate 20 park benches made from recycled hair care packaging and plant 61,329 trees throughout the U.S. in partnership with The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees reforestation campaign.

The benches, upcycled from bottles collected through the ongoing Herbal Essences Recycling Program, will be installed in the Independence Lake Preserve in California, the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System in Ohio, and the Morgan Swamp Preserve in Ohio.

Turning beach plastic into trees

In celebration of Earth month in April 2021, Herbal Essences pledged to plant one tree for every two bottles of select bio:renew shampoo or conditioner purchased at Walmart in the U.S.  The initiative sought to seed eco-awareness among consumers and surpassed its 58,000-tree goal, Herbal Essences parent-company Procter & Gamble announced in a statement.

“We are proud to partner with TerraCycle and The Nature Conservancy to carry out business practices that directly enhance natural environments for communities to enjoy,” said Rachel Zipperian, senior scientist at Herbal Essences, noting that “plants underpin all life on Earth, and tangible renewal is necessary to sustain biodiversity.”

The bio:renew bottles themselves are a product of a 2019 Herbal Essences and TerraCycle partnership to create the hair care brand’s first recyclable shampoo and conditioner packaging made from beach plastic.

“Part of Herbal Essences’ bio:renew collection, these innovative bottles helped demonstrate the potential of some of our most mismanaged resources, like plastics collected from beaches, and demonstrate its inherent value,” TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky told Cosmetics Design-USA.

Innovative collaboration and actionable sustainability

Despite the growing recycling and reuse movement in the personal care industry, Szaky notes that: “More innovative collaborations and actionable sustainability commitments from brands across the beauty industry are needed to make the largest impact possible in the time we have left.”

Initiatives like Renew the Forest take waste management a step further by giving back to nature and educating community about the journey of waste along the supply chain.  Szaky says that it is these types of partnerships that are making “it simple to be a protector of the planet and to help preserve the natural beauty of the environment for future generations.”

Since its beginnings in 2001, Terracyle has also teamed with Garnier to build community gardens, Colgate to donate recycled plastic playgrounds to schools, Bausch + Lomb to convert contact lens materials into custom training modules for the Guide Dog Foundation, and Gillette, CVS and Fisher House Foundation to recycle razors into a playground for a military medical center.

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A Guide to Recycling Clothes and Beauty Products

TerraCycle Garnier Colgate Include USA Tom's of Maine Kiehl’s ZWB l’Occitane Burt’s Bees EOS Herbal Essences Weleda Josie Maran Paula's Choice Nordstrom BEAUTYCYCLE
If you've been trying to effectively reduce waste but don't know where to start, look no further.   image.pngYou know all about the three R's — reduce, reuse, recycle — but when it comes to applying them to a daily routine, it can feel complicated. There are a ton of different combinations of materials out there and it's intimidating if you don't know what's actually considered recyclable. Most likely when you think of recyclable materials, you might just think of paper goods, plastic water bottles, and aluminum cans. But what you completely forget about are textiles, or old clothes and beauty products. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, textiles made up more than 5% (17 million tons) of all U.S. landfills in 2018. That same year, 14.7% (2.5 million tons) of textiles were recycled. Consider this your personal guide on how to effectively reduce waste, reuse containers and recycle that old stained sweater you can't wear anymore. Read on to find out how you can do your part by sustainably getting rid of old clothes and beauty products.

Check Recycling Regulations

The first thing you're going to want to do is check your local recycling laws to make sure you're following the rules. Luckily, we live in a day and age where we have information at our fingertips. There are a ton of resources out there that help check which recyclables are accepted, like EARTH911, Recycle Coach, Call2Recycle and How2Recycle. Recycled items are then transported to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where they're separated and prepared for marketing to manufacturers for repurposing. Just a heads up —MRFs tend to have stricter rules and don't accept a lot of beauty products. A good rule of thumb to follow when it comes to beauty products is that if the packaging is made with fewer materials, it's more likely to be recycled. Some brands like R+Co and R+Co BLEU are committed to using post-consumer resource (PCR) packaging, which is made of 100% recycled material. Packaging plays a big part in recycling, so researching and purchasing from brands with such initiatives makes sustainable living much easier. Apps like RecycleNation and Recycle Coach are a huge help when it comes to figuring out if specific items and materials are recyclable.

