P&G to create shampoo bottle from scrap plastic recovered from beaches

The consumer products company Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, has announced that its Head & Shoulders shampoo brand will become the first recyclable shampoo bottle made from up to 25 percent recycled beach plastic.

P&G, in partnership with TerraCycle and Suez Environnement, based in Paris, will begin the recycling program in France by the middle of this year, producing a limited-edition shampoo bottle. The shampoo will be sold through the retailer Carrefour.

The product will be the world’s largest production run of recyclable bottles made with postconsumer recycled beach plastic and a first major step in establishing a unique supply chain that involves the support of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of NGOs collecting plastic scrap found on beaches, the company says. 

"We felt that the leading shampoo brand in sales should lead in sustainability innovation and know that when we do this, it encourages the entire industry to do the same,” says Lisa Jennings, vice president, Head & Shoulders and Global Hair Care Sustainability Leader for Procter & Gamble. “We've been fortunate to work with such great partners in TerraCycle and Suez to make this vision a reality."

Additionally, P&G announced that in Europe by end of 2018 more than half a billion bottles per year of its hair care products will include up to 25 percent postconsumer recycled plastic. P&G says the total represents more than 90 percent of all the hair care bottles it sold in Europe across P&G’s hair care portfolio of brands.

The project will require about 2,600 tons of recycled plastic every year.

“At P&G, we believe that actions speak louder than words. The increased use of PCR plastic across our hair care portfolio of brands, demonstrate our continued commitment to driving real change,” says Virginie Helias, P&G’s vice president of Global Sustainability.

“The Head & Shoulders recyclable shampoo bottle made with beach plastic is a world’s first in the hair care category. Increasing the use of recycled plastic in the packaging of our flagship brands, like Pantene and Head & Shoulders, makes it easier for consumers to choose more sustainable products, without any trade-offs. So, while we’re proud of what we’ve done and what we’re doing, we know there is much more work ahead.”

Tom Szaky, CEO, TerraCycle, says, “This partnership represents an important step for TerraCycle. We are proud to be working with one of the world’s largest brands to create a breakthrough product. Creating the world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle with beach plastics is a start of an important journey. With the circular economy gaining more traction, we hope that other global brands will work with green suppliers and use their influence to drive change for the benefit of the environment.”

“This partnership between SUEZ, TerraCycle and P&G represents an exciting step in the creation of a world first for consumers, a recyclable shampoo bottle made of beach plastics," says Jean-Marc Boursier, Suez group senior executive vice president in charge of Recycling & Recovery Europe. "We hope that other organizations will continue to partner with different providers in order to deliver major environmental changes in this industry and hopefully across other industries too. With nine dedicated plastic facilities across Europe, Suez is already producing 170,000 tons of high-quality recycled polymers."