Colgate with a new recycling project

Colgate has just concluded the idea for a first-of-its-kind recyclable toothpaste tube that establishes a new standard in the industry.

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) published its acceptance of the new tube, which presents the design for oral care or personal care tube to obtain APR recognition for recyclability – a necessary step in making effective.

The design will later be followed to select global businesses under the Colgate brand. After that, the organization proposes to fully convert to recyclable tubes by 2025, when all of its commodities are in 100% recyclable packaging.

Plastic tubes are an extensive choice in various variety of product categories – from beautifiers and personal care products to pharmaceuticals and food. Toothpaste alone estimates for an estimated 20 billion tubes yearly around the world.

Most toothpaste tubes are formed from sheets of plastic laminate – usually a co-ex layer of different plastics – sandwiched in a thin film that preserves the toothpaste’s aroma and fluoride. The mix of substances is pressed together into a single film, making it hard to recycle through conventional methods.

To make a recyclable tube, Colgate chose high-density polyethylene (HDPE), plastic approved for bottle making. But because HDPE is rigid, it isn’t well suited for ultra-thin laminate sheets and soft, squeezable tubes.

Colgate’s “eureka moment” came when their packaging engineers recognized that they could use more than one grade of HDPE in their designs. The team then tested a dozen different combinations – using from 6 to 20 layers – to find the recipe that allows people to press out all the toothpaste comfortably, protects the integrity of the product, and meets the demands of high-speed production.

Making a recyclable tube is only part of the difficulty. While APR gives guidelines for recyclability to Colgate will require to engage similar companies in other parts of the world as it expands the use of its new tube. It must also build knowledge and assistance among other recycling stakeholders: the Materials Recovery Facilities that sort recyclables, the Reclaimers that produce resin from recycled plastic, the municipalities that operate recycling programs, and others.

As part of the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme, Colgate and TerraCycle are offering the opportunity to a UK Primary School to win a playground made from recycled oral care products.… https://t.co/TVYJZ1CAkU

— Colgate UK (@ColgateUK) April 15, 2019

“Colgate people are excited about this challenge and meeting our goal of 100% recyclable packaging,” said Ann Tracy, Vice President Global Sustainability, EOHS and Supply Chain Strategy. “We’re bound to using less plastic – and more recycled material – in our packaging. We’re helping to strengthen recycling by supporting the Closed Loop Fund and other efforts. And we’re exploring new ingredients and models, including TerraCycle’s Loop™ initiative for reusable, refillable packaging.”

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