Did you know that about 25 percent of
plastics end up in our oceans or waterways? That means that, by 2050, the
plastic in our oceans will outnumber the fish! Fortunately, more and more packaging manufacturers are stepping up to the plate, focusing on sustainable production methods and recyclability. Manufacturers like
Procter and Gamble (P&G), for instance, who this year announced a partnership with recycling and waste management companies TerraCycle and SUEZ. Together, they’ve set out to create the world’s first
recyclable shampoo bottle made of plastic waste found on shores and beaches.
Sustainable shampoo packaging made of beach plastic
So, what’s so special about this recyclable shampoo bottle? Isn’t it like any other form of recycled plastic? Well, the tricky part is that beach plastics require some
aggressive cleaning to take out a whole bunch of contaminants that don’t occur in regular plastic waste. There’s sand, seaweed, algae, bacteria, … which all have to be taken out before the plastic can be used. Additionally, beach plastics tend to be very degraded by the time they wash up on the shore, so P&G’s sustainable shampoo bottle is, for now, only made of
25 percent recycled beach plastic.
Benches and picnic tables
Still, P&G, TerraCycle and SUEZ have every reason to be proud of what is in fact the world’s biggest solution to ocean plastic so far. 55 percent of the collected beach plastic is made into
shampoo bottles. The remaining 45 percent, which can’t be used because it’s not a
high-density polyethylene, is recycled into other things including picnic tables and benches, which are then donated to charity. That way, , 100 percent of the beach plastics collected does get recycled at the end of the day.
Looking for more eco-packaging inspiration?
Browse through the latest
sustainable packaging designs and
snack on some six-pack rings while you’re at it!
Inspired by Packaging-Gateway
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