Textile Recycling Programs

Textile recycling programs recover old clothing and textiles for reuse or material recovery. This helps keep these items — even those with stains and tears — out of landfills. TerraCycle, one of the most well-known recycling programs, has worked with multiple brands like Nordstrom for BEAUTYCYCLE and Package Free to help reduce waste. BEAUTYCYCLE is a free program that recycles emptied beauty and skincare product packaging at Nordstrom. The best part is that they'll accept any brand regardless of whether it's sold by Nordstrom. Package Free sells zero waste boxes that you can fill with appropriate waste streams and ship back to TerraCycle for recycling. You don't even have to worry about shipping — each box includes a prepaid return label. There are several categories of zero waste boxes to help organize items depending on what you're recycling.   image.png

Check If Brands Do In-House Recycling

There are a ton of brands out there that have started doing their part in reducing waste by recycling in-house. If you send old clothes and empty beauty packaging back to these brands, they'll most likely work with programs like TerraCycle to properly dispose and repurpose the materials for new packaging and products. There are also brands like W3LL PEOPLE that not only create products with plant-powered formulas but make it a point to give back to the planet. To celebrate Earth Day, W3LL PEOPLE has partnered with the National Forest Foundation to plant 10,000 trees in National Parks in the U.S in April. Read on to see which brands have in-house recycling programs to do their part in normalizing sustainability.

Beauty & Skincare

Clothing & Shoes

Bras

Glasses

Donate or Resell Items

If you're not able to recycle your clothes or beauty packaging, there's always the option of donating or reselling lightly used items. You can pretty much donate any clean clothing unless it's wet because it can promote bacteria growth. For starters, you can pass clothes down to your siblings or friends or make donations to local thrift shops and charity organizations. If you're looking to make some extra cash, you can also take any items to consignment stores like Plato's Closet or sell items online. When it comes to selling and donating beauty products, there are different policies depending on the store or organization. Some places don't accept items past their shelf life or items that have been opened and slightly used. You're definitely going to want to check policies before donating anything, especially since they might have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Do your part in reducing textile waste by following the tips highlighted throughout this guide. For more information on the best sustainable options out there, check out Seventeen's Sustainable Style Awards.
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How to Correctly Recycle Your Empty Beauty Products

TerraCycle Garnier Include USA l’Occitane Burt’s Bees EOS Herbal Essences Josie Maran Paula's Choice BEAUTYCYCLE
Consider this your recycling cheat sheet.
By Angelika Pokovba
December 11, 2020
While shopping sustainable beauty is the ultimate goal (see more clean beauty habits here), it’s still essential to recycle all empty beauty containers to avoid waste. In fact, 50 percent of people don’t even try to recycle their empty containers as it is deemed “inconvenient,” explains TerraCycle’s resident beauty industry expert Gina Herrera. The so-called incommodity results in 2.7 billion plastic bottles of solely bathroom waste hitting landfills every year.
“The global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year, including the cardboard that envelops perfumes, serums, and moisturizers that contributes to the loss of 18 million acres of forest each year,” explains Herrera. And while it isn’t necessarily the easiest to recycle empty beauty and skincare packaging, it is very much necessary for a sustainable future. It is also particularly important to avoid “wishcycling,” explains Danielle Jezienicki, Director of Sustainability for Grove Collaborative.
But here’s the thing: Beauty product packaging is especially confusing and tricky to recycle (think: mirrored glass, cardboard sleeves, paper inserts, etc). So, we asked recycling experts to break down exactly how to ensure your empties make it to the correct recycling plants.

Check municipal recycling regulations

First and foremost, you should always follow your local recycling laws to ensure that you are following the rules. You can also use resources like Recycle Coach, How2Recycle, and EARTH911 to check what recyclables are accepted.
The bad news, however, is that Material Recycling Facilities, or MRFs, have quite strict regulations and don’t accept a large majority of beauty products. Be wary of the universal recycling symbol (triangle), as it is not the only way to indicate the recyclable nature of the container. Instead, pay attention to labels to get a better idea as to whether a product is recyclable. “In reality, only plastic items that have the numbers 1 or 2 printed within the arrows are widely recyclable in curbside recycling programs,” says Herrera. If so, your bathroom products can actually hit the blue or green bin with kitchen and household items because the United States follows a single-stream recycling program (this means that plastics can be recycled with other plastics and glass with other glass).

Alternative recycling programs

Don’t see a recycling symbol? Fortunately, some eco-conscious brands also offer internal recycling programs within their own facilities. TerraCycle, a private recycling business, actually works with Nordstrom for BEAUTYCYCLE, a free program that invites consumers to drop-off their beauty and skincare product packaging (regardless of brand) at in-store collection points for recycling, including items that are typically unrecyclable. Other brands that have individual in-house recycling include Garnier, Burt’s Bees, eos, Herbal Essences, L’Occitane, Josie Maran, and Paula’s Choice, to name a few. These brands generally work with programs like TerraCycle to properly process waste.

