Post by account_disabled on Feb 28, 2024 0:39:20 GMT -5
Every year Americans throw away one billion tubes of toothpaste, which end up in a landfill. But this could change. According to Fast Company , Colgate designers have spent more than five years redesigning the brand's containers so they can be recycled.
Starting in March, these new tubes will be distributed across four of Colgate's most popular lines. The company expects its entire range to be recyclable in the United States by 2023 and worldwide by 2025.
But the big question is whether consumers Changsha Mobile Number List will be able to change their behavior and recycle their old packaging after decades of throwing it away.
Colgate smiles at the environment
Colgate, founded in 1873 and currently commanding 34% of the toothpaste market in the United States, helped invent the oral care category. William Colgate's first product was toothpaste sold in glass jars.
As it became increasingly popular, the company worked to develop more convenient packaging. In the mid-20th century, it manufactured an aluminum tube and, in 1982, the disposable plastic tube that is ubiquitous today.
After 149 years, recyclable Colgate toothpaste tubes arrive
“The tubes were lighter and less expensive than aluminum, and less likely to crack,” explains Greg Corra, global director of packaging and sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive, the parent company.
Colgate's plastic containers are made of various materials, including a thin layer of aluminum that keeps toothpaste fresh and tasty, and various types of plastic. Most recycling programs cannot process products made from mixed materials.
The design focused on functionality rather than what would happen to the tube at the end of its useful life.
Greg Corra, global director of packaging and sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive.
But in recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware that plastic pollution is destroying our planet. Since plastic became popular in the early 1950s, 8.3 billion tons have been produced.
Today, 300 million tons of plastic waste are generated every year. Only 9% is recycled, while 12% is incinerated, a process that releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The majority of this waste – 79% – ends up in landfills or the natural environment. Since plastic does not biodegrade, it simply disintegrates into small fragments called microplastics, it can end up in the oceans, poisoning animals and humans.
Recyclable Colgate toothpaste containers arrive
To Corra and his team, it was very clear that Colgate had to redesign its tubes. The executive states that the key was to use a single material so that they could be easily recycled. The company opted for high-density polyethylene, which is commonly used to make detergent bottles, milk jugs and vitamin containers.
The problem at first was that most HDPE is rigid, making it difficult to squeeze out the toothpaste. “The breakthrough came when we realized we could layer different grades of HDPE, allowing us to create a more squeezable tube,” says Corra.
After 149 years, recyclable Colgate toothpaste tubes arrive
He also explains that they replaced the aluminum barrier with a plastic compatible with HDPE recycling (the new tube is classified as plastic number 2). "The secret sauce was to mix and match different grades of the same material, so that it remained recyclable."
The cap, however, is made of polypropylene (or number 5 plastic). In most cases, customers will be able to throw the tube and cap into the recycling bin. But local recycling rules sometimes vary, and some recyclers prefer that consumers remove the cap before putting it away.
Please note that toothpaste residue will inevitably remain in the tube, but customers do not have to bother cleaning it before recycling, as the toothpaste is water-soluble, it will be removed during the cleaning process.
The first step
Over the next year, Colgate will be introducing these tubes, while working with its factories and retailers to bring them to market. The new packaging will debut in the Cavity Protection, Max Fresh Cool, Total Whitening and Optic White lines, and will have a nickname that says "Recycle me!", to notify consumers of the new possibility.
Although the rest of Colgate's lines will not be recyclable, nor will many other brands on the market. The company is aware that this patchwork approach is not ideal. But their ultimate goal is to make recyclable plastic tubes the norm.
In 2020, when it first launched a prototype for Tom's of Maine, the natural brand and independent subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, it presented the container to the Plastic Recyclers Association, a trade organization that helps create standards for the industry, fit Note that only some Tom's toothpaste tubes are currently recyclable.
Starting in March, these new tubes will be distributed across four of Colgate's most popular lines. The company expects its entire range to be recyclable in the United States by 2023 and worldwide by 2025.
But the big question is whether consumers Changsha Mobile Number List will be able to change their behavior and recycle their old packaging after decades of throwing it away.
Colgate smiles at the environment
Colgate, founded in 1873 and currently commanding 34% of the toothpaste market in the United States, helped invent the oral care category. William Colgate's first product was toothpaste sold in glass jars.
As it became increasingly popular, the company worked to develop more convenient packaging. In the mid-20th century, it manufactured an aluminum tube and, in 1982, the disposable plastic tube that is ubiquitous today.
After 149 years, recyclable Colgate toothpaste tubes arrive
“The tubes were lighter and less expensive than aluminum, and less likely to crack,” explains Greg Corra, global director of packaging and sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive, the parent company.
Colgate's plastic containers are made of various materials, including a thin layer of aluminum that keeps toothpaste fresh and tasty, and various types of plastic. Most recycling programs cannot process products made from mixed materials.
The design focused on functionality rather than what would happen to the tube at the end of its useful life.
Greg Corra, global director of packaging and sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive.
But in recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware that plastic pollution is destroying our planet. Since plastic became popular in the early 1950s, 8.3 billion tons have been produced.
Today, 300 million tons of plastic waste are generated every year. Only 9% is recycled, while 12% is incinerated, a process that releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The majority of this waste – 79% – ends up in landfills or the natural environment. Since plastic does not biodegrade, it simply disintegrates into small fragments called microplastics, it can end up in the oceans, poisoning animals and humans.
Recyclable Colgate toothpaste containers arrive
To Corra and his team, it was very clear that Colgate had to redesign its tubes. The executive states that the key was to use a single material so that they could be easily recycled. The company opted for high-density polyethylene, which is commonly used to make detergent bottles, milk jugs and vitamin containers.
The problem at first was that most HDPE is rigid, making it difficult to squeeze out the toothpaste. “The breakthrough came when we realized we could layer different grades of HDPE, allowing us to create a more squeezable tube,” says Corra.
After 149 years, recyclable Colgate toothpaste tubes arrive
He also explains that they replaced the aluminum barrier with a plastic compatible with HDPE recycling (the new tube is classified as plastic number 2). "The secret sauce was to mix and match different grades of the same material, so that it remained recyclable."
The cap, however, is made of polypropylene (or number 5 plastic). In most cases, customers will be able to throw the tube and cap into the recycling bin. But local recycling rules sometimes vary, and some recyclers prefer that consumers remove the cap before putting it away.
Please note that toothpaste residue will inevitably remain in the tube, but customers do not have to bother cleaning it before recycling, as the toothpaste is water-soluble, it will be removed during the cleaning process.
The first step
Over the next year, Colgate will be introducing these tubes, while working with its factories and retailers to bring them to market. The new packaging will debut in the Cavity Protection, Max Fresh Cool, Total Whitening and Optic White lines, and will have a nickname that says "Recycle me!", to notify consumers of the new possibility.
Although the rest of Colgate's lines will not be recyclable, nor will many other brands on the market. The company is aware that this patchwork approach is not ideal. But their ultimate goal is to make recyclable plastic tubes the norm.
In 2020, when it first launched a prototype for Tom's of Maine, the natural brand and independent subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, it presented the container to the Plastic Recyclers Association, a trade organization that helps create standards for the industry, fit Note that only some Tom's toothpaste tubes are currently recyclable.