Mono-material recycling

Here’s a general rule of thumb for recycling beauty products: The less type of material that your package is made of, the more likely it is to be recyclable. When more material is used, the recycling process can be costly, time- and money-wise, for the separation process. And even if you try to do so yourself, cross-contaminated recyclables may not be accepted by local programs.
If your product is made of one general material like glass, plastic, or cardboard, you can rinse it and toss it directly into its respective recycling bin. And contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to remove adhesive labels on recyclable products. This is usually done through a specialized heating process performed at many MRFs.
In regards to plastic, it is always better to recycle a larger plastic container as it is most likely to be recycled. However, Jezienicki still advises to stay away from plastic products in general as they are still huge pollutants. “The reality is that plastics can usually only be recycled 2-3 times before losing the qualities that make them usable, which means that transitioning to recycled plastic only removes plastic from landfills or polluting the earth by 1-2 cycles.”

What can’t be recycled

Small products can actually halt the recycling process and therefore aren’t widely accepted at recycling plants. This means anything under 2 inches, think: all travel and portable beauty products. Additionally, products with dark packaging also cannot be recycled as they can’t be identified by MRF machines. Also unrecyclable: products that contain mirrors, magnets, makeup brushes, sheet masks and packets, and squeezable tubes.
As reference, here’s a quick guide of non-recyclables:
Hair Care: Shampoo caps, conditioner caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray triggers, and hair paste caps
Skin Care: Lip balm tubes and caps, soap dispensers and tubes, body wash caps, lotion dispensers and caps
Cosmetics: Lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eyeshadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, and lip liner pencils

Look into refillables

The ideal goal is to use less packaging, hence producing less waste. Many brands like Brazilian NATURA, French Diptyque, and Los Angeles-based Bathing Culture offer refillable beauty products. This means that you will be reusing the packaging several times over its intended lifetime, thus keeping it away from the landfill. “If we can’t reduce the amount of products we buy, reusing and recycling those products is the next best thing. Over 90 percent of an average product’s environmental impact comes from extracting and refining the raw materials from which it is made,” explains Herrera.
Read More

How to Correctly Recycle Your Empty Beauty Products

TerraCycle Garnier Include USA l’Occitane Burt’s Bees EOS Herbal Essences Josie Maran Paula's Choice BEAUTYCYCLE
image.png
While shopping sustainable beauty is the ultimate goal (see more clean beauty habits here), it’s still essential to recycle all empty beauty containers to avoid waste. In fact, 50 percent of people don’t even try to recycle their empty containers as it is deemed “inconvenient,” explains TerraCycle’s resident beauty industry expert Gina Herrera. The so-called incommodity results in 2.7 billion plastic bottles of solely bathroom waste hitting landfills every year.
“The global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year, including the cardboard that envelops perfumes, serums, and moisturizers that contributes to the loss of 18 million acres of forest each year,” explains Herrera. And while it isn’t necessarily the easiest to recycle empty beauty and skincare packaging, it is very much necessary for a sustainable future. It is also particularly important to avoid “wishcycling,” explains Danielle Jezienicki, Director of Sustainability for Grove Collaborative.
But here’s the thing: Beauty product packaging is especially confusing and tricky to recycle (think: mirrored glass, cardboard sleeves, paper inserts, etc). So, we asked recycling experts to break down exactly how to ensure your empties make it to the correct recycling plants.

Check municipal recycling regulations

First and foremost, you should always follow your local recycling laws to ensure that you are following the rules. You can also use resources like Recycle Coach, How2Recycle, and EARTH911 to check what recyclables are accepted.
The bad news, however, is that Material Recycling Facilities, or MRFs, have quite strict regulations and don’t accept a large majority of beauty products. Be wary of the universal recycling symbol (triangle), as it is not the only way to indicate the recyclable nature of the container. Instead, pay attention to labels to get a better idea as to whether a product is recyclable. “In reality, only plastic items that have the numbers 1 or 2 printed within the arrows are widely recyclable in curbside recycling programs,” says Herrera. If so, your bathroom products can actually hit the blue or green bin with kitchen and household items because the United States follows a single-stream recycling program (this means that plastics can be recycled with other plastics and glass with other glass).

Alternative recycling programs

Don’t see a recycling symbol? Fortunately, some eco-conscious brands also offer internal recycling programs within their own facilities. TerraCycle, a private recycling business, actually works with Nordstrom for BEAUTYCYCLE, a free program that invites consumers to drop-off their beauty and skincare product packaging (regardless of brand) at in-store collection points for recycling, including items that are typically unrecyclable. Other brands that have individual in-house recycling include Garnier, Burt’s Bees, eos, Herbal Essences, L’Occitane, Josie Maran, and Paula’s Choice, to name a few. These brands generally work with programs like TerraCycle to properly process waste.

Mono-material recycling

Here’s a general rule of thumb for recycling beauty products: The less type of material that your package is made of, the more likely it is to be recyclable. When more material is used, the recycling process can be costly, time- and money-wise, for the separation process. And even if you try to do so yourself, cross-contaminated recyclables may not be accepted by local programs.
If your product is made of one general material like glass, plastic, or cardboard, you can rinse it and toss it directly into its respective recycling bin. And contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to remove adhesive labels on recyclable products. This is usually done through a specialized heating process performed at many MRFs.
In regards to plastic, it is always better to recycle a larger plastic container as it is most likely to be recycled. However, Jezienicki still advises to stay away from plastic products in general as they are still huge pollutants. “The reality is that plastics can usually only be recycled 2-3 times before losing the qualities that make them usable, which means that transitioning to recycled plastic only removes plastic from landfills or polluting the earth by 1-2 cycles.”

What can’t be recycled

Small products can actually halt the recycling process and therefore aren’t widely accepted at recycling plants. This means anything under 2 inches, think: all travel and portable beauty products. Additionally, products with dark packaging also cannot be recycled as they can’t be identified by MRF machines. Also unrecyclable: products that contain mirrors, magnets, makeup brushes, sheet masks and packets, and squeezable tubes.
As reference, here’s a quick guide of non-recyclables:
Hair Care: Shampoo caps, conditioner caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray triggers, and hair paste caps
Skin Care: Lip balm tubes and caps, soap dispensers and tubes, body wash caps, lotion dispensers and caps
Cosmetics: Lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eyeshadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, and lip liner pencils

Look into refillables

The ideal goal is to use less packaging, hence producing less waste. Many brands like Brazilian NATURA, French Diptyque, and Los Angeles-based Bathing Culture offer refillable beauty products. This means that you will be reusing the packaging several times over its intended lifetime, thus keeping it away from the landfill. “If we can’t reduce the amount of products we buy, reusing and recycling those products is the next best thing. Over 90 percent of an average product’s environmental impact comes from extracting and refining the raw materials from which it is made,” explains Herrera.
Read More

How to Correctly Recycle Your Empty Beauty Products

TerraCycle Garnier Include USA l’Occitane Burt’s Bees EOS Herbal Essences Josie Maran Paula's Choice BEAUTYCYCLE
image.png
While shopping sustainable beauty is the ultimate goal (see more clean beauty habits here), it’s still essential to recycle all empty beauty containers to avoid waste. In fact, 50 percent of people don’t even try to recycle their empty containers as it is deemed “inconvenient,” explains TerraCycle’s resident beauty industry expert Gina Herrera. The so-called incommodity results in 2.7 billion plastic bottles of solely bathroom waste hitting landfills every year.
“The global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year, including the cardboard that envelops perfumes, serums, and moisturizers that contributes to the loss of 18 million acres of forest each year,” explains Herrera. And while it isn’t necessarily the easiest to recycle empty beauty and skincare packaging, it is very much necessary for a sustainable future. It is also particularly important to avoid “wishcycling,” explains Danielle Jezienicki, Director of Sustainability for Grove Collaborative.
But here’s the thing: Beauty product packaging is especially confusing and tricky to recycle (think: mirrored glass, cardboard sleeves, paper inserts, etc). So, we asked recycling experts to break down exactly how to ensure your empties make it to the correct recycling plants.

Check municipal recycling regulations

First and foremost, you should always follow your local recycling laws to ensure that you are following the rules. You can also use resources like Recycle Coach, How2Recycle, and EARTH911 to check what recyclables are accepted.
The bad news, however, is that Material Recycling Facilities, or MRFs, have quite strict regulations and don’t accept a large majority of beauty products. Be wary of the universal recycling symbol (triangle), as it is not the only way to indicate the recyclable nature of the container. Instead, pay attention to labels to get a better idea as to whether a product is recyclable. “In reality, only plastic items that have the numbers 1 or 2 printed within the arrows are widely recyclable in curbside recycling programs,” says Herrera. If so, your bathroom products can actually hit the blue or green bin with kitchen and household items because the United States follows a single-stream recycling program (this means that plastics can be recycled with other plastics and glass with other glass).

Alternative recycling programs

Don’t see a recycling symbol? Fortunately, some eco-conscious brands also offer internal recycling programs within their own facilities. TerraCycle, a private recycling business, actually works with Nordstrom for BEAUTYCYCLE, a free program that invites consumers to drop-off their beauty and skincare product packaging (regardless of brand) at in-store collection points for recycling, including items that are typically unrecyclable. Other brands that have individual in-house recycling include Garnier, Burt’s Bees, eos, Herbal Essences, L’Occitane, Josie Maran, and Paula’s Choice, to name a few. These brands generally work with programs like TerraCycle to properly process waste.

Mono-material recycling

Here’s a general rule of thumb for recycling beauty products: The less type of material that your package is made of, the more likely it is to be recyclable. When more material is used, the recycling process can be costly, time- and money-wise, for the separation process. And even if you try to do so yourself, cross-contaminated recyclables may not be accepted by local programs.
If your product is made of one general material like glass, plastic, or cardboard, you can rinse it and toss it directly into its respective recycling bin. And contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to remove adhesive labels on recyclable products. This is usually done through a specialized heating process performed at many MRFs.
In regards to plastic, it is always better to recycle a larger plastic container as it is most likely to be recycled. However, Jezienicki still advises to stay away from plastic products in general as they are still huge pollutants. “The reality is that plastics can usually only be recycled 2-3 times before losing the qualities that make them usable, which means that transitioning to recycled plastic only removes plastic from landfills or polluting the earth by 1-2 cycles.”

What can’t be recycled

Small products can actually halt the recycling process and therefore aren’t widely accepted at recycling plants. This means anything under 2 inches, think: all travel and portable beauty products. Additionally, products with dark packaging also cannot be recycled as they can’t be identified by MRF machines. Also unrecyclable: products that contain mirrors, magnets, makeup brushes, sheet masks and packets, and squeezable tubes.
As reference, here’s a quick guide of non-recyclables:
Hair Care: Shampoo caps, conditioner caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray triggers, and hair paste caps
Skin Care: Lip balm tubes and caps, soap dispensers and tubes, body wash caps, lotion dispensers and caps
Cosmetics: Lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eyeshadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, and lip liner pencils

Look into refillables

The ideal goal is to use less packaging, hence producing less waste. Many brands like Brazilian NATURA, French Diptyque, and Los Angeles-based Bathing Culture offer refillable beauty products. This means that you will be reusing the packaging several times over its intended lifetime, thus keeping it away from the landfill. “If we can’t reduce the amount of products we buy, reusing and recycling those products is the next best thing. Over 90 percent of an average product’s environmental impact comes from extracting and refining the raw materials from which it is made,” explains Herrera.
Read More

P&G Announces Its Reusable and Refillable Aluminum Bottle System

TerraCycle Include USA Head & Shoulders Herbal Essences Pantene Aussie
LONDON-- P&G Beauty unveils its newest packaging innovation across its haircare brands, set to change the way consumers buy, use and dispose of their shampoo bottles, as it continues its commitment to be a force for good and a positive force for beauty in the world.   As announced at a live panel of sustainability experts at the Reuters Responsible Business Summit, guests at The Window to Act is Now: Advancing Responsible Beauty in Europe heard that, as of 2021, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie will enable the 200 million European households1 to recycle, reduce and reuse. The leading beauty brands will launch a refill system for their shampoo, thanks to a new reusable 100% aluminium bottle and recyclable2 refill pouch, made using 60% less plastic (per mL versus standard brand bottle). P&G Beauty is on track to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% in shampoos and conditioners bottles by the end of 20213, where through collective efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle it will result in 300 million fewer virgin plastic bottles being produced yearly. peaking at the event, Artur Litarowicz, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Haircare for P&G Europe said; “We need to start turning the tide on the plastic waste crisis and there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our planet. That is why I’m thrilled to announce a new packaging innovation called the ‘good refill system’. This will allow consumers to have the product they love now in a beautiful, reusable aluminium bottle and refill pouches as of 2021. This will be launched across Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie. We know this is just the start. There is so much more to do, and I am passionate about P&G Beauty being a force for good across Europe as we step towards achieving our 2030 Responsible Beauty goals at pace.”
Virginie Helias, P&G’s Chief Sustainability Officer added; “We have committed to enable and inspire responsible consumption through innovation on our product and packaging. Our leading beauty brands in Europe touch millions of lives. This new packaging innovation will contribute to making the reuse of packaging irresistible, while enabling a reduction of virgin plastic as per P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment. It’s no longer about if or what we can do, but how quickly we can do it - the window is now for embracing new sustainable lifestyles.” Litarowicz and Helias were joined at the interactive panel discussion by founder and CEO at TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, Head of Plastic Waste and Business at WWF, Erin Simon and climate activist, Clover Hogan, who provided their perspective on the role of brands to help turn the tide of the plastics crisis. Tom Szaky commented; “I’ve long been a believer that a refill behaviour is a big part of the future of sustainable packaging and the innovation announced by P&G Beauty today is a positive step in the right direction for the many millions of households Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie serve. While there is of course more to be done, it’s great to see large companies such as P&G Beauty taking the issue seriously and using their scale to drive change quickly and impactfully.”
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Rinse, refill, repeat

TerraCycle Include USA Head & Shoulders Herbal Essences Pantene Aussie

P&G Beauty strikes a major blow to plastic waste with its new refill system including a reusable aluminium shampoo bottle and recyclable¹ pouch that uses 60% less plastic²

P&G Beauty is taking a leap of faith on the European consumer. With the launch of its refillable aluminium bottle system in Europe for its hair care brands Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie.
Obviously, the consumer goods giant has done its research, and there appears to be a strong appetite for less packaging and less waste. But how this will translate into changed behaviours is essentially untested. Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, works with every major cosmetic company in the world, helping them to be more sustainable. He says this is the first time he has seen a large company with mainstream brands create a refillable bottle at scale, out of an alloy. “From a supply chain point of view, this is a big undertaking. Hopefully, it will inspire other organisations to do the same and create a movement where we start buying more of our shampoos in reusable systems versus single use systems.” There is certainly reason for optimism. “When we started researching this, we found packaging waste was very much top-of-mind,” says Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainability Officer at P&G. “Over-packaging was a deterrent to purchase. All things being equal, the consumer would buy the product with less packaging.” This was backed up by a recent IPSOS survey of changing consumer habits, post-Covid. More than three-quarter of respondents said that they would avoid products with too much packaging. “Consumers want to do their bit for the environment and are asking big brands to act fast and enable them to make better, more sustainable choices at home,” says Artur Litarowicz, P&G’s Senior Vice President for Hair Care Europe. “The new aluminium shampoo refill bottle we are launching across our four hair care brands, is durable and it has been designed to allow consumers to reuse it, over and over. The new aluminium bottles will allow consumers to use the product they love without wasting packaging.”
Reduce, reuse, recycle
P&G Beauty is also set to reduce its virgin plastic usage in its main hair care brands by 50% in the next year, and combined with the distribution of the shampoo refill system will halt the production of the equivalent of 300 million virgin plastic bottles a year from 2021 enabling the 200 million European house holds its serves³ to recycle, reduce and reuse. While sustainable pack design appears entirely within a company’s control, even here, wider cooperation is required. “There is a wide spectrum of quality in recycled plastic,” says Ms Helias. “Most of the plastic we use is ‘food’ grade, which, you could argue, is overdesigned. But there is a meagre supply of high-quality recycled plastic, because there is nothing much between food grade and very poor quality. To unlock this supply shortage, the industry must collectively define a wider spectrum of grades, so we don’t all go for food grade where supply is limited.” Meanwhile, the problem of plastic waste is growing. This year is expected to see a 30% increase in the amount of plastic waste littering our oceans, largely as a result of the huge increase in plastic products used to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Ms Helias notes that the problem is not inherently any material, but our behaviour: “Actually plastic is one of the most sustainable materials. The issue is the litter of plastic in the environment.” One way to make sure plastic doesn’t end up in the ocean is to not make it in the first place. “Even if we call it ‘responsible’, a lot of plastic is still being incinerated,” says TerraCycle’s Mr Szaky. “And every time we make a new bottle, we must extract more oil from the ground, extract a huge amount of energy to make it, and for a relatively short life cycle.” TerraCycle operates Loop, a circular waste system that allows consumers to drop off their empties at participating retailers, which are then washed and reused by someone else. It’s basically the standard system for industrial economies pre-Second World War, before it was replaced by a throw-away convenience culture. But reintroducing re-usage into twenty-first century supply chains and lifestyles is very complex.
P&G was the first adopter of Loop, and it is being rolled out across Western Europe, with more than 100 consumer goods companies now signed up. This is different to P&G’s refillable aluminium bottle scheme, which is a bottle to keep and refill at home, but Mr Szaky is supportive. “Loop requires sizeable infrastructure whereas the refill bottle can happen now. This is a good way to bring concept to consumers early. I think the answer to sustainability is: move on all these tangents simultaneously and don’t assume there is a silver bullet.” He also believes the aluminium bottle concept is an enabler of the Loop system because it will show data and consumer insights on how people are reacting to refillables and make negotiations with retailers in other countries easier. Similarly, it was P&G’s early experience of Loop that gave it the confidence to go ahead with its new shampoo refill system. “We are accelerating our sustainability goals not because we have to but because we want to,” says Mr Litarowicz. “We have a vision that by 2030 our packaging will be 100% recyclable or reusable globally. By 2025, 90% of our major packaging platforms will be recyclable or reusable across P&G Beauty globally.” Beautiful behaviour But the main challenge is not so much technological, or even logistical, as behavioural. Loop relies on a significant change in consumer behaviour, and P&G’s shampoo refill system is only as responsible as the person using it. “Refillable aluminium bottles have to go around multiple times before they are better than disposable,” says Mr Szaky. “If you buy an aluminium bottle, use it once and recycle it – that is a disservice to the planet.
Ms Helias says that sustainability break-even for the aluminium bottle is 6-10 cycles. “The design is made to last much longer than that.” Despite the encouraging consumer sentiment, P&G Beauty isn’t relying purely on people’s good conscience to adopt the new scheme. “This is also a design driven initiative,” says Ms Helias. “The bottles are beautiful. One of our mottos is making sustainability irresistible – and that’s what this does. Even if you are not at all environmentally conscious, you may want to be part of this, because it’s so much nicer than the single-use shampoo bottle.” How fast adoption will be is difficult to predict, but Ms Helias is quietly confident. “My personal opinion and also based on what we’ve seen, it will really stick and go faster than we might expect. I’m looking forward to seeing how consumers respond.”
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P&G Beauty Launches Its First-Ever Refillable Aluminum Bottles for Hair Care

TerraCycle Include USA Head & Shoulders Herbal Essences Pantene Aussie
Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie are P&G's first brands to use the refill system at scale in Europe.
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Beauty Packaging Staff10.22.20
P&G Beauty has announced its first-ever refillable aluminium bottle system to launch at-scale, with its Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie brands in Europe. The refill system uses a new reusable 100% aluminium bottle and recyclable refill pouch, made using 60% less plastic (per mL versus standard brand bottle). The new sustainable packaging will enable millions of households across Europe to reduce, reuse and recycle. It is set to pave the way in changing the way consumers buy, use and dispose of their shampoo bottles. The news was announced during a live panel of sustainability experts at the Reuters Responsible Business Summit. Guests at "The Window to Act is Now: Advancing Responsible Beauty in Europe" heard that, as of 2021, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie will enable the 200 million European households to recycle, reduce and reuse. Speaking at the event, Artur Litarowicz, senior vice president and general manager of Haircare for P&G Europe said; “We need to start turning the tide on the plastic waste crisis and there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our planet. That is why I’m thrilled to announce a new packaging innovation called the ‘good refill system’. He continued, "This will allow consumers to have the product they love now in a beautiful, reusable aluminium bottle and refill pouches as of 2021. This will be launched across Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie. We know this is just the start. There is so much more to do, and I am passionate about P&G Beauty being a force for good across Europe as we step towards achieving our 2030 Responsible Beauty goals at pace.”

P&G Is On Track Toward Meeting Sustainability Goals by 2030

P&G Beauty is on track to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% in shampoos and conditioners bottles by the end of 2021, where through collective efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle it will result in 300 million fewer virgin plastic bottles being produced yearly. Virginie Helias, P&G’s chief sustainability officer added; “We have committed to enable and inspire responsible consumption through innovation on our product and packaging. Our leading beauty brands in Europe touch millions of lives. This new packaging innovation will contribute to making the reuse of packaging irresistible, while enabling a reduction of virgin plastic as per P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment. It’s no longer about if or what we can do, but how quickly we can do it - the window is now for embracing new sustainable lifestyles.” Litarowicz and Helias were joined at the interactive panel discussion by founder and CEO at TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, Head of Plastic Waste and Business at WWF, Erin Simon and climate activist, Clover Hogan, who provided their perspective on the role of brands to help turn the tide of the plastics crisis.
Tom Szaky commented; “I’ve long been a believer that a refill behavior is a big part of the future of sustainable packaging and the innovation announced by P&G Beauty today is a positive step in the right direction for the many millions of households Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie serve. While there is of course more to be done, it’s great to see large companies such as P&G Beauty taking the issue seriously and using their scale to drive change quickly and impactfully.”
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P&G Beauty Announces the Launch of Its First Ever Reusable and Refillable Aluminium Bottle System at Scale, with its Brands Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie in Europe

TerraCycle Include USA Head & Shoulders Herbal Essences Pantene Aussie
  • The launch of its first P&G Beauty aluminium reusable bottle and refill system in hair care, will enable millions of households across Europe to reduce, reuse and recycle their packaging
  • P&G Beauty Europe announces its next step towards reaching its Responsible Beauty 2030 goals, announced in June 2020
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P&G Beauty Announces the Launch of Its First Ever Reusable and Refillable Aluminium Bottle System at Scale, with its Brands Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie in Europe (Graphic: Business Wire)
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, P&G Beauty unveils its newest packaging innovation across its haircare brands, set to change the way consumers buy, use and dispose of their shampoo bottles, as it continues its commitment to be a force for good and a positive force for beauty in the world. As announced at a live panel of sustainability experts at the Reuters Responsible Business Summit, guests at The Window to Act is Now: Advancing Responsible Beauty in Europe heard that, as of 2021, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie will enable the 200 million European households1 to recycle, reduce and reuse. The leading beauty brands will launch a refill system for their shampoo, thanks to a new reusable 100% aluminium bottle and recyclable2 refill pouch, made using 60% less plastic (per mL versus standard brand bottle). P&G Beauty is on track to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% in shampoos and conditioners bottles by the end of 20213, where through collective efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle it will result in 300 million fewer virgin plastic bottles being produced yearly. Speaking at the event, Artur Litarowicz, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Haircare for P&G Europe said; “We need to start turning the tide on the plastic waste crisis and there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our planet. That is why I’m thrilled to announce a new packaging innovation called the ‘good refill system’. This will allow consumers to have the product they love now in a beautiful, reusable aluminium bottle and refill pouches as of 2021. This will be launched across Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie. We know this is just the start. There is so much more to do, and I am passionate about P&G Beauty being a force for good across Europe as we step towards achieving our 2030 Responsible Beauty goals at pace.” Virginie Helias, P&G’s Chief Sustainability Officer added; “We have committed to enable and inspire responsible consumption through innovation on our product and packaging. Our leading beauty brands in Europe touch millions of lives. This new packaging innovation will contribute to making the reuse of packaging irresistible, while enabling a reduction of virgin plastic as per P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment. It’s no longer about if or what we can do, but how quickly we can do it - the window is now for embracing new sustainable lifestyles.” Litarowicz and Helias were joined at the interactive panel discussion by founder and CEO at TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, Head of Plastic Waste and Business at WWF, Erin Simon and climate activist, Clover Hogan, who provided their perspective on the role of brands to help turn the tide of the plastics crisis. Tom Szaky commented; “I’ve long been a believer that a refill behaviour is a big part of the future of sustainable packaging and the innovation announced by P&G Beauty today is a positive step in the right direction for the many millions of households Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie serve. While there is of course more to be done, it’s great to see large companies such as P&G Beauty taking the issue seriously and using their scale to drive change quickly and impactfully.”
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What is Zero-Waste Beauty (and How Can We Incorporate It Into Our Routines)?

TerraCycle Dove Include USA Procter & Gamble Loop Herbal Essences Secret
Lately you may have seen the words zero waste on your body lotion (and if that’s the case, we applaud you). It’s an emerging trend within the beauty industry, and as someone who has spent the better part of a decade reporting on such matters, it’s the trend I am most excited about. To get a better understanding of what this term actually means, I spoke to Tiila Abbitt, the CEO and founder of Aether Beauty, a sustainable makeup company that launched the first zero-waste eye shadow palette in the industry. "Zero waste means making sure nothing ends up in a landfill," explains Abbitt. "That can mean a few things: One is that a product is reusable, another is that it can actually be recycled." (I’m going to interrupt here briefly to drop in that oft-quoted National Geographic stat about how 91 percent of plastic ends up in landfills.) "And on that note, it’s making sure there is no packaging or packaging waste. The main idea is to limit what actually goes directly in your trash." And it's not just the indie brands who are making strides toward sustainability. Procter & Gamble (the parent company behind Dove, Secret and Herbal Essences) joined forces with TerraCycle’s LOOP program last year, which provides shoppers with a simple website where they can request pick-ups and order refills of popular household products like shampoo and laundry detergent. "The idea of adopting a zero-waste routine can be intimidating because people think they have to completely switch up their entire lifestyle, but this isn’t about perfection," says Abbitt. "We don’t need a few people creating a zero-waste lifestyle perfectly. We need millions of people trying their best, thinking more about their own footprint and making better choices with the goods they are purchasing, however imperfectly, to make a difference." In sum, it’s not an all-or-nothing affair. So, how else can we be start being more conscious of our consumption? "Look for products that have less waste, are package-free or are fully recyclable. And avoid single-use items like face wipes and cotton rounds," shares Abbitt. We’re also fans of recycling programs from brands like M.A.C. and Lush, who offer new products in exchange for empties. And beyond carefully choosing your beauty products, start bringing reusable items like shopping bags, coffee mugs and water bottles, utensils and metal straws with you for when you are out and about. OK, now who’s ready to shop some of our favorite sustainable beauty products?
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